From Zulfi’s piece:
Nate Bittle is perfect for the Barnes-Rajakovic era
I get that expecting an undrafted centre on an Exhibit-10 contract to not only make an NBA roster but be a contributing member sounds far-fetched. And it is (again, that’s the point of this whole exercise). But it wouldn’t even be the first time the Raptors have had a player take that path. Between Fred VanVleet, Chris Boucher and Jamison Battle, who all took similar routes to NBA rotation minutes, the organization is not unfamiliar with this developmental arc.
And Bittle has looked the part — at least during Summer League — of a stretch-big who can also protect the rim that Raptors fans have long clamoured for and of which there are few and far between in the NBA. The mammoth 7-foot, 250-pound big man averaged 9.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks while shooting 50 per cent from the field and 43.8 per cent from beyond the arc (on 4.0 attempts) through four games. He was as comfortable pinning defenders with bruising screens before rolling down low to collect scraps as he was spotting up from distance and making calculated reads.
What also popped were his 2.3 assists, albeit on 2.5 turnovers per game. Bittle was used as a play initiator on more than one occasion, and it’s no secret that Rajakovic appreciates bigs who can make on-ball decisions from all over the floor.
At worst, with Jakob Poeltl’s availability far from certain, having a younger centre (Bittle is 23) in the pipeline who offers plenty of similarities (and differences) available to eat minutes when needed would be worthwhile to consider. At best, his fit projects quite snug next to the duo of Barnes and Murray-Boyles, who could punish defences in so many ways with a big like Bittle who can theoretically occupy defenders in multiple spots, whether that’s at the rim or above the break.”
Have a blessed day.