The 2022 Toronto Raptors draft will be one of the most pivotal in recent memory, as they will be tasked with getting Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes a long-term running mate. If they want to look at a program with prestige to find this contributor, perhaps drafting someone from Duke would be a prudent strategy.
As far as we’re concerned, Paolo Banchero is not going to be a viable target for the Raptors. He’ll go somewhere in the top three along with Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith. Toronto will need to focus on one of Duke’s role players considering their draft position.
There’s a reason that the Blue Devils are regarded as one of the best teams in the country in Mike Krzyzewski’s final season in charge. With multiple NBA players willing to fill roles as soon as they make the jump to the professional ranks, Durham may once again be a fertile recruiting ground.
With the Raptors likely to have a draft pick that is on the verge of the lottery, they could convert that pick into one of these three Blue Devils. It doesn’t take a genius to see how one of these players would fit in with what Toronto wants to do on both ends of the floor.
3 Duke Blue Devils the Toronto Raptors could draft.
3. SF Wendell Moore Jr.
Moore has been able to establish himself as Duke’s No. 2 scorer behind Banchero this season, as his 15.2 points per game prove. Making 55% of his shots and 41% of his 3-point attempts, everything about Moore suggests that he is going to be a quality rotation wing early in his career.
Moore and Trevor Keels have helped Duke create one of the best perimeter defenses in the country. His stickiness, intelligence, and effort on that end stand out. It should help him mesh perfectly with a Nick Nurse defensive system that requires nonstop effort and switching.
The Toronto Raptors could use Wendell Moore Jr. and his scoring.
Moore is not the ball-handler that a player like Barnes was coming out of college. There are some questions to answer about how much of an offensive creator he can be, which could pigeonhole him as a 3-and-D type in the pros. Even if that’s what he ends up becoming, Toronto could use that.
Even one more player like Gary Trent Jr. would do wonders for this team, as Svi Mykhailiuk’s demotion has left this team without a ton of viable shooting options on the bench. Moore would get a steady diet of shots as a rookie, as his spot-up shooting might be the most translatable trait he has in his bag.
2. C Mark Williams
We’re big fans of Williams here, as he’s been able to establish himself as one of the ACC’s best defensive players despite not being given a ton of consistent minutes. Rim protection is a critical area of weakness for this team, and Williams will provide an upgrade there if nothing else.
Williams can be comfortably penciled in for 10 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks per night despite only playing 21 minutes per game. With a cartoon-like reach that helps him impact shot attempts and enough athletic ability to move well in the paint, Williams would be a breath of fresh air on this team.
The Toronto Raptors need a shot-blocker like Mark Williams.
Williams’ offensive game could use some work. While he hasn’t been forced to do much thanks to all of the pro talent around him, he has been limited to dunking the ball and finishing close inside. Will Nurse try to develop him as a pick-and-pop threat?
Williams could be a bit of a funky fit alongside Precious Achiuwa given how they have overlapping skillsets, but putting them in the rotation together is a risk that Toronto might be willing to take if it helps them become a better defensive team. Williams is raw, but the potential is clear as day.
1. PF A.J. Griffin
The Raptors have more intel on Griffin than any other team in the league, as his father Adrian is an assistant coach for the team. Taking him wouldn’t just be nepotism, however, as he is an elite NBA prospect any way you slice it given his athletic gifts.
Griffin possesses some borderline elite shot-making, astute knowledge of the game that helps him avoid turning the ball over on offense, and the body of a tight end. Good luck slowing Griffin down in transition when he gets a full head of steam. His ceiling on offense is as high as anyone outside of Banchero on this team.
Will the Toronto Raptors bring A.J. Griffin up north?
Griffin comes with a ton of risk, unfortunately. He has suffered several major injuries in high school, and he only just started to get starter-type minutes in the Coach K rotation. Is that the type of player that Toronto will add to their bench given all of the red flags attached to him?
Griffin would be a bit of a lottery ticket, but Masai Ujiri has taken players with supreme athleticism and less than stellar offensive production in the past. Even if his dad wasn’t a member of the organization, griffin could be a quality bench forward with room to grow on offense.