Toronto Raptors
Mar 17, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs forward Semi Ojeleye (33) reacts during the second half against the USC Trojans in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
With the 2017 NBA Draft nearly a week away, the Toronto Raptors front office is likely narrowing in on targets for the No. 23 overall pick. Here are five players the team should consider targeting.
For multiple reasons, the Toronto Raptors find themselves in an awkward position with the 2017 NBA Draft coming up.
First off, they hold the 23rd overall pick in the draft, a strange position given the composition of this draft class. About 20 players this year are almost guaranteed first-round selections. Then there's another 20 or even 30 who could go as high as the mid-first or as low as the late-second round. As a result, the Raptors have a draft slot where players are extremely difficult to differentiate.
Second, the franchise itself is in flux. A free agent, Kyle Lowry could leave Toronto this summer to sign elsewhere, which would likely plunge the Raptors into a full-blown rebuild. But it's not just Lowry. Serge Ibaka, P.J. Tucker, and Patrick Patterson all enter free agency on July 1. Without a clear franchise direction, drafting becomes more difficult.
All that said, the fundamentals of drafting remain very much the same. "Best player available" happens to be the best strategy available. It's just impossible to know exactly who that player is.
I've compiled a list of five players — in no particular order — who may end up at the top of Toronto's big board when it comes time to make a selection. These guys are some of the best players likely to be available at No. 23, but they also make sense in terms of fit and league trends.
Let's get started!
Feb 11, 2017; Morgantown, WV, USA; Kansas State Wildcats forward Wesley Iwundu (25) dribbles the ball around West Virginia Mountaineers forward Lamont West (15) during the first half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
5. Wesley Iwundu, SG, Kansas State
Every year, one or two teams take a player in the first round of the draft who perhaps wasn't expected to be drafted at all. Iwundu may be one of those guys.
DraftExpress ranks the Kansas State wing as the 53rd best player in this year's draft, a full 30 slots below where the Raptors will pick. Still, not all draft experts agree with the DX orthodoxy. Jonathan Tjarks and Danny Chau of The Ringer both rank him as a top 20 player, and their mock draft has him going at No. 31 to the Atlanta Hawks.
Iwundu projects as a 3-and-D player with a bit of playmaking IQ, and you simply cannot have too many of those players in a league where spacing and defensive versatility are paramount. Add in that passing verve that the Raptors notoriously lack, and you get a player worth reaching for.
Defensively, Iwundu's adjustment to the NBA should be relatively painless. He's 6'7" wing with a 7'1" wingspan, with great quickness and hands, according to The Ringer's Draft Guide. And although he weighs just 193 pounds, "Iwundu has the tools to defend guards and wings, and can occasionally switch on to some small-ball power forwards," per DraftExpress.
Offensively, Iwundu may have more trouble. He averaged 4.4 assists per 40 minutes for the Wildcats last season, but didn't score at an extremely impressive rate. At 22 years old, and without elite offensive production at the college level, Iwundu lacks star upside.
But truthfully, his offensive success in the NBA depends almost solely on three-point shooting. Iwundu shot 37.6 percent from deep last season, but did so on just 85 attempts. Knockdown shooting teamed with strong defense is a one-way ticket to a long and productive NBA career, and both skills are necessary to play next to DeMar DeRozan.
If the shooting translates, Iwundu could probably get into the Raptors' rotation right now as a DeMarre Carroll stand-in. If it doesn't, Iwundu still knows how to play the game on both ends; he just might not get as many minutes to show it.
Mar 11, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Harry Giles (1) reacts after a dunk against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half of the ACC Conference Tournament final at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
4. Harry Giles, C, Duke
A year ago, Giles was one of the favorites to be taken first in this year's draft. Since then, he's been through hell and back, with arthroscopic surgery delaying his Duke career and ultimately limiting his playing time to scraps. Giles averaged 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds last season. That's it.
Giles has blown out both of his knees now, and it's unclear how much of his previously elite athleticism will return. Even so, he has some tools that make him an intriguing long-term project as he regains his sharpness and relearns the game. He has almost the exact same body as D.J. Wilson, but unlike Wilson, actually uses his body on the interior.
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As Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress write, on the boards, Giles is "quick off the floor, active pursuing loose balls, and goes out of his area regularly with his strong hands, long arms and impressive instincts."
These instincts shine through on defense, too, where Giles averaged 1.2 steals and 2.3 blocks per 40 minutes. He could eventually be able to defend basically every area of the court, which bodes well for his long-term potential.
Some players can get by with defense and rebounding alone, and maybe that's Giles. That's not why you draft him, though. Giles was also a dominant offensive player in high school, which Givony and Schmitz point out. Injuries deprived him of the time to develop a shooting stroke or playmaking skills, but at just 19, he has plenty of time to grow, possibly in the D-League.
Giles doesn't fill any immediate need for the Raptors. He may even clog up their logjam at center even further. That said, prior to this season, Giles was considered a high lottery pick, and the slim chance he recaptures that precocious brilliance is worth the No. 23 pick.
Mar 12, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward D.J. Wilson (5) celebrates after dunking the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers in the second half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship game at Verizon Center. The Wolverines won 71-56. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
3. D.J. Wilson, PF, Michigan
T.J. Leaf has been bandied about in online communities as an option for Toronto at No. 23. And why not? Leaf is a 6'10" forward, with a sophisticated offensive repertoire, who led UCLA in scoring as a freshman. Wilson is a year older and never sniffed the kind of impact Leaf made at the NCAA level.
