Toronto Raptors draft: 3 prospects not in NCAA Tournament to watch
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors draft just got much more interesting over the last few weeks, as Masai Ujiri went from one first-round pick that as rooted firmly in the 20s to a selection that could end up giving the Raptors the top pick in the entire draft if the ping-pong balls bounce their way. Could the next Raptors star be hiding in plain sight in the NCAA Tournament?
Well, don’t be so sure Ujiri will draft a March Madness hero. In fact, plenty of traditional powers, like Duke and Kentucky, will watch the tournament at home on TV like the rest of us.
While some poor team play and some COVID-19 bad luck, in some cases, made it difficult for some of those schools to make it to the Big Dance. That shouldn’t overshadow their tremendous individual efforts.
The Raptors are in need of a big man that can help them in the paint, a point guard that can take some of the offensive burden off of Fred VanVleet, and a do-it-all scorer that can operate from virtually anywhere on the floor.
Will the Raptors draft one of these 3 forgotten prospects?
Masai Ujiri hasn’t had a draft pick this high in his time with the Raptors, meaning that he could get the chance to draft a true franchise-changer. Adding a second-round pick, somehow, and drafting some promising developmental players Nick Nurse can mold into stars.
Keep a sharp eye on these three prospects, as they might get their NBA starts up in Canada with the Raptors.