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Bonga wasn't extended a qualifying offer by the Wizards, which made him an unrestricted free agent. Now, he has a chance to latch on with the Raptors. Bonga is a 21-year-old heading into his fourth NBA season. Over the past two seasons, he's averaged 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game. While he struggles to provide much offensively, he's shown some upside as a wing defender. It's possible he's not an every-game player with Toronto.
Bonga started most of his appearances for the Wizards last season, getting the nod in 49 of 66 contests. That said, he still only saw backup minutes, averaging 5.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists across 18.9 minutes. He saw 30-plus minutes on six occasions but still had very modest production, averaging 8.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 combined steals-plus-blocks in those contests. Heading into 2020-21, Bonga could still see a similar role, though it's unlikely to increase significantly given the addition of promising rookie Deni Avdija, who projects mostly as a small forward. Ultimately, it's highly unlikely that Bonga will become fantasy-relevant in standard leagues this season and is probably a long-shot in deeper formats, as well.
Bonga spent most of the 2018-19 season buried on the Lakers' bench as a rookie. He appeared in just 22 games and averaged 5.5 minutes in his first NBA season after being selected in the second round of the 2018 draft. He was ultimately traded to Washington this offseason as part of a cap-clearing move for the Lakers and will look to crack the Wizards' rotation and earn some meaningful NBA minutes. Bonga's size and skill set allow him to operate as both a point guard and a wing, but as of now, there is no clear avenue for consistent playing time. Bonga's best bet to crack the Wizards' rotation this season is injuries, and that's not that far fetched with injury-prone players like Isaiah Thomas and C.J. Miles likely playing ahead of him to start the season. Either way, unless the Wizards end up tanking the 2019-20 season away, Bonga will likely spend most of it buried on the bench once again.
Bonga was selected with the 39th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after spending the past two years in Germany playing for the Fraport Skyliners. Last season, he averaged 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals across 22.1 minutes. The 6-foot-9, 200-pound 18-year-old projects as a wing player in the NBA, though may have a tough time finding consistent run on the Lakers during his rookie campaign given the depth of the team’s position(s). It’s possible he spends a significant chunk of the year in street clothes, or in the G-League.