Nick Nurse Says Raptors Will Have 'A Lot of Eyeballs' on Jeff Dowtin at Summer League

The Toronto Raptors will be keeping tabs on Jeff Dowtin when Summer League tips off Saturday afternoon, Nick Nurse said

Aaron Rose | Jul 9, 2022

Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors roster may be virtually set in stone for next season following the signing of D.J. Wilson, but there's at least one notable Summer League player the organization will be keeping tabs on Saturday afternoon in Toronto's Vegas opener.

The name Jeff Dowtin may not mean much to most Raptors fans, but Raptors coach Nick Nurse went out of his way to mention the 6-foot-3 point guard in an interview with Savanna Hamilton on Friday.

"Jeff Dowtin is a quality player that's in on the Summer League team with also a lot of eyeballs on him," Nurse said. "We're really evaluating him strongly."

The 25-year-old doesn't quite fit Toronto's mold as a more traditional point guard, but on a team lacking point guard depth it's possible Dowtin cracks the Raptors roster or sticks around with the 905 as an insurance policy should Fred VanVleet need some time off next year.

Last season, Dowtin played in 12 games with the Golden State Warriors' G League team, averaging 17.7 points, 5.1 assists, and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 44% from the floor.

Expect him to run the point alongside Dalano Banton in Summer League, Nurse said, as Toronto tries to get Banton off-ball a little bit more to see how the sophomore guard has developed his game as a shooter and cutter.

The Raptors will tip off their Summer League schedule at 3:30 p.m. ET against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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