3 fool’s gold NBA Draft prospects Raptors must avoid in 2022
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors have one chance to nail it in the 2022 NBA Draft, as the No. 33 pick is the only piece of draft capital that Masai Ujiri has at his disposal. Toronto is in a perfect spot to once again take a gamble on a raw package of traits that Nick Nurse could help mold into a star.
Ujiri has always been willing to take someone with a higher athletic ceiling over a proven player at the collegiate level. While that philosophy has helped Toronto land players like Scottie Barnes instead of Jalen Suggs, it also led to them drafting unrefined players who never develop.
The beginning of the second round is a gold mine for players that didn’t bring it all together in college, yet have the potential to come together in the right situation. However, some of those players may never become NBA stars due to how much they lack in several key areas.
These three prospects are fool’s gold, as they might not give the Raptors a ton of immediate returns during his first few seasons. Toronto needs to focus its efforts elsewhere, as none of these three prospects will be an impact in their rookie year.
3 fool’s gold 2022 NBA Draft prospects the Toronto Raptors must avoid.
3. John Butler, SF, Florida State
If you thought you were a bit skinny for your height, Butler will have you feeling like a defensive lineman after showing his concerning slight frame. Despite measuring in at just under 7-1, Butler weighed a puny 174 pounds and worked out with the guards at the NBA Draft Combine.
Butler seems like a positionless freak of the future, but with 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in college, it looks like he had trouble making an impact in college. Solid 3-point shooting can’t make up for someone his size shooting just 41% from the field in the ACC.
John Butler is too raw for the Toronto Raptors.
Butler seems like he’d be a good defender, but his frame again started to cause problems on that end. Too small to annoy bigger post players and too slow to be that gangly perimeter mismatch that Ujiri covets, Butler’s body and developing offensive game are huge question marks.
Butler would have been a fantastic prospect if he decided to return to the Seminoles, pack on a few pounds, and improve his finishing. As currently constructed, Butler is too unappealing for Ujiri to use his only piece of draft capital on thanks to all of his inconsistencies as a player.