Raptors sign forward Josh Jackson

The training camp roster is once again at 20, as the Raptors begin the countdown to media day on September 26.

The Toronto Raptors training camp roster is at 20 players once again, as the team announced the signing of forward Josh Jackson on Wednesday.

Jackson replaces the recently waived Svi Mykhailiuk in the battle for one of the team’s final roster spots. Per reporting from Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy, Jackson’s deal is an “old school training camp invite deal” and he would be 905 eligible if he doesn’t make the final roster.

If Jackson is a familiar name to you… he should be! The fourth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the 6’8” forward (on brand) has had stops in Phoenix, Detroit, Memphis and most recently Sacramento in his NBA career thus far. He averaged 6.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 16.3 minutes in 51 games last season and scored in double figures 13 times.

As has been laid out a few times with these last few roster spots, it’s more likely than not that Jackson will fall short of making the final roster — save for an outstanding showing at training camp. The Raptors have typically spent their end-of-bench capital on returning players or high upside athletes, and the common thought is that Dalano Banton and Justin Champagnie have two of the three open spots locked down, and a guaranteed deal for Juancho Hernangomez would be next in the pecking order.

Jackson is a pedigree player with some league recognition, though, and the Raptors are clearly betting that their internal development team can do a better job than Detroit or Sacramento’s — perhaps unlocking a fit during camp for Jackson with this year’s version of the team. We’ll see in about four weeks time.