3 fool’s gold NBA Draft prospects Raptors must avoid in 2022

1. Peyton Watson, SF, UCLA

Watson was a must-see showstopper in high school, and fans across the country were excited to see what a 6-8 forward with guard-like handles and a boundless athletic ability could do at the college level. Unfortunately, it took all of one year for that enthusiasm to be completely drained.

Watson averaged 12.7 minutes per game, making 32% of his shots and 22% of his 3-pointers. Watson averaged just 3.3 points per game, showing that the likes of Washington State and Colorado were too much for him to handle. How is he doing to fare against the Celtics and Warriors?

Peyton Watson could be a bad pick for the Toronto Raptors.

Watson is a complete bet on athletic projection, but he is not going to be a good player in his first few seasons in the pros. If he can’t beat out Johnny Juzang or Jaime Jaquez, he likely isn’t going to beat out proven NBA players. Using a draft pick on him would be obscenely risky.

Drafting Watson is saying that his freshman year in LA with the Bruins mattered not one iota when it comes to helping him get ready for the pros. Watson could be useful as an undrafted free agent, but picking him at No. 33 is too risky.