Potential Raptors Targets Shown in the Most Recent Mock Drafts
Is it premature to begin anticipating the NBA Draft?
The Toronto Raptors will probably say that the answer is no. With 27 games remaining after the All-Star break, the Raptors, who are currently 19-36, are having that kind of season. Even worse, given its issues this year, the organization could not even have a lottery pick.
Toronto will nevertheless have at least two selections in the 2024 Draft, even without its own first-round pick: a first-round pick from Indiana presently projected at No. 17 and Detroit’s second-round pick, at No. 31, should the season end.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic speculates what Toronto might do with those selections as follows:
No 17: Yves Missi (Baylor)
With Kelly Olynyk and Jakob Poeltl anticipated back, the Raptors should have two more experienced centers on the roster next season. However, with Christian Koloko’s departure this season, Toronto will be without a developing big man in the system.
Baylor’s 7-foot Yves Missi can help cover that gap.
This season, the 19-year-old rookie has played a supporting role for the Bears, averaging 11.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. As an intriguing prospect who still needs to reach the maximum degree of skill development, he would be an upside pick. In a defensive pinch, he can move his feet effectively enough to switch out to the perimeter and be effective as a pick-and-roll lob threat.
He isn’t much of a shooter, though, and he hasn’t tried a single three-point shot at Baylor this season, much like Poeltl. His 57.9% free-throw shooting percentage raises doubts about how much shooting potential he still has left unrealized.
Missi has been mocked by Bleacher Report and ESPN as a mid-first-round choice as high as No. 12 to the Oklahoma City Thunder and as low as No. 22.
No. 31: Oso Ighodaro (Marquette)
Oso Ighodaro, 21, is a big man who might be more NBA-ready than Missi if that’s what the Raptors are looking for.
Ighodaro, a 6-foot-11 forward from Marquette, is an intriguing big man who is versatile and has the kind of playmaking ability Toronto’s new offensive strategy should be searching for. He is a vital member of the No. 7-ranked Golden Eagles, averaging 14.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game.
Ighodaro, who has only tried two three-pointers this season, is another non-shooter. His 63.7% free-throw shooting percentage begs the question of how much more shooting development he has left in him. Despite this, he is a cunning playmaker who excels at passing and floaters out of the pick-and-roll. Though he lacks Missi’s rim-protecting presence, he would provide greater defensive versatility in the appropriate system as someone who is more suited to switch onto the perimeter.
He’s been made fun of by The Ringer at number eighteen, ahead of Missi, and by ESPN at number thirty-seven.