Toronto Raptors: Examining The Addition Of Jason Thompson

The Toronto Raptors have reportedly signed Jason Thompson for the rest of the season, but how much of an impact will he make on the team?

It may have been a couple of weeks later than we expected, but the Toronto Raptors finally made their big midseason acquisition.

Well, big may not be the right word, but it’s a key move nonetheless as it was revealed Monday by Shams Charania of The Vertical that the Raptors have signed forward/center Jason Thompson.

It’s a relatively quick turnaround for the 29-year-old, as he spent much of the season as a member of the Golden State Warriors before he was waived by the team more than a week ago so they could sign Anderson Varejao.

The Toronto Raptors are waiving forward Anthony Bennett to sign veteran Jason Thompson for the season, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 29, 2016

As Charania also points out, it was announced that the Raptors were waiving Toronto native Anthony Bennett in order to clear a roster spot for Thompson.

It’s certainly a sad ending for Bennett considering he’s from the area, as well as how fast his star has faded since he was taken as the first overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

More from Hoops Habit

On the flip side, adding Thompson was a necessary move the Raptors had to make as they prepare themselves for the final stretch of the season and playoffs.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that Thompson will be eligible to play in the playoffs since he was bought out well before Tuesday’s deadline.

However, there are two big questions that face the team now that they have added Thompson: how will he fit and and how big of an impact will he have the team?

As far as Thompson’s fit goes, he’s more of a traditional power forward, who has the ability to play as a small-ball center. The Raptors have played more small-ball lineups this year and it’s worked in their favor so far, so adding Thompson gives the team more opportunities to go that route.

Although he can play as a small-ball big, that doesn’t make Thompson a solid rim protector by any means. That’s why playing him next to a player like Patrick Patterson would be more beneficial for the Raptors than putting Thompson alongside a player like Luis Scola.

Thompson’s also a great defensive rebounder and that will fit in perfectly with the Raptors as they rank seventh in defensive rebound percentage (77.6 percent) in the league, per Basketball-Reference.com.