Everything 2022 Draft

[DanH]

If we're valuing defense, then there are a number of free agent (or trade target) centers who would be significant defensive upgrades over Birch. Guys like: Javale McGee, Mo Bamba, Nerlens Noel, Isaiah Hartenstein, Hassan Whiteside, Mitchell Robinson, etc...

I guess. Not sure they are net upgrades, and definitely not sure they are all available for what we can offer. There's also the question of limited resources - if you already have a perfectly fine backup C, do you spend your MLE on that or on more shooting/guard play?

[golden]

They already have Precious and Khem for playable depth. That third spot being a young'un is very much in line with our typical roster build philosophy. And if they are good enough to leapfrog Khem, great.

If we're valuing defense, then there are a number of free agent (or trade target) centers who would be significant defensive upgrades over Birch. Guys like: Javale McGee, Mo Bamba, Nerlens Noel, Isaiah Hartenstein, Hassan Whiteside, Mitchell Robinson, etc...

[TrueTorontoFan]

Latest thoughts...

Christian Koloko (7'0" C, thin and needs to add strength but great rim protector and rebounder already, great touch around the rim, no range right now but his FT% is promising on that front, pretty decent passer, can defend man to man out on the perimeter with good footspeed - another guy who started basketball late like Pascal - upside swing here)
EJ Liddell (6'7" forward, plays as a big, but can shoot, big and strong and surprisingly athletic, decent playmaking, decent defence, very well rounded)
Dalen Terry (big PG - good shooting, good defensive metrics)
Wendell Moore (6'6" wing, great creator/passer, can shoot, decent defensively though not great, kind of Scottie Barnes lite with more of an offensive slant)
Jaylin Williams (do it all 6'10" C, can dribble, good passer, decent inside scoring but no real jump shot, decent FT% suggests there is upside there, good defender but not really a rim protector, I've been convinced on him)
Ishmael Kamagate (6'11" big, high upside swing, athletic big with developing skillset across the board, very raw, would be a long term bet, I've seen comparisons to Pascal's scouting report coming out of his draft year, though their playing background is different with Kamagate playing overseas)

...drop off in interest here...

Jalen Williams (6'6" playmaking wing, smaller and with an established shot, maybe a little less known for the defensive end)
Keon Ellis (3+D SG, good shooter, high steal rate, not as much for playmaking or volume scoring)
David Roddy (6'6" forward, heavy and strong, decently mobile, 6'10" wingspan, great volume scorer and shooter in college, solid rebounder and playmaker, active defensively - 2.5 stocks per 36, height/mobility combo a bit of a drawback but decently athletic)
Walker Kessler (7' C, known for smart defence and quick feet, not quite a switch onto the perimeter guy, Poeltl type, long ways to go in terms of jumper, but Raps love to make that bet)
Jake LaRavia (big wing, less athletic than our usual pick, but good impact numbers on both ends, all around contributor and can shoot)

for what its worth koloko also killed the shooting drill at the draft. Dalen Terry is solid but may not be there. Jaylin Williams is very interesting but doesn't have the versatility of defensive tools right now mainly is a positional defender..



I actually really really really like Jake. or Koloko or Terry.

[DanH]

Latest thoughts...

Christian Koloko (7'0" C, thin and needs to add strength but great rim protector and rebounder already, great touch around the rim, no range right now but his FT% is promising on that front, pretty decent passer, can defend man to man out on the perimeter with good footspeed - another guy who started basketball late like Pascal - upside swing here)
EJ Liddell (6'7" forward, plays as a big, but can shoot, big and strong and surprisingly athletic, decent playmaking, decent defence, very well rounded)
Dalen Terry (big PG - good shooting, good defensive metrics)
Wendell Moore (6'6" wing, great creator/passer, can shoot, decent defensively though not great, kind of Scottie Barnes lite with more of an offensive slant)
Jaylin Williams (do it all 6'10" C, can dribble, good passer, decent inside scoring but no real jump shot, decent FT% suggests there is upside there, good defender but not really a rim protector, I've been convinced on him)
Ishmael Kamagate (6'11" big, high upside swing, athletic big with developing skillset across the board, very raw, would be a long term bet, I've seen comparisons to Pascal's scouting report coming out of his draft year, though their playing background is different with Kamagate playing overseas)

...drop off in interest here...

Jalen Williams (6'6" playmaking wing, smaller and with an established shot, maybe a little less known for the defensive end)
Keon Ellis (3+D SG, good shooter, high steal rate, not as much for playmaking or volume scoring)
David Roddy (6'6" forward, heavy and strong, decently mobile, 6'10" wingspan, great volume scorer and shooter in college, solid rebounder and playmaker, active defensively - 2.5 stocks per 36, height/mobility combo a bit of a drawback but decently athletic)
Walker Kessler (7' C, known for smart defence and quick feet, not quite a switch onto the perimeter guy, Poeltl type, long ways to go in terms of jumper, but Raps love to make that bet)
Jake LaRavia (big wing, less athletic than our usual pick, but good impact numbers on both ends, all around contributor and can shoot)

[Primer]

I fear any big they draft in the 2nd round will be as unplayable as Nurse found the majority of the rotation to be last season. Really hope they find a back up big with some experience.

