Toronto Raptors NBA draft profile: T.J Leaf
By Mustafa Noor
The Raptors need players who can come off the bench and provide instant offense. One possible solution is UCLA forward T.J Leaf.
This off-season is one of the most important in recent memory for the Toronto Raptors. With key free agents such as Lowry, Ibaka, Tucker and Patterson the roster that kicks off the 2017-18 season could be vastly different from the team that got swept by the Cavaliers. One thing the Raptors can control is their 2017 first round pick.
The Raptors have the 23rd pick in the upcoming draft and all signs point to the Raptors keeping the pick as they have brought in many players for workouts and interviews. One player who the Raptors have not worked out but need to take a thorough look at is T.J Leaf.
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Who is T.J Leaf and why should we draft him?
T.J Leaf is a 6 foot 10 225-pound University of California, Los Angeles freshman who plays power forward. Leaf was a key part for an exciting UCLA team that reached the sweet 16 of the March Madness tournament. Leaf played in 35 games for UCLA and averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks a game. Leaf’s offensive prowess is his best attribute. He was a proficient shooter, hitting 61.7% of his shots from the field with an impressive 46.6% from 3 and 64.4% from 2-point range.
The Raptors could do with more shooting as shown during the playoffs where Toronto had a bottom five bench. It’s not a surprise that the top two benches during the playoffs are squaring off in the NBA finals for the third time. Clearly, if the Raptors are to become true contenders, they need to improve their bench so they can allow the starters to rest without the team losing momentum.
Weaknesses
Defensively Leaf has a lot of question marks as he lacks lateral quickness and was beat easily on the perimeter. Against physical players he lacks toughness as he allows them to beat him down lock, set up position and shoot over him. In several games, I watched it was alarming the amount of time the opposing coach ran a simple post up play that converted into baskets. If Leaf is to make a name for himself at the next level then he needs to bulk up and offer more opposition at the elbow.
While scoring is one of Leaf’s better attributes there are still questions about his offensive ability. In the NBA, he will be playing against elite length and size and worryingly Leaf struggled to finish after taking contact in the paint. Leaf is a skilled player but is cagey when shooting with his left hand, this needs to change or it will be hard for him to score at the next level as opposing coaches will game plan for Lead and force him to shoot with his left hand.
Projections at the next level
Leaf has the potential to be a sixth man of the year backup forward and if he can be an average defender then he could start for several teams in the league. The obvious comparison is past UCLA alumni Kevin love this is probably an optimistic comparison but a more realistic comparison is David lee.
Respected NBA draft websites such as draftexpress.com and foxsports.com both have Leaf going 23rd to the Toronto Raptors in the upcoming draft. What do you think Rapture Nation? Is Leaf a player you would like to see in Toronto? What other players would you like to see in Toronto? Comment below and let me know.