Exhibit 10 players live for the moment a coach turns toward the end of the bench. Jamison Battle got that look during Toronto’s final week of preseason in October 2024. Nine minutes into a game against Boston, Darko Rajaković sent the undrafted rookie onto the floor. Battle had not played first-half minutes in Toronto’s earlier preseason games, according to Aaron Rose’s reporting for Sports Illustrated.
Now he had something more valuable than another shooting session with the ball echoing through an empty gym. These minutes came while the game still belonged to the rotation players. His quick left-handed release gave Toronto something to examine. He made two of five three-point attempts that night.
Nothing about the opportunity guaranteed another one. Battle still held a camp contract, and Toronto still had decisions to make.
That uncertainty defines the last days of training camp. A player needs to stand out without hijacking the offense, defend aggressively without gambling, and absorb corrections without dragging yesterday’s mistake into today’s practice. How does someone fight for his livelihood while playing as though he already belongs?
The Shot That Earned Another Look
Battle arrived with a skill Toronto could recognize immediately. Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy reported that his July 2024 signing carried an Exhibit 10 provision. The invitation gave him a chance to turn his shooting into an NBA job.
He had already supplied evidence at Ohio State. Toronto’s official account of his college career listed 43.3% shooting from three during his final season. Defenders had a reason to follow him outside the paint. Ballhandlers had a reason to find him.
But Battle understood that making shots would not excuse everything else. In July 2024, he told Sports Illustrated: “I have to be able to defend, guard, keep a guy in front of me.”
He knew what had earned the invitation. Just as clearly, he understood what might end it. Toronto’s summer league coach, Jama Mahlalela, also pointed to Battle’s shooting as an existing NBA skill.
For Exhibit 10 players, that combination offers a practical approach to cut week: sharpen the reason the team brought you in, then address the reason it might hesitate.
A shooter who passes up an open catch does not help his case merely by avoiding a miss. Neither does a defender who reaches for a steal and leaves a teammate guarding two people. Coaches need players who can make their strengths useful within the lineup.
Battle’s left hand supplied the first answer. His work elsewhere had to support it.
Finding a Place in the Lineup
A camp invite does not give every prospect the same assignment. A reserve center might need to deliver contact on a screen and catch the pass that follows. An undersized guard might need to bring the ball up against pressure without burning half the shot clock.
Exhibit 10 players have to understand the opening they are pursuing. Scoring attracts attention, but a team looking for ball security might care more about the possession that never became a turnover.
Battle’s opportunity against Boston brought that distinction into focus. Toronto put him into the game earlier than it had before. The coaches could examine his shooting alongside players who held more established places in their plans.
Those minutes asked something different of him. A late basket against another camp hopeful carries different demands from an open shot created by an NBA teammate.
Picture an undrafted wing receiving a kickout as a veteran defender charges toward him. The pass stings his palms. Shoes scrape the hardwood, and the opening starts to close.
Shoot without conviction, and he wastes his strongest skill. Hold the ball too long, and the defense recovers. Attack recklessly, and he may drive straight into the help.
That sequence illustrates a prospect’s decision rather than reconstructing a private Battle workout. He must recognize what the defense gives him quickly enough to use it.
For Exhibit 10 players, preparation should make that choice familiar. Extra shooting helps, but so does practicing the escape dribble, the pass out of a closeout, and the relocation after giving up the ball. Those actions keep a specialist involved when opponents take away his first option.
From the Film Room to the Floor
Battle did not describe himself as a finished defender. His July comments identified staying in front of the ball and helping teammates as necessary work.
That gives the final week a sharper purpose than simply “showing effort.” A player needs to know which defensive rotations he misses and what the staff expects instead.
Imagine the film paused with a cutter behind him. A pointer marks the space he should have protected. With the footage stopped, the room falls quiet enough for the coach’s question to carry.
Everyone can see the mistake. Explaining how hard he tried does not change the frame.
His answer has to come at practice. He tracks the cutter earlier, calls the switch clearly, or positions himself where the coverage requires.
