3 Big 12 prospects the Toronto Raptors can select in 2022 NBA Draft

The Toronto Raptors may not have a first-round draft pick this season thanks to their trade for Thad Young, but they will still be in a position to add some quality performers to their bench with a high second-round pick. Toronto should look to the Big 12 for some of the best youngsters in this class.

While Baylor and Kansas will get the most hype due to the fact that the pair of them have won the last two championships, the conference might be the deepest in the entire country, given all of the quality housed within its’ confines. The Raptors would be wise to plunder that trove of talent.

Toronto has holes behind Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. at the guard spots, but the play of Khem Birch could very well prompt Masai Ujiri to use his only pick on a big man that helps alleviate that issue. The possibilities are endless, thanks to the roster-building creativity this franchise has shown.

Any one of these three players coming to Toronto would be a massive boost for the bench. Even if one of these Big 12 prospects needs some Raptors 905 time, they are excellent enough in one specific arena to warrant consideration high up on the second round.

3 Big 12 prospects the Toronto Raptors could draft.

3. Bryson Williams, PF, Texas Tech

The burly forward had a chaotic college tenure. He was a double-digit per-game scorer with Fresno State, UTEP, and Texas Tech. Williams is the type of player Toronto loves from a physical point of view, as his 6-8, 240-pound frame has some solid mobility.

Williams averaged 14.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while making 42% of his 3-point attempts. With 21 points in a season finale against Duke and 72 combined points in three games against Kansas, Williams’ production against elite competition might be what sells Ujiri on him as a prospect.

Bryson Williams fit in well with the Toronto Raptors.

His biggest flaw right now is his defensive potential as a rim protector. Too short to consistently assert himself as a shot-blocking threat and too lumbering to be another switchable forward to add to the pile, Williams could get exposed early in his professional career.

Williams could be an excellent shooter that helps space the floor in bigger lineups, if nothing else. He’s a bit of a raw mound of clay outside of that shooting skill, but Toronto has historically gravitated towards experienced players from quality programs. Williams could be a Raptors 905 star and eventual bench presence.