The Toronto Raptors have been watching the NCAA Tournament like a kettle of hawks over the last few weeks, as they are trying to find which players have the skills needed to join this team and contribute instantly. They’ve found some standouts, but none of them have made it to the Final Four festivities.
Those who live for upsets and chaos must be delirious at the thought of this March Madness frenzy, as this was the first time since the current bracket was implemented that zero No. 1 seeds have made it to the Elite Eight. The UConn Huskies are a No. 4 seed, yet are the highest-ranked team remaining.
The Raptors’ top draft targets have either washed out of the tournament or were never invited in the first place, but that doesn’t mean that this tournament was a completely lost cause. The later rounds proved that several players that can be acquired as a second-round pick or in the undrafted pool could thrive in Toronto.
The Raptors need to bring in at least one of these four players, as they are hitting their collegiate career crescendo at the right time. With Toronto’s history of player development, one of them could end up becoming a valued long-term contributor.
Toronto Raptors draft: 1 player from every Final Four team to watch
Florida Atlantic: SG Johnell Davis
The Owls’ improbably run to the peak of the college basketball world has been due to their unusual depth, as this rotation can go eight or nine players deep on any given day. Davis, however, has proven himself to be the team’s top backcourt scorer and the guy who gets the ball when the chips are down in the second half.
The third-year 6-4 guard could be an ideal second-round target for the Raptors if they managed to acquire a pick at the end of the second round. Davis averaged 13.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, making clutch shot after clutch shot along the way while leading the boys from Boca Raton on this run.
Toronto Raptors draft: Will Johnell Davis make the NBA?
One of the main concerns surrounding Davis is the notion that he is a flash in the March pan. Davis had not had a sustained level of high-end production in his career prior to this season, and he isn’t the best 3-point shooter on just over three attempts per game with a 36% success rate.
What Davis does bring to the table is the ability to handle the ball, tenacity on the defensive end, and a propensity for hitting clutch shots. No one thought Fred VanVleet would wiggle his way into the NBA and have the success that he has had, and he was working with less from a physical point of view.