Paul Watson Jr. Stars as Raptors Tanking Flounders

Tanking can be a fickle game. 

The goal of any good tank is to lose as many games as possible in order to get a higher draft pick. It’s usually an edict that comes from the top of an organization, but it never quite trickles down to the player level. To them, it’s still about winning. Just ask the Toronto Raptors.

It doesn’t matter how many stars you take off a team, to the players on the court those minutes are just an opportunity for more playing time. It’s a chance to earn a living. That’s what Paul Watson Jr. was trying to do Friday night in Toronto’s 113-102 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Nothing Watson does on the basketball court is taken for granted. He’s a 26-year-old playing in just his second NBA season who went undrafted in 2017 and spent a season over in Europe. If anyone on the Raptors knows the struggle of trying to make it in the NBA it’s him. So on a night when Toronto had to play without Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Gary Trent Jr., all Watson did was step into the starting lineup for the first time in his career and make the absolute most of that opportunity.

“I think it’s important that they can make those plays. If they couldn’t make them this time of year in this kind of situation that we’re in, this opponent, then you’d be worried,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “I don’t think you expect them to do this, make them all.”

After a seven-point first half, Watson suddenly became Stephen Curry in the second. He simply decided to stop missing, nailing 3-pointers one after another. Once it started, the Raptors started finding him. Fred VanVleet and Malachi Flynn started feeding Watson as he nailed his fourth, fifth, and eventually seventh 3-pointer of the quarter. He finished the quarter scoring 20 of his career-high 30 points.

Watson’s wild night overshadowed what was a career night for fellow NBA outcast Yuta Watanabe who made the most of his opportunity with 21 points and six rebounds. It was another major step toward solidifying himself as an NBA player and someone who at the very least should warrant a full roster spot for years to come.

With the win, the Raptors are on the precipice of pulling even with the Chicago Bulls for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference and the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Up Next: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Raptors will have a chance to make it three straight on Sunday night when the Oklahoma City Thunder come to Tampa for a 7 p.m. tipoff.