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Toronto Raptors: Meet the 4 players fighting for a roster spot

By Nate Wolf

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 8: Kennedy Meeks #1 of the Toronto Raptors shoots a lay up during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League on July 8, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 8: Kennedy Meeks #1 of the Toronto Raptors shoots a lay up during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League on July 8, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images /

Alfonzo McKinnie, Forward

The closest thing to a basketball journeyman in this article, Alfonzo McKinnie signed a partially guaranteed two-year deal with the Raptors back in early July.

Toronto brass must like McKinnie’s game; minimum contract guys don’t usually find teams so early in free agency. He shined in the G League last season, averaging 17.5 points per 36 minutes with a 57.3 true shooting percentage for the Windy City Bulls. And as a 6’8” forward, his rebounding numbers were insane, as he pulled down 16 percent of all available boards. For reference, Serge Ibaka posted a 12.2 rebounding percentage last season.

Undersized forwards who crash the boards are usually excellent athletes and the 6’8″ McKinnie is no exception. Per Blake Murphy, “His explosiveness is obvious, as is his defensive potential, it’ll just be a matter of developing the 24-year-old from here, particularly his 3-point shot.”

Indeed, for a team filled with so-so shooters, McKinnie’s best shot at making the team will be an improvement in his shooting range. He shot just 2.7 threes per game last year and canned 30.8 percent of them. Especially considering his positional and skill overlap with new draft pick OG Anunoby, McKinnie will need to stand out for more than his versatility and hustle.

Since only $100,000 of his contract is guaranteed, cutting McKinnie won’t cause Toronto much financial pain. Without NBA experience or an obvious niche, he may be on the outside looking in.

But McKinnie has overcome his underdog status before. After averaging just 11.2 points per game in his final year of high school, he attended Eastern Illinois for two years, transferred to Green Bay, tore his meniscus twice and then played professionally in Luxembourg and Mexico.

He paid $175 to try out for Windy City late last summer. Roughly a year later, he has the chance to make an NBA roster. Wild.

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