TORONTO — Minutes before the Toronto Raptors plowed through the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night for a 15th-consecutive victory, Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, and Nick Nurse were all summoned to centre court at Scotiabank Arena. The trio was being recognized for their invitations to participate in this weekend’s NBA All-Star game in Chicago — Siakam as a starter, Lowry as a reserve, Nurse and his Raptors staff as the coaches of Team Giannis. From Toronto’s bench not far away, Paul Watson Jr. stood and applauded.
Watson’s own acknowledgment was earlier. It happened at his locker in the corner of the Raptors dressing room, where Watson — who on Monday was named to the mid-season All-NBA G-League team — had just finished a light pre-game meal from a plate balanced on his knees. Stanley Johnson, the good-humoured Raptors forward, returned to his locker next to Watson’s, found his rookie teammate sitting by himself, and commenced the ceremony.
“Hey, this man’s first-team, all-G-League mid-season! You know what I’m saying?” Johnson announced to no one in particular. “Yes sir! Yes sir! Get him on the f—ing court!”
Watson laughed and shook his head. His last several weeks have featured a few affirming moments in his basketball life not unlike this one: His first NBA contract, a 10-day deal with the Atlanta Hawks. His first NBA game, playing alongside Vince Carter, whom he grew up watching. His second NBA contract, a two-way deal with the Raptors. His first NBA point, which his teammates with Raptors 905 paused a practice to watch live as a group huddled around a cell phone.
Watson has that seat next to Johnson in Toronto’s locker room now because he’s been a revelation for Raptors 905 all season, averaging 17.9 points, 1.8 assists, and 7.2 rebounds over 22 games. It earned him that 10-day with Atlanta. And once the Hawks deal expired, the Raptors waived rarely used guard Shamorie Ponds to open a two-way roster spot in order to prevent another team from scooping Watson up.
“It’s a pretty big honour. It just goes to show that all the work I put in is paying off,” the 25-year-old Watson says. “This is all still so surreal to me. But I wouldn’t want to be in any other position. I’m grateful to be where I am. I’m learning a lot. It’s pretty humbling, going through all this.”
It’s not hard to see what the Raptors like in the six-foot-seven swingman. The organization has a type — long, athletic wings that play energetically, guard a variety of positions, and shoot from distance. Watson satisfies all of the above, adding a work ethic and quiet professionalism the franchise values in young, developmental projects. And his G-League play this season has been off the charts.
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So now he’s splitting time between the G League and the NBA, where he’s always wanted to be, waiting at the end of the Raptors bench for an opportunity that’s merely an injury or a lopsided score away. Watson always thought he’d get here. His journey just wasn’t quite what he envisioned when he was a high-school standout winning an Arizona state championship and choosing from six NCAA Div. 1 offers.
“Being a top-ranked player and stuff like that in high school, every guy’s dream is to come out and go one-and-done. Hear your name called. Things like that,” Watson says. “But you learn that everybody’s path is different.”
Watson’s took him through four full years at Fresno State, where he was named his conference’s freshman of the year, led his school to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years, and participated in the College Slam Dunk Contest at the 2017 Final Four. Then, it took him to Europe.
Unselected in the 2017 draft, and left jobless after a summer-league stint with the Raptors, Watson accepted an offer to play for BG Gottingen in Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga. It would be a cool experience, if nothing else.
Basketball is one of the biggest draws in Gottingen, a picturesque university town filled with Medieval and Renaissance architecture that survived the Second World War. A significant portion of the population is young, drawn to the 286-year-old university the town’s built around. And it feels like every single one of them turns up at Sparkassen Arena where BG Gottingen plays.
“They pack the gym. That city is all about basketball,” Watson says. “It was definitely a collegiate atmosphere. Whether you’re up, you’re down, things are going bad, good — the energy stays the same throughout the entire game. It was pretty cool how they embrace you.”
Cool while it lasted. Watson figures he played in something like 20 pre-season games, but after Gottingen’s regular-season opener he was caught up in a roster crunch — German clubs can only carry so many foreign-born players — and let go.
