Former Ohio State forward Jamison Battle earned a long-term deal with the Toronto Raptors on Friday after the franchise converted his two-contract contract into a three-year standard NBA deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The specifics of the deal have yet to be revealed.
Battle receives the new contract after emerging as a reliable bench player for Toronto this year as an undrafted free agent, averaging 5.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three. He has appeared in 35 of the Raptors’ 51 games, logging 12.6 minutes per contest.
The Robbinsdale, Minn., native was originally signed on a two-way deal by the Raptors in October after showing his worth as a professional player during the preseason, meaning that he was simultaneously rostered on Toronto’s NBA team and its G League affiliate, Raptors 905.
Battle was also limited to a maximum of 50 games and could not be on the playoff roster on his previous deal. But the former OSU forward will now be able to finish out the season with the Raptors on his new deal, although he will likely not be seeing any playoff action with Toronto boasting just a 16-35 record, good for 13th place in the Eastern Conference.
Battle averaged 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and a career-high 43.3 percent from three in his lone season with the Buckeyes last season.
