The Raptors made a very Raptors pick with the 19th selection in the 2026 NBA Draft. Instead of addressing their guard needs—Cameron Carr, who could have been an interesting choice, was still available when they made their pick—they drafted a 6’8” forward with a versatile defensive skill set, much in the same archetype as Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. What sets Allen Graves apart from those two is the 3-point shooting he displayed in his lone college season at Santa Clara. He went 38-92, shooting 41.3% from deep.
The NBA is a different beast than college basketball, and the Raptors already picked one 3-point shooter whose shot never translated to the next level in recent years. So, the biggest question Graves must answer with the Raptors is: Will his 3-point shot translate to the NBA?
If his 3-point shot translates, Graves is an intriguing fit with Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles
The Raptors’ lack of 3-point shooting is no secret. Playing a starting lineup with RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl—one non-shooter and two below-average shooters—created spacing issues. The lack of 3-point shooting from Barnes, Poeltl, and Murray-Boyles is what made Sandro Mamukelashvili so valuable to the Raptors this past season. He shot almost 39% from three and gave the Raptors a different frontcourt look.
Mamukelashvili is also in for a significant pay raise, however. If Graves’ 3-point shot translates to the NBA, he could provide the same spacing Mamukelashvili did on a much cheaper contract and with a higher defensive ceiling.
Graves averaged 1.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in college. If he can be just as disruptive at the next level, a rotation of Barnes, Murray-Boyles, and Graves will be an absolute defensive nightmare to go up against. That alone makes the fit with a defensive-minded Raptors team interesting. If he can also reliably space the floor, his fit with Barnes and Murray-Boyles will be much more promising.
In an ideal world, Graves’s 3-point shot would translate immediately. In reality, it can take a while for some young players. Not every rookie makes as smooth a transition as Murray-Boyles did. So, the Raptors need to give Graves time to find his shot at the next level. This is something they know well and will be prepared to do. After all, Gradey Dick’s 3-point shot never truly came along, and Ja’Kobe Walter, who shot just 34% from deep in college, grew into one of their best 3-point shooters in his second season in Toronto.
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