The Raptors should sign Jeff Dowtin Jr.

Amit Mann and Esfandiar Baraheni discuss why Jeff Dowtin Jr. is a great fit on the Raptors and the rarity of his best skillset.

Video Transcript

AMIT MANN: --close up the pod. I mean, I just want to-- like, just Jeff Dowtin Jr., like, I've been so intrigued and happy with how he's played since he became a Raptor, and I'm going back to Summer League. Like, he popped out back then, how good he was as a defender. There's signs of three-level scoring, and he's shown it at the G-League level multiple times. We saw it in Summer League.

And in that Cleveland game, which was the last time he actually played, he had some shots, I'm like, that is Jeff Dowtin Jr., and I don't think he was taking those shots earlier on, when he was getting some minutes with the Raptors, because he's just like, I am a hooper, I'm going to do exactly what I'm told, I am trying to get a contract in the NBA, I'm with a team now, and he was forced into positions where he had to shoot. He had a pull-up 3. He had, like, a couple of drives towards the rim.

Like, this is a guy, man. This is what people want. Like, imagine having a actual, legit point-of-attack defender as your backup point guard. It's so intriguing. Like, sorry, just one more thing, with the way that things are spaced out in the NBA now, man, you've got players in the corners, like, the paint is wide open. You need someone that's gonna guard Ja Morant.

ESFANDIAR BARAHENS: Yeah, well, you need someone that's gonna be willing to just--

AMIT MANN: Capably. Sorry, capably.

ESFANDIAR BARAHENS: Yeah, well, someone that's just willing to do the dirty work. A lot of guys, like, when they know the defensive scheme, and they know that, oh, I'm gonna be switching this anyways, or I'm gonna be X'ing out on this defender, so I don't need to fighting through the screen as hard as hard, so, hey, I can just kind of move on to what my next spot should be, you need a guy who is still hungry, who is still, like, willing to do the dirty work.

And Jeff Dowtin is a guy who has shown that he's been willing to do the dirty work, whether it's stepping over and fighting through a screen, lock and trail, and then be able to swing over and do the X out if they make the pass. I think all of that stuff is crucial development to figuring out guys who can find-- like, the marginal guys, and the Raptors, for a very long time, were great at finding those marginal guys. Fred VanVleet, at one point, was that marginal guy that they could throw out there. Maybe Jeff Dowtin can have a similar type of success. Who knows, but--

AMIT MANN: If we're curious what the value is of a rear-view contest, look at what the Wizards did yesterday with Delon Wright. A lot of value in it, right? And drop coverage is becoming so much more common now, because offenses are crazy. You need someone that could do a legit rear-view contest. And, like, Fred's good at it too, but also, Jeff Dowtin, you know, he's 6'3''. That's on the higher end of a typical point guard in the NBA. I mean, Scottie Barnes is, like, a different case, but, usually, 6'1'', 6'2'', 6'3'', like, that's what you're hoping for with your point guard, and Jeff is that.

ESFANDIAR BARAHENS: Right. Yeah, exactly. I completely agree with you. He has the size. His shoulders, he's got the broader shoulders as a point guard, so he clearly can-- Yeah, the feet are quick feet.

AMIT MANN: Twitchy.

ESFANDIAR BARAHENS: He's good, man. I really think, like, there's a spot in the rotation for him. I really do think. So--