Toronto Raptors: Depth help is reportedly on the way

The Toronto Raptors roster has been decimated by injuries and suspensions recently, but it looks like help is on the way.

After the altercation with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Toronto Raptors have seen two players suspended on top of their growing list of injury concerns.

Fred VanVleet and DeAndre’ Bembry have both been handed one-game bans after leaving the bench area during the heated exchange, while OG Anunoby also received a fine for his involvement.

Bembry will miss the team’s game tonight against the Chicago Bulls, while VanVleet, who has been absent recently due to injury, will not serve his suspension until the first game he is physically eligible to play.

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They join the likes of Kyle Lowry, Paul Watson, Rodney Hood and Patrick McCaw on the growing list of players head coach Nick Nurse is unable to call upon, with the aforementioned all side-lined with various ailments.

The 2021 season has been a truly trying time for the struggling 20-31 Raptors, but it appears that some small glimmer of hope has appeared with reports of some potential depth additions over the next few days.

One player that has officially joined the Toronto Raptors is 23-year-old forward Freddie Gillespie, who most recently played professionally for the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League.

The St Paul, Minnesota native, who stands at 6-foot-9, 245lbs, went undrafted in 2020, but was invited to the Dallas Mavericks’ training camp – though he was unable to crack their final roster.

He was, however, selected second overall in the G League Draft back in January, having played for the Baylor Bears at the college level, and put up some solid numbers that give hope to him having a positive impact on the desperate Raptors.

In 15 games with the Hustle, Gillespie averaged 27.8 minutes of playing time, with 10.5 points, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.3 blocks and, most importantly, 10.3 rebounds – 6.5 of which were defensive.

The Raptors are needing help with their rebounding, so if Gillespie, who has signed a 10-day contract with the team, can step in and give the team an improvement in this area, then he could be an important short-term addition.

He is not the only player that could potentially be joining the Raptors, with 28-year-old Montreal native Khem Birch reportedly set to be waived by the Orlando Magic, with Toronto the likeliest landing spot.

Birch, a 6-foot-9, 233lbs centre will provide depth competition for the Raptors and bring with him some valuable NBA experience, having played 188 games over his four-year career to date.

He will be nothing more than a depth player for the Raptors, averaging 5.1 total rebounds (2.6 defensive) and just 5.3 points, but he could be the addition that sparks Aron Baynes to play his best, with many fans polarised by his performances since joining the team off the back of a career-year with the Phoenix Suns.

While neither player is likely to have the impact that Gary Trent Jr has had since being acquired in the Norman Powell trade, they will be bodies that can eat up minutes and help the ailing Toronto Raptors get through the season – potentially even impressing enough to earn longer-term deals with the team in the off-season if the fit is right.