Toronto Raptors Open Practice
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NBA Toronto Raptors Open Practice By Trung Ho October 7th, 2018 Toronto, ON (Mattamy Athletic Centre) Toronto Raptors three- point specialist C.J. Miles participates in a shooting drill with teammates Delon Wright, Malachi Richardson and Fred Van Vleet. Miles is coming into his second season with the Raptors after signing as a free agent in 2017. Following the Raptors’ stellar bench play last season, Toronto’s second unit earned the popular "Bench Mob” nickname, largely led by Pascal Siakam (left) and Fred Van Vleet (right). Left: Norm Powell, who was still injured during the open practice, records an Instagram story for the Toronto Raptors social media account. Right: Jonas Valanciunas works on his three-point shooting. More traditional centers in the NBA have increasingly re-shaped their game to include perimeter shooting. Toronto Raptors 7-year veteran Jonas Valanciunas high-fiving Raptors hopeful and Montreal-native Chris Boucher. Boucher was one of four players battling for a final roster spot with the team. He eventually was offered a two-way contract which will see Boucher split time between the Raptors and it’s G League affiliate, Raptors 905. Back-up point guard Fred Van Vleet defends All-Star guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry enters his seventh season with Toronto, the longest- tenured Raptor, and for the first time without his close teammate DeMar DeRozan, who was dealt in the offseason. Jonas Valanciunas drives in for a dunk during the scrimmage. The Toronto Raptors mascot walking across the court during a timeout entertainment presentation. Head coach Nick Nurse looks on during the team’s scrimmages. Left: Toronto’s newest member, Kawhi Leonard, gets set to inbound the ball. Leonard is widely considered on of the NBA’s top-five players, a superstar- caliber player Toronto has never had. Right: Nick Nurse overlooks the third- string lineup on the court. Towards the end of the fourth quarter of the scrimmage, Nurse requested an extra quarter be played. Danny Green, Toronto’s newest starting shooting guard, inbounds the ball with Kawhi Leonard defending. Green and Leonard were instrumental in San Antonio Spurs’ 2014 NBA Finals title. Both players headed north of the border following this summer’s blockbuster deal that sent Toronto’s homegrown all-star DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poetl to the Spurs. Nick Nurse leading a huddle with Toronto’s development players and Raptors hopefuls. The five players include from left to right include: Lorenzo Brown, Jordan Loyd, Chris Boucher, Kyle Collingsworth, and Eric Moreland. It’s expected that these players will be on the Raptors 905 roster full-time or on a two-way contract this season. Left: Kay Felder attempts a layup against Chris Boucher and Kyle Collingsworth. Right: Kawhi Leonard and Norm Powell exits the floor at the end of the open practice after the team acknowledges the crowd..