3 Prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft who could change the Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors and their fans could be in for a long year. If the season-opening 136-106 loss
to the Cleveland Cavaliers was an indicator of the type of campaign that the Raptors will have in 2024-25, the outlook does not appear to be positive.

Obviously, trying to read too much into a one game sample size is a fool's errand. The Raptors were down several key pieces like RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, and Bruce Brown. They also lost Immanuel Quickley to injury before the night was over. This made it somewhat easy for the Cavaliers' potent defense to give Scottie Barnes and company their fair share of trouble.

A close win over a Philadelphia team without its stars and a significant defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves doesn't do much to reset the balance, either. Some players stood out and other disappointed, but nothing screamed "playoff contender" in the early going for the Raptors.

Whether onlookers choose to put considerable weight onto the first results of the season or not, most would agree that the expectations for the Raptors are modest this season. Perhaps the team will end up in the NBA Play-In Tournament by year's end. However, few truly expect them to compete for anything of significance.

The Raptors will be looking to the NBA Draft

The most important competition that the Raptors will likely find themselves in is the NBA Draft Lottery. Luckily for the organization, this projects to be a great year to be there.

On top of having a highly-touted projected number one pick at the top, there looks to be an opportunity to grab franchise-altering talents all over the lottery. Should the Raptors find themselves near the top of the 2025 NBA Draft, they may be able to find the piece who will accelerate their rebuild.

Cooper Flagg Would Solve Almost Anyone's Issues

This is the obvious one that needs to be included off the bat. If the Raptors wound up with the first overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, their selection would be an obvious one. There is no reason that any team would pass up the opportunity to draft Cooper Flagg with the top pick in 2025.

As things currently stand, Flagg is not being compared to the peers in his own draft class. He is being compared to some of the most highly-anticipated draft picks from previous years.

Flagg was always viewed as the big prize of the 2025 NBA Draft. However, his reputation grew even larger this past summer after his runs with the USA Select Team. He was the first college player invited to scrimmage against USA's top group in over a decade. Those scrimmages boosted his already strong draft stock.

Players and coaches alike were impressed with what they saw from Flagg. "He looked like a hell of a player. He’s somebody that’s only going to get better with more experience," Kevin Durant told Michael Scotto. "He’s 17 years old coming in here playing like he’s a vet almost. No emotion.”

Flagg may not be the most seamless positional fit, in terms of needs, for the Raptors in this draft. However, drafting the talent over the fit would undoubtedly be the correct move for Toronto.

Airious Bailey Gives The Raptors Something They Have Not Had In Years

For some, the hype around Flagg has resulted in the other top prospects being overlooked in the excitement of the upcoming draft class. However, it does look as though there will be plenty of talent to go around in 2025.

Airious Bailey is a player who can offer the Raptors a very important skill set that the team has generally been deprived of. He has the ability to just flat out score.

Watching Bailey play offers a lot of excitement about his upside as a three-level scorer. His overall athleticism is excellent and the more polished he gets on the offensive end, the tougher he will be to guard. Having a player who can make something out of nothing goes a long way to elevating an offense. Raptors fans do not have to look further than Kawhi Leonard to understand that impact.

Bailey's size, athleticism, and scoring package has drawn some comparisons to the likes of Tracy McGrady. While player comparisons are not an ideal way of setting expectations for a young player, they can offer some insight. Having that kind of shot-making ability in the halfcourt would be a tremendous asset to the Raptors.

International Big Man Khaman Maluach Offers Intriguing Upside

There are certainly a handful of players who can be discussed as promising fits for the Raptors after the top two projected picks in the upcoming draft. VJ Edgecombe was impressive during the 2024 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Dylan Harper, son of former NBA champion Ron Harper, has a tremendous feel for the offensive side of the basketball court.

However, the projected top big man prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft is an interesting avenue to explore as well. Khaman Maluach will be playing alongside Flagg for the Duke Blue Devils during this NCAA season. There will be plenty of opportunity to get a good look at him as well.

Maluach has every opportunity to be an elite rim protector with his size and skill set. He has also displayed a solid shooting touch for a big man. He was the recipient of some incredible praise, early into this draft process.

"[Joel Embiid] was 17 and he was raw. Khaman at [17] is 10 times better…By the time he is 20, he is going to be a very, very good player,” Joe Touomou, Technical Director NBA Academy Africa, told ESPN.

Touomou's analysis should not be taken lightly, considering he discovered Embiid originally. With the Raptors' woes at the center spot, Maluach could certainly be worth a look as a way to boost the position.