Raptors: NBA Draft Combine star Joe Wieskamp could be a solid addition

The Toronto Raptors need to work on accomplishing two goals simultaneously over the next few weeks. While they need to narrow down their preferences with regards to who they want to draft with the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, they also need to see if a player like Iowa’s Joe Wieskamp would be a fit with one of their two second-round picks.

Wieskamp needed to stand out at the NBA Draft Combine in order to get drafted, as NBA scouts needed to see if he could add a tertiary trait in addition to his 3-point shooting and defense. It just so happens that Wieskamp left the Combine as one of the big winners after blowing the doors off.

Wiesjamp recorded a 42-inch vertical and was found to have just 4% body fat. In addition, he was one of the best performers from the Combine scrimmages, as he tallied 26 points and 10 rebounds in one game.

The Raptors could always be in the market for more shooting off of the bench, as the trade of Matt Thomas left them deficient in this area. With Wieskamp showing that he is a much better prospect than the league thought before he arrived at the Combine, could the Raptors have been interested enough to use one of their two second-rounders on him?

Would Joe Wieskamp fit on the Toronto Raptors?

Wieskamp is listed a 6-6, and he can play like it on offense, using his size inside the 3-point line in order to take advantage of smaller defenders that get switched onto him. A plus rebounder and defender, Wieskamp’s testing numbers proved that he is one of the best athletes at the guard position in this class.

At the end of the day, however, any team that drafts Wieskamp is doing so because he is n excellent 3-point shooter, as evidenced by the fact that he made 46% of his attempts from beyond the arc during his final year in Iowa City.

His flaws stem from the fact he isn’t the best at creating his own shot, and that inability to generate production for himself coupled with a bit of a passive demeanor late in games could drive his stock down. Still, that is no reason for Toronto to rule out taking him.

The Raptors might be drafting a guard like Jalen Suggs or Jalen Green at No. 4, meaning that Gary Trent Jr. would be moved to the bench. Where some might see a redundancy, Toronto could see an advantage, as pairing two quality athletes and shooters together on the floor for heavy minutes could be a nightmare to defend.