Exhibit 10 players cannot erase every weakness before the roster deadline. They can show that a correction survives beyond the film room.
The same applies to offense. A coach who asks for a quicker pass should see the ball move sooner during the next scrimmage. A big man who repeatedly slips screens needs to deliver the contact his guard expects.
These adjustments give the staff something concrete to evaluate. They also give the prospect a useful question to ask after practice: which mistake do I need to stop repeating?
When the Next Stop Changes
Battle entered camp with an invitation, not a promise. His Exhibit 10 deal gave Toronto a chance to evaluate him before deciding whether to keep him on an NBA contract, convert him to a two-way, or waive him.
He earned the two-way route in October 2024. That kept him tied to Toronto while allowing him to play for both the Raptors and Raptors 905.
Other Exhibit 10 players face a harder conversation. Picture a prospect pulling the practice jersey over his head, turning it right side out and handing it back to the equipment manager. His shoes and personal belongings go into the bag. The team’s gear stays.
Before leaving, he needs to know whether the organization’s G League affiliate offers him his next place to work. That move can also preserve a meaningful paycheck. Under the NBA–NBPA agreement, joining the specified affiliate and completing 60 consecutive days of service can earn a waived player his negotiated bonus.
His agent needs to explain that commitment before he accepts another offer. Leaving early for another professional team can cost him the payment, depending on the circumstances. A headline about the maximum bonus tells him little about what his own deal pays.
Moving to the affiliate does not necessarily limit his NBA options, either. The G League’s official guidance confirms that affiliate players can sign with other NBA teams. Battle’s two-way arrangement bound him to Toronto; a waived prospect joining an affiliate remains available elsewhere.
None of that makes returning the jersey painless. A locker he used that morning now needs to hold someone else’s things.
Exhibit 10 players need the next details before disappointment swallows the day. Where do they report? Who will coach them? What role can they earn there?
The answer might involve a different building. It still needs to involve a plan.
Earning the Jersey Again
Battle’s camp breakthrough did not finish the audition. Toronto’s February 7, 2025 announcement confirmed his move from a two-way deal to a standard NBA contract during that same rookie season.
By then, he had appeared in 35 NBA games and made 41.7% of his three-point attempts. Toronto also credited him with 46.0% shooting from three across 15 games with Raptors 905. The shot that earned him a camp invitation kept giving the organization a reason to invest.
For Exhibit 10 players entering the final days of camp, the work starts with making one contribution clear enough that coaches can picture using it. Then comes improving the parts of the game that threaten that role.
A strong preseason night can earn another look. Sustained work must justify the next contract.
Neither a two-way offer nor a waiver removes the need to improve. The next gym still contains a defender determined to crowd the catch and a coach watching what happens afterward.
Battle gave Toronto a reason to bring him back. Months later, he gave the organization a reason to change his paperwork again.
The next prospect cannot borrow that ending. He can return to the shooting station, hear the ball strike the floor, and rehearse the read that troubled him yesterday.
When the equipment manager hands him a practice jersey tomorrow, what will he do to earn it again?
READ MORE: When NBA coaching staffs decide a two-way player has earned rotation minutes
FAQs
What are Exhibit 10 players trying to prove in NBA training camp?
They need to show a useful NBA skill, fit the lineup, and respond to coaching. Shooting alone may not secure a spot.
Can an Exhibit 10 player earn a two-way contract?
Yes. Toronto converted Jamison Battle’s camp deal to a two-way contract in October 2024.
Do waived Exhibit 10 players receive a G League bonus?
They can earn their negotiated bonus by joining the specified affiliate and completing 60 consecutive days of service, subject to their contract’s conditions.
Can G League affiliate players sign with another NBA team?
Yes. Affiliate players remain available to other NBA teams. Leaving before completing their bonus commitment can affect the payment.
When did Jamison Battle earn a standard NBA contract?
Toronto announced Battle’s standard NBA contract on February 7, 2025. He had already played 35 NBA games during his rookie season.
