The start date for Toronto Raptors mock draft season is here, as Nick Nurse’s historically pathetic month of March in which the squad won just one game has sent the Raptors spiraling out of control. With players like Moses Moody, Scottie Barnes, and even Cade Cunnigham if the basketball gods are kind, on the radar, draft season is underway.
The Raptors need a center to replace Aron Baynes, some shooters off of the bench, and a potential point guard that can start if Kyle Lowry decides to leave in free agency.
The Raptors acquired plenty of ammunition to realize those goals, as in addition to their first-round selection, Masai Ujiri acquired two more second-round picks via the Terence Davis and Matt Thomas trades.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman tried to peer into his crystal ball and figure out who the Raptors would end up taking with those picks. Do these selections seem like something Ujiri would do?
NBA Mock Draft: Full 2-Round Predictions Entering April https://t.co/95svqEGCfu
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) April 2, 2021
Toronto Raptors pick No. 1: Scottie Barnes, PF/PG, Florida State (No. 9)
Barnes, who has been mocked to Toronto before is the true essence of a positionless player, as he is equally adept at handling the ball and setting up his teammates as he is attacking the rim with lightning speed and finishing close to the basket. Barnes might’ve only started seven games and scored 10.3 points per game, but his potential is mouth-watering.
It doesn’t take Red Auerbach to see how Barnes could change the scope of the Raptors on both ends of the floor. A player with that size, speed, and comfort hanging around the perimeter could start at any one of four positions.
Toronto Raptors mock draft: Scottie Barnes makes some sense
His issues, however, stem from the fact he is a poor shooter at this point in time. Shooting under 30% from 3-point range isn’t going to cut it for a Top 10 pick in the NBA, especially when his slender frame could get knocked around a bit once he starts to get a taste of the physicality of the NBA.
Barnes will take a ton of work to figure out, and his lackluster shooting will actually make him a liability on offense as he gets his start in the pros. Still, the upside is through the roof, which could help Toronto’s hypothetical gamble pay off in a few years.
Grade: B
Toronto Raptors pick No. 2: RaiQuan Gray, PF, Florida State (No. 43)
If the draft was being held 25 years ago, when the power forward position was rigidly defined and 14-foot jumpers ruled the game, a veteran Seminole in Gray would’ve gone much higher. Gray can bulldoze smaller bigs when he gets the chance, and his soft touch around the basket could make him a quality backup center.
Unfortunately, whenever Gray goes away from the basket, he is a complete non-factor on offense. Throw into that the fact that he doesn’t have the most dominant production or the best rebounding history for someone his size, and you get someone that shouldn’t be taken anywhere near the first round.
At his best, Gray could be a bruising interior defender and decent rebounder with enough athletic ability to evolve into a quality finisher at the rim. At his worst, his size and inability to do anything on offense outside of the paint will make him a dinosaur in the eyes of the NBA, severely limiting his upside at the next level.
Grade: B-
Toronto Raptors pick No. 3: Filip Petrusev, C, Serbia (No. 44)
If Petrusev’s name sounds familiar, that’s because he was once one of Gonzaga’s best big men, averaging just under 18 points per game in his final season under Mark Few. Petrusev left the Zags for a professional contract with Serbia’s Mega Basket, and he has stepped on the accelerator.
Petrusev has become the top scorer in the Adriatic League, averaging 23.4 points per game while shooting 58% from the field and 41% from 3-point land. Throw in 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, and you have a prospect that has established himself as one of the top international players in this class.
If he didn’t go to Serbia, Petrusev would’ve been another defense-deficient European big man that might latch on in the G League. After developing an improved jumper and offensive game, Petrusev looks like an ideal second-round pick that could easily sneak into the first round if his game woos scouts enough.
Grade: A-