Raptors: 3 first-round picks Dalano Banton is outperforming
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors had a pair of second-round picks to burn this offseason, and they chose to spend one of them on Nebraska wing and Rexdale native Dalano Banton. Considering how he came into the league with questions about his shooting and true offensive position, many expected him to start the season in the G League.
To the surprise of those doubters, not only has Banton ended up sticking on the NBA roster, but he’s worked his way into the regular rotation. Banton is averaging 5.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per game after jumping ahead of Malachi Flynn in the Toronto pecking order.
Getting this sort of production from any rookie would be solid, but finding a player of his caliber in the second round is borderline incredible. While lottery picks like James Bouknight and Joshua Primo have been stuck in the G League, Banton has excelled in the NBA.
The Raptors have already managed to get more solid production out of Banton than these three teams are received from their respective lottery picks. Banton may not be a Rookie of the Year contender, but he’s shown more than some of these players in the early going.
3 lottery picks getting outplayed by Toronto Raptors rookie Dalano Banton.
3. Moses Moody, Golden State Warriors
Back when the Raptors were projected to be near the fringes of the lottery, Moody’s ability to shoot and score made him look like a potential fit in Toronto. Golden State ended up nabbing him with their No. 14 pick, but their depth has made it hard for him to get on the court.
Moody is not only averaging just 1.9 points per game, but he’s only been getting on the floor in garbage time situations when the outcome of the game has essentially been decided. Moody might be behind a ton of great guards, but getting assigned to Santa Cruz isn’t a great look for a player picked as high as he was.
Dalano Banton is outperforming the highly-touted Moses Moody.
Banton scored 30 points in his first Raptors 905 action, proving that he has evolved enough on the offensive end to graduate from the developmental ranks. Moody is buried deep on the depth chart, which means that it could be hard for Golden State to recoup a ton of value from that pick immediately.
Given a larger opportunity, one of Scottie Barnes’ high school teammates in Moody could eventually show off his offensive skills. At this point, however, he is being outdone by a lanky 6-9 positionless standout that came into the draft cycle with a fraction of Moody’s pedigree.