Toronto Raptors NBA Mock Draft 1.0: What if Toronto gets the No. 7 pick?
By Mike Luciano
The Rockets traded away both James Harden and Russell Westbrook, opening up the need for a point guard with a higher long-term than John Wall. Suggs, who was the key architect of Gonzaga’s high-flying offense this season, could start alongside Wall as the shooting guard before taking over ball-handling duties later.
Suggs is a streaky shooter, but he is as NBA-ready as they come for a college point guard. smart passer with the smoothness, speed, and scoring intuition to instantly become a trusted member of Houston’s rotation. With Suggs on the perimeter and Christian Wood inside, the Rockets will have enough pieces to contend in a few years with those two at the center of it all.
Green and Jonathan Kuminga chose the G League over college basketball, and it proved to be the perfect showcase for Green’s talents, as he was averaging just shy of 20 points a game against grown men at just 19 years old.
Green needs help on the defensive side of the ball, but his offensive ceiling is as high as any player in this draft, Cunningham included. Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic might be gone, but green can step right in and instantly become an impact scorer due to his 3-point stroke, skill at making contested shots, and willingness to pull up off the dribble.
Kuminga might not have had the same statistical success, especially shooting the ball, as Green did, but he was marquee television whenever he stepped on the floor. Be it as an athletic wing or a very quick, undersized power forward, Kuminga’s ability to soar to the rim makes him one of the most intriguing two-way players this year.
On offense, Kuminga can create his own shot, handle the ball, and operate from any one of four positions given his court vision and raw athletic ability. Next to Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, and Jarrett Allen, Cleveland would instantly become one of the more interesting teams in the league.
Johnson might’ve opted out in the middle of the season, but the former Duke star will likely be picked very high due to the lack of depth at the power forward position. While an inconsistent shooter, Johnson’s defense and quickness for his size will help him finish at the pro level from the second he steps on the court.
If Johnson plays power forward and Bradley Beal is somehow retained, a lineup featuring Johnson at the 4-spot, 2020 lottery pick Deni Avdija at small forward, Beal back at shooting guard, and Russell Westbrook running point might be good enough to challenge for the postseason in a wide-open East.