As Dan noted Khem is our backup big with experience. I don't see the other backup bigs being suggested as upgrades over Khem, they'd all be lateral moves.

Williams is a good upside pick that should be able to contribute rebounding and shot blocking out of the gate. He could replace Khem as our bench big after a season of development with the big team and 905.

[DanH]

I fear any big they draft in the 2nd round will be as unplayable as Nurse found the majority of the rotation to be last season. Really hope they find a back up big with some experience.

They already have Precious and Khem for playable depth. That third spot being a young'un is very much in line with our typical roster build philosophy. And if they are good enough to leapfrog Khem, great.

[LJ2]

Jaylin Williams is a name that was brought up earlier and he sounds amazing but with one giant hole in his game - being completely unable to put the ball in the basket. That FT% is promising, and even though he couldn't hit a three to save his life he took 2 of them a game, so that's exactly the sort of bet the Raptors just love to make.

I fear any big they draft in the 2nd round will be as unplayable as Nurse found the majority of the rotation to be last season. Really hope they find a back up big with some experience.

[DanH]

Jaylin Williams is a name that was brought up earlier and he sounds amazing but with one giant hole in his game - being completely unable to put the ball in the basket. That FT% is promising, and even though he couldn't hit a three to save his life he took 2 of them a game, so that's exactly the sort of bet the Raptors just love to make.

[TrueTorontoFan]

Latest ESPN mock has us taking Peyton Watson. No idea why.

The next pick is Jaylin Williams who seems like a pretty good fit. Definitely need to develop his offense but he's already an excellent rebounder and shot blocker and surprisingly high assists as well.

He is a 73% FT shooter so I think Nurse could work his magic and really shore up his offensive game.

He's actually got center size at 6'10 240lbs. Good standing reach and wingspan. Short hands but 2nd widest in the draft. I'd be happy with him as the pick. He should be able to contribute off the bench in year 1.

Koloko is projected a few picks after that so he is likely available too.

Other favorites in here go before our pick like Terry and Laravia.

I did not know he was 240

[Primer]

Latest ESPN mock has us taking Peyton Watson. No idea why.

The next pick is Jaylin Williams who seems like a pretty good fit. Definitely need to develop his offense but he's already an excellent rebounder and shot blocker and surprisingly high assists as well.

He is a 73% FT shooter so I think Nurse could work his magic and really shore up his offensive game.

He's actually got center size at 6'10 240lbs. Good standing reach and wingspan. Short hands but 2nd widest in the draft. I'd be happy with him as the pick. He should be able to contribute off the bench in year 1.

Koloko is projected a few picks after that so he is likely available too.

Other favorites in here go before our pick like Terry and Laravia.

[golden]

Not to beat a dead horse but it's amazing the athletic centres that will be available in the 2nd round (in a weak draft). "In my day" we had even unathletic centers going top 10 - Podkolzine, Bargnani, Kaman, Hoffa, the list goes on - and now you've got athletic specimens that get their head up to the rim on lobs and blocks and can really move and have a chance at keeping up to the pace and space of the modern game (just minus the shooting range) there for the taking in the 2nd round.

Incredible how the game has changed so fast.

John Wooden foresaw this, decades ago:

Quotes FROM John Wooden:

“Quickness under control is the most valuable physical aspect of any sport”

"As much as I value experience, and I value it greatly, I'd rather have a lot of skill (speed & quickness) and little experience than a lot of experience and little skill."

“Perhaps in my coaching experience, I found out from my own personal playing experience that I didn't have as much size as many, but I was quicker than most all, and that was my strength. So, in my recruiting, in all the years when I became a college coach, I'm recruiting for quickness. Now, you want a certain amount of size, but more coaches will give up some quickness to get more size. I would not. I would give up some size to get more quickness.

I hoped my forwards would be quicker than opposing forwards. I hoped that my guards would be quicker than opposing guards. I hoped my postmen would be quicker than opposing postmen. And, that's what I'm looking for, and then I'm trying to incorporate that in making it into a team game.”

https://247sports.com/college/arizon...ngth-71218308/

[G__Deane]

[Primer]

Sounds like they're moving on from getting OG, which make sense, the 7th pick isn't nearly enough to pry OG away from us.

[GinobilisBaldSpot]

[SkywalkerAC]

Not to beat a dead horse but it's amazing the athletic centres that will be available in the 2nd round (in a weak draft). "In my day" we had even unathletic centers going top 10 - Podkolzine, Bargnani, Kaman, Hoffa, the list goes on - and now you've got athletic specimens that get their head up to the rim on lobs and blocks and can really move and have a chance at keeping up to the pace and space of the modern game (just minus the shooting range) there for the taking in the 2nd round.

Incredible how the game has changed so fast.