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Born: 7/21/1986 (29 Years Old) Camden, New Jersey, US
Drafted: 1st round (12th overall) in 2008 by the Sacramento Kings
Teams: Sacramento Kings (2009-2015), Golden State Warriors (2015-2016)
Position: Power Forward/Center
Height: 6’11″
Weight: 250 lbs
Shoots: Right

The Signing
March 1, 2016 the Raptors signed Jason Thompson, financial terms not disclosed. To make room on the roster, the Raptors waived froward Anthony Bennett.

What he brings to the team

The second-place  Raptors are gearing up for a playoff run, and while they had a very quiet trade deadline, Thompson looks to add some much needed depth in the post. His calling card is his rebounding, but Massai Ujiri has said that Thompson has an improved mid range jumper to watch out for.

Over his 7 year tenure in Sacramento he averaged 6.9 rebounds per game and 9.4 rebounds per 36 minutes. He obviously isn’t the 23 year old that averaged 12.5 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game in 2009-10 for the Kings, but he still has a role in this league. His trade to Philadelphia and subsequent buyout this past summer, was strictly so the Kings could  afford to sign free agents Rajon Rondo and Omri Casspi. Clearly the reigning champion Warriors thought enough of his ability to take a flyer on him.

Why he’s on the bench
Thompson’s days as a rotation player are likely over. His boxscore stats and analytics have been in consistent decline since his strong 2012-13 season at age 26. When he has played for the Warriors this season, it has been in limited garbage time minutes.

But he still has value to a contending team like the Raptors. While he starts off his Raptors career at the bottom of the big man depth chart, he is much-needed insurance if the Raptors suffer any late-season injuries. You should feel much more confident to see him playing spot minutes in April/May than Anthony Bennett or even Tyler Hansborough. To see “Psycho T” start for the Raptors in Game 1 versus the Wizards gave me a bad feeling right off the hop. Hopefully we won’t need him, but it’s better to have him and not need him, than watch Tyler Hansborough drop passes and miss layups. It’s a shame to see the Raptors give up on the still-young and still-talented Anthony Bennett, but he just wasn’t going to play for this team. Hopefully he can catch on and get minutes somewhere else.