Nate McKibbon: Coaching on a personal level - The Gazette • Western University's Newspaper

The Toronto Raptors officially have their roster ready for the regular season, with more changes likely to come. The team announced Saturday morning that it has waived five players: guards Nimari Burnett, Jalen Celestine, and Tyreke Key, forward Tyson Degenhart and centre Jamarion Sharp. The roster now stands at 14 players, which is one that is able to be carried into the season. Burnett and Key especially stood out in preseason for stretches, but both are now likely destined for the Raptors 905. Here’s what I wrote about Burnett from Toronto’s final preseason game against the Detroit Pistons:Burnett plays like he knows what’s happening on the court. It’s rare for non-NBA players to be so heady, but Burnett just knows where to be. He was one of Toronto’s toothiest defenders against Detroit, and he was able to jump passing lanes and even protect the rim as a helper, high-pointing a layup attempt for a proper NBA-caliber guard in Daniss Jenkins. He battled on the glass and won some contested ones against an extremely physical and athletic Pistons squad. He even took a charge. Burnett is long and smart, and that’s a functional combination. And offensively, Burnett was fantastic.

The Raptors have completed a series of roster moves, announcing today that they’ve converted big man Nate Bittle from his Exhibit 10 deal to a two-way contract while waiving their other five camp invitees, Tyreke Key, Nimari Burnett, Tyson Degenhart, Jamarion Sharp, and Jalen Celestine, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). Bittle, a seven-foot center who spent five years at Oregon, started nearly every game over his final four college seasons after coming off the bench for spot minutes as a freshman. He averaged 16.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game in 2025/26 and was named to the Big Ten’s All-Defensive team in ’24/25.