The Toronto Raptors are reportedly adding free-agent swingman DeAndre ‘Bembry, a long, athletic wing who, at just 26, still has Toronto’s talented player development division.
Here’s a little more about Bembry and what it could bring the Raptors as a likely chunk of deep at the end of the rotation.
Age: 26th
Position: Firing Guard / Small Forward
Height: Six-foot-five | Weight: 210 lbs
Former team: Atlanta Hawks
Statistics 2019-20: PPG: 5.8 | RPG: 3.5 | SPG: 1.3
Wears # 95 for a special reason
Before we talk about his basketball skills, it’s important to point out that Bembry has a pretty unique number on the court: 95.
The reason he does this is tragically in honor of his younger brother Adrian, who was shot while trying to end a fight in Charlotte, NC
To honor his brother, Bembry bears the number 95 in honor of the year his brother was born in 1995.
We strongly encourage you to check out this piece. Bembry wrote himself shortly after designing it in 2016, explaining what his brother meant to him.
An athletic defender
What Bembry brings to the team on the ground is a prototypically strong, long and athletic wing that has found its niche as a capable full-back in the league in four years.
Bembry has the lateral quickness to keep up with twos and threes, and his size bothers the point guards should he be switched over to them. Additionally, his long arms, quick hands, and gifted anticipation of games enable him to play games with balls that others probably wouldn’t try.
Last season he had an average of 1.3 steals per game and a strong steal rate of 2.8 percent.
The weakness in Bembry’s game is that he hasn’t developed a good outside shot yet. Last season he made only 23.1 percent of his deep looks and tried only 65 of them. So he has the D, but without the three of them finding the opportunity to play it, this could prove problematic, especially with the Raptors playing such a distance and movement crime.
Even so, Bembry is a legitimate NBA athlete, already a good defender, and how The athlete Blake Murphy reportedSince he may hit the veteran minimum, he is a low risk flyer who could develop a jumper with the help of the Toronto development staff.
Does that mean Davis is gone?
This off-season the Raptors added a few athletic wings to draw Jalen Harris and now include Bembry in the free agency.
Now if you look at the team’s depth map, you’ll see a lot of the same player form – although obviously there are different talents and abilities.
As such, one has to wonder if there isn’t some strange man out there somewhere and logic dictates that the player is Terence Davis II.
Davis, of course, was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in late October, and the Raptors haven’t said a word about what his fate might be.
As luck would have it, the guarantee for his contract (and that of Dewan Hernandez) is next Sunday, September 29th.
Then, given all the athletic wings the Raptors have acquired, are we going to hear of the guarantee that Davis’ deal won’t be picked up in a week?
