Former Ohio State forward Jamison Battle inched another step closer to living out his professional dream on Tuesday when he signed a one-year minimum deal with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors after just two Summer League games with the franchise.
Battle was added to Toronto’s NBA Summer League roster on June 27 and has since made an instant impact on the squad. He began his professional career in style, scoring 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting — including 2-of-3 shooting from three — while also adding a rebound and an assist in just over 14 minutes of action during the Raptors’ 94-69 blowout victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
He followed up his debut with another strong offensive performance on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets, notching 11 points behind another 4-of-6 shooting from the field — 3-of-5 shooting from three — along with one rebound and an assist in 16 minutes of action to help his team record an 84-81 win.
Battle’s strong start to the Summer League has reportedly earned him an Exhibit 10 deal, a one-year, minimum salary agreement that is not guaranteed. The deal also includes an optional bonus of up to $75,000 that will be given to Battle if he is waived by the professional Raptors team but still spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate, Raptors 905.
Battle earns this deal in large part due to the elite offensive and shooting skills he has displayed thus far in Summer League, which he showed during his lone season with Ohio State. After spending two seasons at George Washington and another two at Minnesota, Battle emerged as arguably Ohio State’s top offensive threat in 2023-24, averaging 15.3 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting from the field, 43.3 percent shooting from three and 92.6 percent from the free-throw line, the latter of the two stats ranking second and first in the Big Ten, respectively.
He also added 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game with the Buckeyes, skills of which have not yet been on display for Battle in Summer League but helped him secure honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as well as some NBA recognition last season.
Battle will have further chances to further impress Raptors brass and lobby for a spot on the NBA squad this summer, as Toronto has at least two more Summer League games on schedule.
Battle and the Raptors will take the floor next Wednesday night against former Buckeye guard Brice Sensabaugh and the Utah Jazz, with tip off at Las Vegas’ Thomas and Mack Center set for 5 p.m. on ESPN2. The Raptors will then face off against the Miami Heat on July 19 (9 p.m. tip-off, ESPN+/ESPN3.
