Toronto Raptors reportedly signing Juwan Morgan and Brandon Goodwin

With injuries and COVID protocols impacting the Toronto Raptors, the team are reportedly signing Juwan Morgan and Brandon Goodwin out of the NBA G League.

The Toronto Raptors have suffered a number of injuries throughout their roster so far this season, with the likes of Pascal Siakam, Khem Birch and Dalano Banton all recently missing time.

The need to pad out an ailing has become ever more apparent with Goran Dragic indefinitely out for personal reasons and David Johnson also joining the aforementioned players as those the Raptors are unable to call upon at present.

With multiple teams across the NBA needing help, ten-day contracts can be awarded to players that sees a team exceed the maximum 15-man roster limit under the NBA’s hardship exception – something the Boston Celtics have done with C.J. Miles and the LA Lakers with Isaiah Thomas.

Per the Athletic’s Sham Charania, the Toronto Raptors look set to use the hardship exception to sign forward Juwan Morgan of the G League’s Maine Celtics as well as guard Brandon Goodwin out of the Westchester Knicks.

Maine are playing well so far this season, sporting an impressive 10-2 record and currently sit second in the East Division’s Showcase Cup, with two of their victories coming against Toronto’s G League affiliates the Raptors 905.

In that time, the 6-foot-7, 232lbs Morgan has been ever present, averaging 31.6 minutes and 12.6 points per game while throwing .559 from the field.

He has also been putting up seven rebounds (5.4 defensive), 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, though he had better numbers the last time he was in the G League with the Salt Lake City Stars in 2019/20.

The 24-year-old from Waynesville, Indiana is not a complete stranger to the NBA despite going undrafted in 2019, with a two-season stint with the Utah Jazz.

His time in the NBA has seen him play exclusively from the bench, with a career average of just 5.6 minutes per game with the Jazz – where he shot .518 and averaged just 1.4 points across his 50 regular season appearances.

Goodwin, meanwhile, has played a little more in the NBA with 97 regular season games under his belt over the past three seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets.

Playing a career average 11.4 minutes in the NBA, where he has started in six total games, the 26-year-old Norcross, Georgia native has averaged 4.7 points from .381, 1.3 defensive rebounds and two assists.

In the G League this season, the 6-foot, 180lbs Goodwin has played fewer games than Morgan, but has averaged 35.1 minutes, shot .419 from the field while averaging 15.3 points, 5.1 rebounds (four defensive), seven assists and 1.9 blocks.

Goodwin has spent many seasons playing in the G League, where he has been a consistent player in all areas of the court, and shapes up to provide the Raptors with decent defensive depth while also being able to contribute somewhat on offence.

For the Toronto Raptors, Morgan and Goodwin would simply provide them with depth as they look to navigate the ever evolving landscape of the league, with more and more players being placed in health and safety protocols and games being postponed due to Coronavirus cases.