The Toronto Raptors have signed guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. to a two-way contract.
The six-foot-three, 185-pound Dowtin joined the Raptors for this year's NBA Summer League, where he averaged 16 points, 4.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 28.1 minutes in four games (all starts).
He shot 57 per cent from the field, including 36.4 per cent from three-point range.
A native of Upper Marlboro, Ma., Dowtin played in nine NBA games last season for Golden State, Milwaukee and Orlando, averaging 2.1 points, two rebounds and 1.1 assists.
He appeared in 37 regular season games over two years in the NBA G League for the Lakeland Magic and Wisconsin Herd, averaging 15.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.8 minutes played.
He helped the Magic win the 2021 NBA G League Championship.
What could Dowtin Jr. bring to the Raptors?
Oren Weisfeld, a contributing writer for Sportsnet, recently detailed Dowtin Jr.'s play while breaking down the Raptors' Summer League performances. An excerpt from that analysis can be found below.
"Someone who Raptors fans didn’t know what to expect from was 25-year-old point guard Jeff Dowtin, who broke out as arguably the best and definitely the most steady Raptor there. Dowtin averaged 16 points per game on 57/36/92 shooting splits along with an incredibly efficient 4.2 assists to 0.5 turnovers, making smart and safe plays with the ball. He’s not going to throw flashy passes or try to thread the needle like Banton, but Dowtin has a calming presence that was necessary and will be valued by coaches around the NBA, including Nick Nurse. In fact, Dowtin plays like a veteran on both sides of the ball, rarely making mistakes and thriving in whatever role is asked of him, whether he’s playing off the ball besides Banton or on the ball as the lone point guard, where he flashed some impressive isolation scoring skills late in their clutch win over the Jazz.
In hindsight, it’s no wonder Dowtin dominated the G League last season, averaging 20.9 points on 55.6 per cent shooting, 43.2 per cent from three, and 6.6 assists to just 1.3 turnovers in 22 regular season games with two different teams — including the Lakeland Magic, who he won the championship with.
Overall, Dowtin played with three NBA teams and three G League teams over the course of 2021-22, putting up efficient and steady numbers throughout, which is an incredibly difficult thing to do given all the uncertainty and change he was dealing with. He continued to prove that he is an NBA-calibre player in Summer League, filling a role as a steady backup point guard."
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