The Toronto Raptors are nearly on the clock. Just days after the NBA title returned to New York after a long wait, the next crop of prospects will enter the league at the NBA draft next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Toronto has the 19th and 50th picks this year and will be looking to augment a roster that returned to the playoffs and nearly won a round for the first time in years.
Assistant general manager Dan Tolzman, who was recently extended along with team boss Bobby Webster, held his annual pre-draft media availability Tuesday to address a number of questions ahead of one of the biggest weeks of the hoops year. He said workouts mostly have been completed and now is about digging deeper into the prospects. Here were some highlights of the availability:
Are Raptors happy to be picking 19th?
Tolzman admitted this crop is stronger than usual up top, perhaps 12 players deep before it hits different tiers, but the cost to move up from 19 is “high” and Toronto is happy to select there.
“I think there’s a fairly known consensus up at the top, but then after, say, 10, 11, 12, it’s like kind of wide open in terms of like what order anyone could go in,” Tolzman said. “So we don’t necessarily know who we’re going to be looking at come 19, but we know there is a large group of players that we really know in the event that any one of them could be there. But it seems like most of the guys up top, there’s less of an opportunity for some of these guys to slide down, which has been a case in the past.”
Still, just because a higher-ranked prospect slides, it doesn’t always mean anything is guaranteed. Gradey Dick slid a few years ago and Toronto was thrilled to nab him at 13, but Dick has not panned out so far and could be dealt this summer. Then again, the guy who passed him on the depth chart, Ja’Kobe Walter, fell to 19 two years ago and has ended up being a shrewd selection.
“We’re definitely keeping our all of our options open in terms of whether it’s move up, whether it’s move back, pick something up, like there’s all these different scenarios,” Tolzman said. “We’re gonna listen to and see what’s out there, but at the end of the day, if we stay at 19, we’re really happy with what that picks up.”
What are the Raptors looking for?
Toronto needs more shooting at every position, could really use another 7-footer (Jakob Poeltl is the only player taller than 6-foot-10 on the roster and has an iffy back) and in a perfect world, more point guard depth would be nice, allowing Immanuel Quickley to slide off the ball and be more of an offensive threat. This crop is loaded with elite point guard prospects, though most will be long gone by 19. There should still be a slightly lesser calibre of lead guards around 19, though. Tolzman also noted a lot of good big men are in this class, too.
In general, Toronto again will prioritize players who compete hard on both offence and defence, and are hard workers.
“There’s definitely a certain type of player that we look for in terms of being able to impact both sides of the ball — offence, defence. And from there, we try to get guys that are good characters. They bring the level of toughness, not only to the game, but also to the work they put in before the game, in practice and the weight room and all that sort of stuff,” Tolzman said. “Just guys that are committed to getting better because so many of these guys that would be looking at it 19 and 50, even it’s like, they’re just scratching the surface on what they can be, but it’s gonna be on them to get to those next levels. And if you bring in the right people that have that approach, then we’re getting the best out of it too, just like they’re getting it.”
Will the Raptors prioritize needs or talent?
Toronto is far deeper into its rebuild than at this point in any of the past few drafts. They aren’t a true contender yet, but they see themselves as a playoff team that can perhaps win a round. Still, Tolzman said that doesn’t mean they’ll draft a player who is ready to contribute right away over someone they like better in terms of upside and isn’t quite as ready immediately. They will lean best player available.
As he alluded to, the roster on draft night is unlikely to be the same as the one when the season starts, or after the trade deadline. Drafting simply for fit is not all that sensible.
“We’ve always kind of taken the same approach of just try to get the best player that’s there on the list. If it can line up with what the team needs at that time, positionally or depth wise, like that’s the best-case scenario,” Tolzman said. “But I don’t think we’ve ever really worried too much about what the team has done or what we’re trying to do next year as much as just get as much talent in the building as we can. Because, at that point, it’s gonna not only push the guys ahead of them that are on the team, but also so much can change from whether it’s draft night to free agency, the makeup of your roster that you never want to plan for something when it could be completely different.”
How many more prospects can they handle?
Tolzman believes there’s room for more youngsters even though they are still figuring out what they have (beyond blue-chippers Collin Murray-Boyles and Walter) in the likes of last year’s additions Alijah Martin, Chucky Hepburn and Trayce Jackson-Davis. He admitted adding a true centre who is a rim-running, slam-dunk threat could “open up some things in our offence” (he also said such a player could come via free agency and also said a long, shot-blocker would be something different, too).
Tolzman also said not much has changed in terms of draft preparation and scouting in this first full season without Masai Ujiri being in charge since he has so much familiarity with Webster already. When asked about coming lottery changes, he speculated that “the days of the five (first-round) pick deals is probably a thing of the past” (because more mid-round picks have the potential to strike gold than ever before thanks to the changes).
Which prospects are most intriguing?
Nobody asked this corner and we don’t pretend to be draft experts by any means, but we’re highly intrigued by: Ebuka Okorie (the exact mix of pull-up three-pointer, fast twitch attacker Toronto needs), Hannes Steinbach (Euro centres Poeltl and Jonas Valanciunas panned out for the Raptors and Steinbach looks like a hit, too), Cameron Carr (might take a bit, but he’s another solid Baylor guy with a diverse skill-set), Dailyn Swain (if RJ Barrett isn’t in the long-term plans, Swain is a bit of a poor man’s version with his slashing game) and Jayden Quaintance (why not add another ridiculous, long defender to the Scottie Barnes/CMB combo? Health concerns and offensive limitations make him a questionable fit, but he’s a monster talent). Morez Johnson Jr. could be a wiser bet than Quainance given he’s wider, healthier and not a complete zero as a shooter.
