With the 2023-2024 season winding down, and all hopes of a play-in push nearly obliterated by the loss of Scottie Barnes, the Toronto Raptors must look to the future and determine exactly what they need to turn around a team plagued by misfortune and defeat.
For a Raptors team who can't count on retaining their lottery pick this year due to the Jakob Poeltl trade, this means utilizing their early second-round draft picks to find the best available talent, a skill that Masai Ujiri and the front office have notoriously excelled at in the past.
With that being said, let's look at three college prospects that Raptors fans should be familiar with in this upcoming March Madness.
3. Justin Edwards
Kentucky is nothing short of NBA talent, boasting a backcourt duo of lottery picks in Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard. With so many mouths to feed, some players are bound to be overlooked.
Still, Justin Edwards has given scouts a lot to consider due to his contribution on the offensive end. Beyond the arc, Edwards is shooting 38.5% from three on 2.5 attempts per game, a relatively small sample size that some teams will want to know more about leading up to the combine.
Edwards has also shown flashes of shot-creating ability in the midrange, which if developed properly could make him a dangerous asset off the bench for any team in the NBA. However, his lack of discipline on the defensive end is an area of concern, averaging just over 2.2 fouls despite only playing around 21 minutes per game. Still, Edwards has all the physical tools necessary for a team like the Raptors who could gamble on his defensive development.