The Toronto Raptors will be selecting towards the end of the first-round in this year’s draft. Whenever the draft does occur, one prospect that the team needs to strongly consider is Tyler Bey.
The NBA and the Player’s Association agreed to push back the deadline to void the current CBA until September 1. The draft lottery and combine have been suspended indefinitely for the NBA and the Toronto Raptors. It has been reported that late August or early September is being considered for the draft. Depending on how the rest of the season plays out, the draft could be moved even further.
If the NBA season is going to resume, there is no way the draft occurs until after a champion has been crowned. Adam Silver said he is aiming to make a decision in the next two to four weeks.
Due to the coronavirus and social distancing, this year’s draft is going to be very different. NBA teams are currently prohibited from conducting in-person workouts. Until further notice, teams are permitted to conduct up to four hours of virtual meetings per prospect during the pre-draft process.
Practice facilities have been slowly reopening. As such, it is possible that the NBA could loosen its restrictions. No more than four players are allowed in the gym at any given time. It is also limited to individual workouts.
If the NBA were to extend this to draft prospects, teams could at least bring players in for one on none workouts. The difficulty is that would still require draft prospects to fly around the country in order to work out for multiple teams. The NBA has also discussed the possibility of a virtual draft combine.
The Toronto Raptors have a first-round pick for the first time in three years. Before the season was suspended, the Raptors had the third-best record in this NBA. Assuming they maintain that position, the Raptors would end up selecting no. 28 overall.
The 2020 NBA Draft isn’t projected to be particularly deep. It is unlikely that the Raptors are going to uncover a superstar towards the end of the first round. Yes, the Raptors selected Pascal Siakam at no. 27 back in 2016. However, even Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster would tell you that they didn’t anticipate Siakam was going to be this good.
One of the most valuable assets for a team in the modern NBA is versatile wing players. A number of 3-and-D prospects should hear their names called out on draft night. That list includes Isaac Okoro, Aaron Nesmith, Devin Vassell and Patrick Williams. Unfortunately for the Raptors those players are likely to be off the board when they are selecting.
The draft tends to flatten out towards the end of the first round and early into the second. Talent-wise, players are often very similar, how the draft shakes out depends on the preferences of each individual organization.
There are a number of prospects that the Raptors could select when the time comes. However, there is one player that stands out above the rest and is someone that the Toronto Raptors should seriously consider. That individual is Tyler Bey.
Who is Tyler Bey
Tyler Bey is a combo forward out of Colorado. He stands 6-foot-7 and has a 7-foot-1 wingspan. Bey is extremely athletic and one of the best defenders in college basketball. He has also shown significant improvement during his three years of college.
Bey is taking the long road to the NBA. He grew up in Las Vegas. While in high school, Bey’s grades weren’t high enough to earn a Division 1 scholarship. He reclassified from 2016 to 2017. Before heading off to Boulder, Bey was viewed as a four-star recruit.
As a freshman, Bey played sparing. Things changed during Bey’s sophomore year where he started all 36 games. Bey averaged 13.6 points and 9.9 rebounds. He was named the Most Improved Player of the Pac-12. Bey was also named to the All-Pac-12 Conference First Team.
Even though Bey’s name was thrown around as a potential first-round pick before last year’s draft, he made the decision to return to school for his junior year.
Bey spent the summer working to improve his offensive game. He shot more than 500 three-pointers a day in an attempt to become a more consistent outside shooter.
This season, Bey averaged 13.8 points, 9 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. He also shot 41.9 percent from three-point range (albeit on a small sample size of 31 attempts). Bey led the Pac-12 in rebounding and was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Bey is a strong on-ball defender and plays good team defense. He is an explosive leaper. Despite being a wing player, Bey is a very good shot blocker. He is also adept at getting in passing lanes and causing deflections. Based on Bey’s length and athleticism he should be able to guard multiple positions at the next level.
Whichever team ends up drafting Bey will do so based primarily on his potential as a defensive stopper. Bey is still a work in progress on offense.
Bey needs to improve his ball-handling. At this stage of his career, he is not capable of creating much offense for himself or others. However, Bey has improved as a mid-range shooter. The hope would be that he can become a consistent three-point shooter.
Early in his career, most of Bey’s points will come in transition or as a spot-up shooter. Bey is capable of getting out on the fast break and creating highlight-reel dunks. He is also a strong rebounder, who should be able to provide a lot of second-chance opportunities.
If Bey can be an above-average three-point shooter, then he can become a coveted 3-and-D player. Bey only took 59 3s during his entire college career. However, Bey is a good free-throw shooter. He averaged 74.7 percent at the charity stripe (on 403 attempts). A player’s level of success at the free-throw line is often used as an indicator as to whether they can become a good three-point shooter.
How does Bey fit with the Raptors
The Toronto Raptors as an organization prioritize defense. They have been one of the five best defensive teams in each of the last three seasons.
Last offseason, the Raptors added Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson primarily because they were viewed as strong multi-positional defenders. However, both struggled to crack the rotation early in the season. During a press conference, Coach Nick Nurse didn’t hold back and told reporters that they don’t play hard enough and don’t understand that defense is a priority.
Hollis-Jefferson eventually got the message. He turned into a key player off the bench for the Raptors this season. Johnson, on the other hand, averaged 4.8 minutes per game and only saw game action in 20 contests.
Bey is exactly the type of prospect that the Raptors covet. Nurse has no problems giving minutes to a rookie, as long as that player does what the team asks of him. Bey should be able to earn minutes right away. He will play strong defense, rebound, and do the dirty work.
Entering college, Bey wasn’t a top 100 recruit in high school. He was never viewed as a one-and-done player. Bey is in a position to reach the NBA because he has put the work in.
The Raptors value team-first players that work hard and are selfless. Bey has the characteristics the Raptors prioritize. He should be able to play a similar role to the one done by Hollis-Jefferson this season. He can contribute from day one, come off the bench, provide energy, and defend.
The Toronto Raptors force the second-most turnovers in the league. They also create more of their offense in transition than any other team. Bey would be a perfect fit for the Raptors in that regard. He would provide Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet with another vertical lob threat once the teams get out on a fast break.
The Toronto Raptors also have a track record of helping their players become more consistent shooters. After struggling early in his career, Norman Powell has shot nearly 40 percent from long-distance in both of the last two seasons.
Siakam shot a total of seven 3s as a rookie. He has steadily improved every season in the NBA. This year, Siakam attempted 320 3s and hit them at a 35.9 percent clip.
Bey has shown a willingness to work on his shot. There is no reason to think he can’t be the most recent success story for the Raptors.
Bey is older than most prospects. He turned 22 in February. However, the Raptors have had success with older players in the past. Siakam, VanVleet, Powell, and Terence Davis II all spent multiple years in college before going to the NBA.
Most mock drafts have Bey as a late first or early second-round pick. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer has Bey ranked at no. 29 on his big board. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has Bey at no. 31 on his most recent big board. Sports Illustrated slots Bey in at no. 32, whereas ESPN ranks Bey at no. 35.
O’Connor’s comparisons for Bey are Trevor Ariza and Otto Porter Jr. Bey has also drawn comparisons to Shawn Marion. If Bey is able to develop into something resembling any of those players, the Toronto Raptors should view the pick as a success.
Whoever the Toronto Raptors end up selecting is unlikely to light the world on fire. But Bey checks off enough boxes that he should have a long professional career. With a little help from the Raptors’ development team, he has the potential to become a special player.