D.J. Wilson Shows Why Raptors Signed Him With Breakout Summer League Showing

The Toronto Raptors saw D.J. Wilson and Jeff Dowtin lead the way in a Summer League victory over the Utah Jazz

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

D.J. Wilson is finally getting a chance to show a little more of that untapped talent that once piqued the Toronto Raptors' interest.

It wasn't all that long ago that Raptors coach Nick Nurse was praising the 26-year-old forward, hoping to get another look at Wilson on his third 10-day contract of last season.

“I thought he played really well in both the little stint that he got, the couple games that he played," Nurse said of Wilson last March. "I like his game."

Wilson's first two Summer League games hadn't gone as anyone had hoped, but everything flipped Wednesday night in a breakout 80-74 victory over the Utah Jazz. It was exactly the kind of outing the Raptors have been looking for from Wilson, the former No. 17 overall pick in the 2017 draft who inked a partially-guaranteed deal to remain with Toronto through at least training camp.

At 6-foot-10, Wilson fits the Raptors mold as a versatile jack-of-all-trades big man who can step outside and nail catch-and-shoot three-pointers or bang in the paint against bigger bodies. He's not quite big enough to man the paint defensively, but his offensive versatility and ability to space the floor and dribble a little bit has been enough to intrigue Toronto.

He nailed a turnaround off-balanced jumper late in the second quarter and burned the Jazz repeatedly with a trio of outside buckets, including a clutch catch-and-shoot jumper to put the Raptors up seven late in the fourth. He finished the night with a team-high 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting with nine rebounds.

Jeff Dowtin Continues to Impress

The Raptors came into the week praising Jeff Dowtin as a prospect to watch and through three Summer League games so far it's easy to see why. The 25-year-old point guard was once again among Toronto's best players Wednesday night. He's a high-IQ player who repeatedly got the Raptors into early offense, speeding up the court and creating advantages for Toronto in the half-court.

At 6-foot-3, he's a little on the smaller side, but he got downhill for an up-an-under bucket in the first quarter and nailed a step-back jumper in the second. Then, with the game on the line, he muscled his way through contact for a tough driving layup to put Toronto up four, finishing the night with 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting.

Highlight of the Night

It's been a bit of a disappointing Summer League so far for David Johnson whose roster spot appears to be in some jeopardy for next year, but the 2021 second-round pick showed off his hops Wednesday night, throwing down a monster first-half slam.

MY GOODNESS 👀👀 @davidjohnson13 pic.twitter.com/1WOb1x3M9e

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 13, 2022

Up Next: Miami Heat

The Raptors will be back at it Friday night with a 10 p.m. ET tipoff against Canadian A.J. Lawson, Mychal Mulder, and the Miami Heat.