BREAKING NEWS: Raptors Head Coach Darko Rajaković has Call Up Raptors 905 Guard as Injuries Mount in Toronto

Javon Freeman-Liberty has been called up by the Toronto Raptors.

After being called up from the G League, the 24-year-old sophomore guard might make his NBA debut on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat as Toronto struggles with a slew of backcourt ailments.

For the Raptors 905, Freeman-Liberty has been a standout player. This season, he averages a team-high 22.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 7.2 rebounds per game. But Freeman-Liberty has had a turbulent year because he and the 905 have both struggled with injuries this season.

A 6-foot-3 native of Chicago, Freeman-Liberty signed with the Raptors after the Chicago Bulls and he had a great Summer League performance together. He played the entire previous season with Chicago’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, but in the summer, Toronto extended an offer of a greater opportunity to him.

This season, Freeman-Liberty has been pushed toward being a point guard by Toronto. He continues to shoot the three ball below average; this season, he has only made 33.3% of his threes while committing more turnovers than one would want from a lead guard. Nonetheless, he has demonstrated that he is a capable finisher who can sprint to the basket.

 

“Players who can breach defences and touch the paint are essential, and Javon is an exceptional paint-touch player. Freeman-Liberty is a player who finds a way to go downhill, and his shot has improved so far that you can now do both, 905 coach Eric Khoury noted early in the season. You can rely on him to make the correct read every time, whether it’s a finish or a kick-out, since he can shoot both under and over the top while compressing the paint. Thus, we have a really good player who kind of generates a lot of benefits.

Christian Koloko, Otto Porter Jr., and Jakob Poeltl have already been ruled out by Toronto. It’s dubious to play Gary Trent Jr. and Gradey Dick. Freeman-Liberty might see playing time in Toronto’s backcourt off the bench with Dennis Schröder if they are out.