The Toronto Raptors' newest draft picks, Allen Graves and Jaden Bradley, are ready to make their mark in the NBA. Graves, selected 19th overall, and Bradley, taken 50th overall, spoke to the media for the first time in Toronto, emphasizing family, hard work, and their eagerness to contribute to winning.
Graves: A small-town star with big dreams
Allen Graves hails from Ponchatoula, Louisiana, a town of about 8,000 people. He said “literally the whole town” has reached out to celebrate his draft selection. “I'm really appreciative to them, just the support they've shown me throughout the whole process. The last 48 hours has been a surreal feeling. It's been crazy. That's how I keep saying it,” Graves said at his first in-person media appearance in Toronto. “Every time I talk to my family, I'm like, ‘This is crazy. This is crazy.’ It's a really amazing feeling to be able to go through this,” he added as his family looked on.
Graves' journey to the NBA was not straightforward. He went from an unknown recruit to sitting out a year, then coming off the bench for Santa Clara University. He credits a midseason shift in mindset for his rise. “Midseason, for sure. The back half of conference play. I would say a switch flipped in my mind, being willing to go out there and show what I can do,” Graves explained. He recalled a game against Gonzaga as a turning point: “After that, I was like, ‘All right, I'm gonna get it this year, not next year, not the next one after. This year.’”
Graves also credited his older brother Marshall, who played for LSU, for helping him prepare. “He came out there right before one of the games, right when conference (play) started. We worked out, we started watching film, getting everything going. Once we started that, it slowed down even more for me and really helped me be here now.”
Bradley: A student of the game ready to contribute
Jaden Bradley, a point guard from Arizona, helped lead his team to the Final Four and a 32-3 record this past season. He grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, but has family in Rochester, New York, and spends summers there training. Bradley feels his college experience has prepared him for the NBA transition. “I just feel like I'm a student of the game, I'm mature, older player that's ready to come in right away and make an impact,” Bradley said. “No matter how many minutes I get, can't control that, but just go out there and be ready to play.”
Both rookies ready for summer league and beyond
Graves is eager to start his NBA career at the Las Vegas summer league next month. “I feel ready. I wouldn't have took it if I didn't think I was ready and I was able to play at this level,” he said. “I feel like I can compete with the best of them. That's why I want to be in the NBA, because it's the best competition in the world. To be able to go out there and showcase that I belong is what I've been doing my whole life, proving everybody wrong. That's what I plan to do here at the next level.”
Current Raptors roster outlook
With the draft complete, the Raptors have 11 players under contract. Jakob Poeltl is the only center signed. Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles are front-court players under contract, and Graves will join them after signing his rookie deal. Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Ja'Kobe Walter, and Gradey Dick are the wing options, with Jamison Battle also signed. Immanuel Quickley and Jamal Shead are the signed point guards. The team has options on Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jonathan Mogbo. Bradley, along with last year's second-round pick Alijah Martin and undrafted free agent Chucky Hepburn, will compete for standard or two-way contracts. Sandro Mamukelashvili, a key rotation player, is an unrestricted free agent and may not return due to salary cap constraints.