Sometimes, however, players are simply better pro prospects than they are college players. Wilson is one of those guys. Leaf is not. The Michigan product stands at over 6'10" in shoes with a 7'3" wingspan and superb athletic tools.
Wilson has also flashed all the skills you want from a modern big man. He shot 37.3 percent from three on 110 total attempts, blocked 2.0 shots per 40 minutes, and finished strong at the rim (72.2 percent shooting from the restricted area).
As The Ringer's Draft Guide says, Wilson is a prototypical modern big. All of the things he does well — shoot threes, switch onto smaller ball handlers, handle the ball on the perimeter – are very much in vogue.
He may be 21 already, but his athletic tools and skill-set give him unique upside as a stretch-4 who can hold his own on defense. That type of player is a need for Toronto with Serge Ibaka, Patrick Patterson and P.J. Tucker entering free agency.
Wilson will not – cannot – replace any of those three immediately. For all of his modern skills, Wilson lacks the traditional skills still needed at all levels of basketball. According to The Ringer, he's not a great rebounder, he doesn't relish contact at the rim and he lacks interior defensive upside. Most damningly, he's a bit soft.
Can those issues be rectified? It's possible. Maybe Wilson just doesn't have the requisite toughness for the NBA and gets pushed around too frequently to even carve out a long career. But his rare combination of tools gives him a very high ceiling, and that's important for a team full of solid-if-unspectacular players.
Jan 7, 2017; Waco, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jawun Evans (1) claps as he prepares to play defense during a game against the Baylor Bears at Ferrell Center. Baylor won 61-57. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
2. Jawun Evans, PG, Oklahoma State
Jawun Evans stands under six feet tall in shoes. That is a problem. It always will be. But it's not a problem that can't be overcome, as Kyle Lowry, Isaiah Thomas and Chris Paul have repeatedly demonstrated.
Evans won't become the next CP3, although he was a decent proxy for those guys at the college level. During his sophomore year in Stillwater, the diminutive guard put up 26.2 points and 8.7 assists per 40 minutes, which is absolutely bananas.
He was especially productive in the pick-and-roll, still the bread-and-butter of NBA offenses, where he finished 56.3 percent of possessions, per DraftExpress. The Ringer's Draft Guide reads, "Good pick-and-roll playmaking upside. Knows how to navigate, split screens, or snake to middle. Can attack, pull up or pass."
It's one thing to master the pick-and-roll at the college level. The NBA is a different game; defenders are longer, faster and shut off passing lanes more quickly. Evans will have to adjust, and he'll face an even stiffer test on the defensive end, where opposing teams will force him to switch onto bigger players at every opportunity.
In my opinion, though, Evans will hold up. According to Julian Applebome and Josh Riddell of DraftExpress, Evans is a hard worker and a strong, tough defender. His wingspan also measured in at over 6'5" at the NBA Combine, which helps mitigate his lack of height.
Offensively, Evans has sparkplug potential. The Ringer calls him a "speed demon" due to his burst when probing the lane. He can't finish; he shot just 49.4 percent around the rim last season. But merely creating shots is, and always will be, the most important skill in basketball, and that's why the Raptors would be fine drafting another point guard.
Cory Joseph is an obvious tax relief casualty this summer, leaving just Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet behind (hopefully) Lowry. Evans has more upside, at least offensively, than either of those two. Even if he didn't, you can never have too many shot creators.
Los Angeles Lakers
Mar 17, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs forward Semi Ojeleye (33) reacts during the second half against the USC Trojans in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
1. Semi Ojeleye, SF/PF, SMU
Take a few minutes, go to Reddit, find the Raptors sub, and skim through a few threads about the draft. You'll quickly notice that the team's fanbase loves Semi Ojeleye.
It's easy to see why. Ojeleye is nearly 6'7" in shoes and weighs 241 pounds, but his body fat percentage is just 5.5 percent. He is literally a Roman sculpture. Ojeleye combines those measurements with a 40.5-inch max vertical, giving him elite physical tools for an NBA forward.
He's not unproven, either. Having transferred from Duke, Ojeleye averaged 19.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in his lone season at SMU. He even canned 42.4 percent of his 172 three-point attempts. The dude can play.
He's ostensibly a combo forward, and with both P.J. Tucker and Patrick Patterson entering free agency, a frontcourt vacancy may well need filling. Ojeleye's a superior athlete to both of those guys, plus he replaces their floor stretching ability assuming his spot-up shooting translates.
The comparisons end there, however. Ojeleye is a unique prospect, but his versatility and skill level shouldn't be overblown. Listed as a combo forward by DraftExpress, Ojeleye seems more like a pure stretch-4 at the professional level, where nearly every team is looking to downsize.
As Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress notes, Ojeleye "doesn't have a ton of experience chasing around NBA-level wings." Offensively, meanwhile, the draft gurus over at The Ringer say Ojeleye looks stiff and uncreative with the ball. Maybe he becomes a Tucker-like Swiss army knife, but for now, the Kansas native is more of an undersized 4.
Defense is another sticking point for those wanting Patterson or Tucker 2.0. Ojeleye averaged 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per 40 minutes last season, which is worrisome since those statistics usually indicate defensive success in the NBA. Ojeleye is too athletic to get targeted on defense – and truthfully, that's half the battle – but his ceiling is definitely not Draymond Green.
That's fine, of course. Green is an All-NBA type of player. Ojeleye will not be that, but he fits a need and his measurements and shooting give him a solid platform to play at the NBA level. If the Raptors want a solid modern forward, they could do much worse than this 22-year-old.
