This Toronto Raptors draft got infinitely more interesting at the trade deadline, as Toronto picked up two second-round picks thanks to the Matt Thomas and Terence Davis trades. If they want to add another guard to the mix, they could find their perfect match in Wichita State scorer Tyson Etienne.
Etienne hasn’t been given a ton of respect by the NBA Draft media at large, as ESPN thinks that he is just the 17th-best point guard in this class. However, when your turn on the tape, it’s easy to see that Etienne has plenty of the traits that signal he will be able to carve out a role for himself in the pros.
On paper, Etienne looks like a perfect second-round gamble for the Raptors, as they have had a solid history with regards to developing smaller guards into offensive threats. The latest reports make it seem like there is at least some interest in bringing him to Canada.
According to Etienne’s agent, Jelani Floyd of Beyond Athlete Management, Etienne will work out for the Raptors in early July. He has already interviewed with the Nets and worked out with the Cavaliers. Workouts with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics are coming later this week.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors are all showing interest in Wichita State draft prospect Tyson Etienne.
— Taylor Eldridge (@tayloreldridge) June 14, 2021
Here's the latest on the Shocker star testing the NBA Draft waters.https://t.co/H9mpDacSxR
Toronto Raptors draft: Could Tyson Etienne end up in Canada?
Etienne was named AAC Co-Player of the Year, as the Englewood, New Jersey native averaged 16.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while leading the Shockers to the NCAA Tournament.
Those numbers are fool’s gold, to some degree, as they came when Etienne shot 37% from the field, which was a slight decrease from his freshman season. His 2.5 assists per game could suggest that he’s more of an undersized shooting guard playing out of position rather than a traditional pass-first point.
His efficiency and poor distribution ability might prevent him from getting drafted, but there is a lot to like about his game. When he’s in a zone, he shows the blinding speed, ability to harass ball-handlers on the defensive end, and 3-point shooting that could help him hit the ground running at the professional level.
Wichita has been quite the fertile NBA development ground recently, and the Raptors have the crown jewel of that program on their roster in Fred VanVleet. While Etienne has some serious holes in his game, many of the same holes helped VanVleet go undrafted when he declared.
Could the Raptors potentially snag a second undersized, score-first point guard late in the draft? If there is any team that can build him into a quality NBA player, it’s Toronto, as evidenced by the success they have had with VanVleet.