The Raptors and the 2014 Draft

[DanH]

Today's Workout
Jahii Carson (PG), Semaj Christon (PG), Halil Kanacevic (PF), James Michael McAdoo (PF), Johnny O’Bryant (PF/C) & Dwight Powell (PF)

Jahii Carson (PG): Undersized PG (5'10"), extremely athletic (max vert 43.5"), very good shooter (almost 40% from 3 on 3 attempts per game), gets to the line a lot (almost 7 attempts a game), rebounds well for a guard, not a great passer (just over 1.3:1 AST:TO). One of my sleeper picks at 59 if he drops. Projected at 52. 21 years old.

Semaj Christon (PG): 6'3", 186 lbs. 6'7" wingspan and good athleticism. Good scorer, can shoot the 3 (38%), gets to the line but only converts at 66% (strange considering his good range). Decent passer and rebounder, nothing particularly special. Projected at 59, 21 years old.

Halil Kanacevic (PF): 6'8", 258 lbs. Scores inside well, can hit a 3, poor FT shooter. Not a great rebounder, blocks shots fairly well. Not projected. 22 years old.

James Michael McAdoo (PF): 6'9", 228 lbs. 7'2" wingspan. Was at one point considered a lotto pick. Decent athleticism for a big man. Not a great scorer (can't shoot to save his life), but gets to the line very well (though he is poor from the line). OK rebounder. Versatile defender, with promise due to his length and quickness. Projected at 55, 21 years old.

Johnny O’Bryant (PF/C): 6'8", 257 lbs. 7'2" wingspan. Good athleticism. Scores at a decent rate down low. Gets to the line alright, but struggles hitting them. Decent rebounder. Very foul prone defensively - not great fundamentals, not very disciplined. Projected at 42, 21 years old.

Dwight Powell (PF): 6'11", 234 lbs. 7'0" wingspan. Good athleticism, can get off the floor well. Scores alright in the post, not much of a shooter (although he has good form, so might well improve a lot). OK from the line, close to 70%. Only an OK rebounder. High B-ball IQ player, picks up steals fairly often, and operated out of the triangle in college, initiating a lot of offense and picking up his share of assists along the way. Can take slower bigs off the dribble. Lacks the strength to defend well in the post, but is fundamentally sound and a good perimeter defender for a player his size. Fouls a lot though. Projected at 47, 22 years old.

More second round fodder. Nothing too interesting here. I'm glad to see Carson back for a second workout, as he is one of my favourites at that 59th pick if he's there.

[DanH]

Bachynski is exactly the sort of guy you should pick at 59 (guaranteed to contribute, guaranteed to never approach starting material), and exactly the sort of guy you should NOT pick at 37 (same note as before). At 37, in this draft, there will be a dozen guys who would clearly be better picks than Jordan,and a bunch more who would edge him out. But I'd love to grab him with that late second.

[imanshumpert]

Bachynski is exactly the sort of guy you should pick at 59 (guaranteed to contribute, guaranteed to never approach starting material), and exactly the sort of guy you should NOT pick at 37 (same note as before). At 37, in this draft, there will be a dozen guys who would clearly be better picks than Jordan,and a bunch more who would edge him out. But I'd love to grab him with that late second.

This, gotta go with upside/talent at #37. Bachynski at #37 is a HUGE reach.

[magoon]

Dario Saric has just agreed in principle to a three-year deal with the Turkish club Anadolu Efes. It's safe to say he's going to drop hard and fast; I don't know if he'll be available at #20 but it's now at least possible that he will be.

[DanH]

This, gotta go with upside/talent at #37. Bachynski at #37 is a HUGE reach.

In this draft, 37 is practically a first round pick in terms of upside.

[DanH]

Dario Saric has just agreed in principle to a three-year deal with the Turkish club Anadolu Efes. It's safe to say he's going to drop hard and fast; I don't know if he'll be available at #20 but it's now at least possible that he will be.

Yeah, reports are he's stuck in Europe for at least 2 more years now. Hard to draft a guy in the lottery and stash him for that long. But a team looking to shed salary (such as the Bulls) might pull the trigger, as he won't count against the cap if he's overseas.

[imanshumpert]

If we can get our hands on another 1st from CHI, OKC or Houston, wouldn't mind drafting and stashing Saric if he falls.

[magoon]

Even if we can't get another first-round pick, draft-and-stash for Saric is definitely the way to go. Lottery-level talent and he's only going to get better a la Nikola Mirotic.

If he falls to us - and I think Chicago would definitely grab him with one of their picks if he falls - then we should take him because he'll be BPA and it won't even be close.

[ceez]

Semaj!

agree with everyone that says we should take Bachynski at 59 if he's there. would also take Ejim, feel he can be a solid roleplayer if used properly.

[WJF]

It sure would be nice to know we had Lowry locked up before the draft. If Ennis or Payton are on the board at 20 and so is Saric, how can you take Saric if there may be a huge hole at PG?

[OptimalOptimist]

Doubt he makes it past the Boston 17th pick, didn't he said that he would only opt out to play for Boston or LAL?

Ejim won't be available at 59. He's too good of a shooter to be still on the board at 59.

[stretch]

Take Saric at 20 if available. The pg can be sorted out via free agency.

[ceez]

It sure would be nice to know we had Lowry locked up before the draft. If Ennis or Payton are on the board at 20 and so is Saric, how can you take Saric if there may be a huge hole at PG?

wouldn't take Saric anyways, dude's a flake.

[stretch]

wouldn't take Saric anyways, dude's a flake.

How so?

[stretch]

Chad Ford says that Saric is committed to play in Turkey for two seasons. Even then, he is likely off the board before the Raptors pick at 20.

Croatia forward and 2014 NBA draft prospect Dario Saric has agreed in principle to a three-year deal with Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes, a source close to Saric told ESPN.com on Monday.

The deal will have a player option for year three. Saric is expected to receive and sign a contract in the next 24 hours.

The move will essentially prohibit Saric from playing in the NBA for a minimum of two years, the source added.

Saric was widely considered a top-10 prospect by the majority of teams in the NBA. He averaged 19.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for Cibona in the Adriatic League this year.

NBA sources say that Saric's decision to stay in Europe will affect his draft stock. He was getting looks as high as the 76ers at 10, the Nuggets at 11 and the Magic at 12. However, because he's unlikely to come to the NBA for at least two years, those teams are now hesitating to draft him that high.

However, it's possible that Saric won't slide too far. Sources say the Hawks at 15, the Celtics at 17, the Suns at 18 and the Bulls at 19 are all looking at Saric and are more comfortable drafting him and keeping him in Europe for the next two seasons. The Celtics, Suns and Bulls all have multiple picks in this year's draft.