Toronto Raptors: Assistant GM reveals draft strategy with No. 4 overall pick

The Toronto Raptors lucked into the No. 4 pick in the draft, which was even more important this year than in prior seasons because of the generally accepted consensus that there is a significant drop-off in talent after the top four players in this class.

The Raptors will likely end up with either G League sensation Jalen Green, USC center Evan Mobley, or Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs, and there is a very compelling case to be made for all three of those players. Mobley might be the best fit, but Suggs and Green would be backcourt starters for a decade.

Considering that the front office is still in turmoil with the uncertain status of Masai Ujiri and the still unanswered question of if he will be back next season, Toronto needs to adhere to an indomitable, unified draft strategy that helps them nail their highest draft pick in over a decade.

Per Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, assistant GM Dan Tolzman claimed that the team will choose the most talented player that falls to them, citing the fact that drafting for a need may not be prudent cause of how often new needs arrive.

The Toronto Raptors might draft talent over need

“The best available players are usually who we go with,” Tolzman said. “We’ve never really made draft selections based on the current roster because there are so many uncertainties. We could have our whole core lined up to draft for someone to plug in and then a blockbuster trade comes and all of a sudden, we’ve got holes all over the floor.”

It just so happens that the two big needs that the Raptors need to address are the point guard and center positions. With the former in flux because of Kyle Lowry’s potential departure and the latter a source of minimal production before Khem Birch arrived, Suggs could step right in and play point guard while Mobley fills the center role.

While drafting Green might force the Raptors to deploy a smaller lineup to get the G Leaguer, Fred VanVleet, and Gary Trent Jr. in the same lineup and move VanVleet to point guard, the Raptors sound willing to do this. If Green grades out as the best player they have on the board, he’s going to be the pick.

The Raptors have done a good job of identifying needs in the past in order to create a balanced, deep roster. Unfortunately, that’s not what the recipe calls for this year, and need must be sacrificed in order to land a franchise-changing player.