The Toronto Raptors finished off their Las Vegas Summer League with a 4-1 record in the tournament. Wins in the Summer League however come second to individual performances, showcasing talent to franchises, displaying how players stack up against pro-level competition and allowing them to make a name for themselves in front of coaches and GMs.
So who made an impression this year?
Dalano Banton
Point Guard Dalano Banton entered the Summer League as a top prospect who was known as a great team leader and ball facilitator. The second-year guard led the team in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game as well as a team-high 29.2 minutes per game. He was able to successfully balance his scoring with this ability to get his teammates involved, a skill that takes most point guards a fair amount of time to master. The big improvement for Banton came in his three point shot, which he seemed to be much more confident with this year.
Banton has the ability to face-up defenders and turn his back to them, which allows him to get to the basket easily and into the paint. When he did get to the basket, he was able to draw contact and finish, getting him 4.5 free throws on average per a game. At 6 foot 7 Banton has the ability to shoot over many defenders and is too quick laterally to be taken on by most big men.
All in all, Banton is definitely a player to look out for in the coming seasons as he develops more and fine tunes his game.
Christian Koloko
Christian Koloko’s first stint as a member of the Raptors went pretty much as expected, as the 22-year-old rookie averaged 7.8 per a game and looked promising as a defensive anchor and rim-protector.
Koloko’s ability to defend the pick-and-roll was surprising given his size and rookie status. He was able to use his footwork to stay ahead of the ball in most instances and cover both the ball handler and the rolling big at the same time. Koloko has clear talent on the defensive end and will be looking to add a few more offensive skills to become a more well-rounded player. For now you can expect Koloko to take a backseat and really work on his game with coaches but with some more experience really make an impact at the pro-level.
Jeff Downtin
The last player we will take a look at is 25-year-old point guard Jeff Dowtin. Dowtin put up terrific numbers, averaging 16 points per game on 57% FG percentage and 36% from downtown. He was also able to keep up an incredibly efficient 4.2 assists to 0.5 turnovers ratio.
Dowtin dominated the G League last season, with 20.9 ppg on 55.6 percent shooting, 43.2 percent from three and 6.6 assists. Coming out of this year’s Summer League he will probably be the most likely to pick up a Raptors’ contract.
