Everything Draft 2020

[The Great One]

Is LeBron's kid any good? should the Raps tank in his draft year?

[007]

He’s 15 lol. Who the hell knows what he’ll end up becoming

[KeonClark]

He’s 15 lol. Who the hell knows what he’ll end up becoming

He'll get drafted high just on name alone

[G__Deane]

Is LeBron's kid any good? should the Raps tank in his draft year?

Looks like he's not on Dad's special vitamins yet

[inthepaint]

Rico Hines on Paul Watson, who has been attending Hines' summer workouts for the last couple of years after Watson signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Raptors:

"Oh, man, how dope is that, right? I mean, come on, man. Like, I just got chills thinking about that kid just now,” Hines said. “First of all, I love every kid that I work with. I truly do, man. And I love to see them finally start to get it. It’s such a dope thing to watch, man. It’s just like the best thing in the world because, you know, him not getting drafted, him having a good college career, being a rookie of the year in his conference, you know, he had big-time talent. He has big-time talent, man. He has worked with me the past summers. And the kid, he devoted himself this summer, guys. I mean, he really did....We worked on all the things that he needed to do, and he became more aggressive,” Hines said. “Because by nature, he can really hoop, he can do a lot of things, he can play-make, he’s extremely athletic, he can defend, he can make shots, but he’s just kind of laid-back, he lets the games come to him. But when he turns it on like he did right now … now you can kind of get a chance to see the certain things. And a lot of that is just his development.”

We can only hope.

https://theathletic.com/1824394/2020...aul-watson-jr/

Watson have just finished 2nd in G-league MIP voting for the 2019-2020 season per Blake Murphy. Our team is stacked, so he won't crack the rotation but the kid can hoop...

[Apollo]

Five players the Toronto Raptors should target in the 2020 NBA Draft

Desmond Bane | Guard 6-6, 215 pounds | TCU

What makes Bane so special is that he is one of the best shooters in the draft and he does it all while standing at a robust 6'6" and 215 pounds.

In his four years in college, Bane consistently knocked down jumpers at volume, finishing his career at a blistering 43% from the perimeter.

Grant Riller | Guard 6-3, 190 pounds | College Of Charleston

Simply put, Riller is one of the purest scorers in the draft and is arguably the most polished.

His first step is extremely sudden and he has a ton of deception to his dribble game, making him difficult to guard. Despite being only 6'3" and not possessing great athleticism, he's as good a finisher as they come, using otherworldly levels of touch and creativity.

Riller isn't a great athlete and is a solid but not exceptional 3-point shooter (36%), which may keep him available late in the first round. If that's the case, the Raptors should be ecstatic. Riller is someone who can step into the NBA right now and make an impact offensively.

Aleksej Pokusevski | Centre 6-11, 201 pounds | Olympiacos B

His ball-handling and scoring ability at 7'0" gives off instant Kristaps Porzingis vibes.

Pokusevski is decidedly thinner than Porzingis, which may be a problem for him at the NBA level, but it also allows him to be extremely agile. He's as nimble as they come for a 7-footer and he looks extremely fluid, unlike a lot of bigs his age that still look a bit awkward as they grow into their frame.

Pokusevski was used by his Olympiacos B team as a pick-and-roll ball handler, something that was truly a sight to behold as he at 7'0" got a screen from a 6'1" teammate, and he really impressed in that role. Able to make great reads or finish himself if he needs to, Pokusevski excelled as a go-to offensive option.

In addition to his offensive upside, Pokusevski shows advanced knowledge of defensive concepts, and his timing and shot-blocking were impeccable.

Jordan Nwora | Forward 6-7, 225 pounds | Louisville

With the combination of his NBA size and 39% 3-point shooting, he easily projects as a 3-and-D wing.