Plus, he had an opportunity in the US to be selected in the NBA G League draft, playing a step closer to the league he really wanted to be in. Four days after he left Germany, Watson was drafted by Westchester, the New York Knicks affiliate.
“I went out [to Germany] with the mindset that I was going to get things done. But things just didn’t work out that way. So, I found a better situation and moved on from there,” he says. “It was a learning experience. I learned what to do, what not to do. Learned a new culture.
“At the end of the day, I always knew what my end goal was. And that was to make an NBA roster. Regardless of where I was, I knew I had to get there. I knew what I wanted. And I knew I was going to work to do whatever it took to get there.”
But two seasons with Westchester didn’t get him much closer. Watson played in 95 G-League games, never earning anything more than an Exhibit 10 deal entering the 2018 season. This October, Raptors 905 acquired his rights in a trade and gave him another chance for a fresh start.
“I definitely enjoyed my time in Westchester. And I appreciate them giving me the opportunity to go out there and play. But I just felt like the Raptors were probably a better fit for me,” Watson says. “Especially for my game. Ever since I’ve been here, I feel like I’ve definitely been able to showcase that I can do a lot of different things than I was before.”
Over his two seasons with Westchester, Watson built a reputation as a determined, energetic defender who merely spaced the floor at the offensive end. But when he joined the 905, the Raptors challenged him to assume more of a primary scorer’s role, one he hadn’t filled since high school. During his college career, Watson never averaged more than 9.6 attempts per game. Westchester ran even less offence through him. But the Raptors thought there was untapped potential in there.
And Watson knew there was. With his reins removed, Watson was suddenly scoring off end-to-end sprints in transition, muscling his way to the rim through traffic, and shooting seven three’s a night. He essentially doubled his per game stats across the board this season from last despite playing only a few more minutes per night. Not much changed with regards to his ability. Only his opportunity.
“It’s not something I showcased earlier in my professional career. It wasn’t necessarily my role with Westchester. But it was something that was always there and I was capable of doing. Now, it’s just me being in the situation to show it,” he says. “It’s nice to be more involved offensively — being able to go out there and show that my game’s not one-dimensional.”
It certainly wouldn’t be unusual for the Raptors to have identified and acquired an overlooked, underutilized talent, giving him the runway and tools needed to develop into something closer to his full potential. Toronto’s second two-way player, undrafted rookie Oshae Brissett, has stepped into rotation minutes at times this year while playing regularly for Raptors 905. He’s often running alongside Chris Boucher, a two-way player last season who was named the G-League’s MVP and is now on a full NBA contract.
Or Watson can aim even higher. When Siakam starts in the All-Star Game, he’ll be the first G-Leauger to do so. Three seasons ago, he was a G League Finals MVP; last summer he signed a max extension. Fred VanVleet played on that G League championship team with Siakam as an undrafted rookie. This summer he’ll be in a position to ink a contract worth nearly $100 million.
Hey, good things happen to determined people. Not everyone’s road to the NBA is easy. Or linear. Watson knows that. He played with both Siakam and VanVleet during his summer league run with the Raptors back in 2017. That was before Siakam and VanVleet were what they are today. Before Germany. Before 95 G-League games. Before the unexpected success Watson’s had this season. He’s seen both ends of unorthodox NBA paths. And he knows what he has to do to forge his own.
“Fred, Pascal — those guys are great role models. Neither one of them quit. Neither one of them lost faith,” Watson says. “I’m just trying to follow them and do the same things. Because if you continue to work and stick to it, you’ll get to where you want to get to.”
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.
The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.
“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.
Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.
Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.
Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.
After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.
“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”
Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.
“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”
Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.
Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.
Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.
Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.
Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.
Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.
Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.
Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.
Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.
That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.
“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”
Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.
Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic is moving on to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.
The Mississauga, Ont., native defeated the tournament top seed, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) in the round of 16 on Thursday.
Stakusic faced a 0-4 deficit in the third and final set before marching back into the match.
The 19-year-old won five of the next six games to even it up before exchanging games to force a tiebreaker, where Stakusic took complete control to win the match.
Stakusic had five aces with 17 double faults in the three-hour, four-minute match.
However, she converted eight of her 18 break-point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
