TORONTO – Most Torontonians hate the city’s downtown traffic, but the slow pace has given AJ Lawson a chance to soak in the fact that he’s now a member of his hometown Raptors.
Lawson signed a two-way contract with Toronto’s G League affiliate Raptors 905 on Wednesday. But he said things didn’t sink in until he was driving slowly to the OVO Athletic Center, the Raptors’ practice facility, for the morning shootaround.
“When I line up for ‘Oh Canada’ and the national anthem, I’m probably going to get shocked again,” Lawson said Monday before Toronto lost 122-121 to the Chicago Bulls. “I would definitely have my moment there again.
“I have to make sure my head is level and I have a good, strong focus on the game.”
Lawson lined up for the national anthem next to his childhood friend RJ Barrett. They both grew up in neighboring Mississauga, Ontario, and played basketball together in middle school and high school.
But their paths to the NBA were very different.
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Barrett was selected third overall by the New York Knicks in the 2019 NBA Draft and made his professional debut the following season.
Lawson went undrafted and joined the College Park Skyhawks, the minor league club of the Atlanta Hawks, in 2022. He then played one season with the Guelph Nighthawks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League that summer, a decision he said set him on the path to becoming a professional. Because the NBA put him in shape to join the Dallas Mavericks’ summer league team.
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“After that, I was ready from day one, and that’s how I got my first two-way contract,” Lawson said in the Raptors locker room. “I think CEBL was a great stepping stone for me. It helped me gain confidence, be ready to play, stay focused and ready to play.”
Lawson has career averages of 3.4 points, 1.2 rebounds and 7.4 minutes in 57 NBA games with Dallas and the Minnesota Timberwolves over the past two seasons.
During this time, he also averaged 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 34.1 minutes in 7 games with the Texas Legends in the 2023-24 G League season, and 20 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 31.9 minutes in 22 games with the Legends, Iowa Wolves, and College. was recorded. Park for the 2022-23 campaign.
Lawson, a 6-foot-6, 185-pound guard, averaged 24 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 35.1 minutes in 11 games (all starts) this season with the Long Island Nets, the Brooklyn Nets’ G League affiliate, before signing. With the Toronto organization.
“We are very excited to have him join our team,” Raptors coach Darko Rajkovic said. “I had a chance to talk to him this morning too. He is very, very excited. Obviously, playing for the Raptors is a dream come true for him.
“We’re excited to learn more about him and his game and to help him on his way.”
Lawson is determined to help in any way he can, especially as Toronto continues to struggle with injuries to key players such as All-Star Scottie Barnes, point guard Immanuel Quickley and center Jakob Poeltl.
“My goal is to be ready today or next game or whenever they call me,” Lawson said. “I want to stay ready and show that I am an NBA player, that I can defend at a high level and that I can shoot the ball at a high level.
“Just keep being me, play in transition, be a good guy, be an energetic guy, be a utility guy.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2024.
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© 2024 The Canadian Press