Playing in the ACC with perennial college basketball giants like Duke, North Carolina and Virginia, Nwora is used to playing against the best of the best at his age group and more times than not he was taking on the toughest defensive assignments on the floor. Competitiveness is a trait the Raptors front office has valued in their player evaluations, and Nwora is someone that plays the game hard and loves a challenge.

Leandro Balmaro | Guard 6-7, 200 pounds | FC Barcelona

One of the best passers in the draft class, he utilizes great vision and anticipation leading his teammates into scoring positions where they can convert. Balmaro is especially talented at passing the ball in transition, which perfectly fits Toronto's offensive philosophy.

The Raptors are one of the most transition-reliant teams in the NBA and therefore targeting one of the best transition players in the draft makes a lot of sense.

https://ca.nba.com/news/five-players...81r00yr327ghl4

[DanH]

This is the first year in a while that I'm hoping the Raps can downselect a specific position. They badly need a centre prospect. As ever, BPA, but if there's a tier of players available with little difference in talent level, grab the C.

[Apollo]

This is the first year in a while that I'm hoping the Raps can downselect a specific position. They badly need a centre prospect. As ever, BPA, but if there's a tier of players available with little difference in talent level, grab the C.

There doesn't appear to be a lot of those to be found in mocks around where the Raptors are drafting but there is one traditional center who looks really interesting: Udoka Azubuike, 7'0", 280lbs. He's built like Embiid but he lives in the paint grabbing boards, blocking shots, etc.

[G__Deane]

This is the first year in a while that I'm hoping the Raps can downselect a specific position. They badly need a centre prospect. As ever, BPA, but if there's a tier of players available with little difference in talent level, grab the C.

So, Aleksej Pokusevski mentioned above?

But 2" taller than Boucher and same weight as that bean pole. Actually, 15 pounds lighter than Boucher reportedly is now.
Are the Raps going to go Euro/International again?

[planetmars]

Raptors can trade for a center. I don't think that's a tough position to find in the NBA. I still think BPA.. and really at the 27/28 spot it's basically a hail mary / hope and prayer that the guy works out.. Masai has a solid track record, so I always have faith.

[golden]

This is the first year in a while that I'm hoping the Raps can downselect a specific position. They badly need a centre prospect. As ever, BPA, but if there's a tier of players available with little difference in talent level, grab the C.

Hard to criticize Masai for ANYTHING, but damn.... we should've traded up for Bol Bol. He's basically a more athletic Porzingis.

[bertarapsfan]

Hard to criticize Masai for ANYTHING, but damn.... we should've traded up for Bol Bol. He's basically a more athletic Porzingis.

come on mans hes played 20 minutes of a scrimmage against dudes who wern't really trying.

[Apollo]

come on mans hes played 20 minutes of a scrimmage against dudes who wern't really trying.

Yeah, it's too early to tell. Skal Labissiere was supposed to be the big steal in 2016. He went the pick after Spicy and he's been incredibly mild even though he's played on a shit team most of his career where they were practically begging him to step up and take charge of some minutes. He did have some nice moments outside of games that mattered though, this is what I'm ultimately getting at. Can you imagine if the Raptors went with Skal over Pascal? Don't do it, it hurts.

[The Great One]

Hard to criticize Masai for ANYTHING, but damn.... we should've traded up for Bol Bol. He's basically a more athletic Porzingis.

What bertarapsfan said. The hype on Bol Bol is hilarious after playing one exhibition game against players that weren't even trying lol. Dude is nothing special. I see him as a Thon Maker type of player.

[DanH]

Raptors can trade for a center. I don't think that's a tough position to find in the NBA. I still think BPA.. and really at the 27/28 spot it's basically a hail mary / hope and prayer that the guy works out.. Masai has a solid track record, so I always have faith.

Hey, if they want to trade to get JV back, I'm all for it.

But if the Raps have a chance to get a drafted C (ie cheap) who was drafted by Masai (ie absolutely guaranteed to be at least solid and probably awesome), I am interested in that scenario.