The general consensus among the Toronto Raptors fan base on what the front office should prioritize in the 2026 NBA Draft is the same as it was last season.
Last year, with the No. 9 pick, the majority of fans were pushing Bobby Webster and company to draft a big in the top end of the draft to be the long-term Jakob Poeltl replacement. Given Poeltl’s down production and health concerns this past season that desire for the Raptors to draft a center is at an all-time high.Â
While the No. 19 pick may not be a high enough selection to land someone like Michigan’s Morez Johnson Jr. or Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance, the perfect big man will likely be on the board.Â
Washington’s Hannes Steinbach fit with the Raptors would be a dream for both parties, and he should be on the board at No. 19.
The German center is coming off a strong freshman year for the Huskies and has a mixed range across outlets, with some having him in the lottery and others in the late teens to twenties. But based on my projection, considering the overwhelming amount of guard talent and limited access to high-quality wings, I see Steinbach slipping into the Raptors' range.
A solution at the five in Hannes Steinbach
Steinbach is a high-energy big man who could come in and give Toronto a much-needed boost on both the offensive and defensive glass.
This past season at Washington, he averaged 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 57.7 percent from the field and 34 percent from three. Steinbach was college basketball’s most dominant rebounder, and for a Raptors team that averaged the fewest rebounds per game, he could be a massive help. For a 20-year-old, he has great awareness on the glass, which is paired with elite athletic tools that allow him to jump over or out-muscle opponents when going for rebounds.
Steinbach is a strong presence in the pick-and-roll and has some really fun flashes as a short roller passer, but that part of his game is still far from being polished. Similar to Isaiah Hartenstein, Steinbach uses the floater a lot when attacking the rim, but also isn’t afraid to get physical in the post.
He doesn’t project to ever be a scorer the way his freshman-year stats would suggest; however, he is very toolsy on the offensive side of the ball.Â
Now, the biggest question surrounding Steinbach throughout the pre-draft process was whether or not he had the tools and size to be a center in the NBA. He isn’t a particularly good defender and doesn’t have the rim-protecting skills the front office would typically desire from a big prospect. In college, he was listed at 6-foot-9, which definitely raised eyebrows as schools often already boost the heights of their players on team sites. But at the combine, he silenced a good amount of that noise.Â
He measured in at 6-foot-10.25 (barefoot) with a 7-foot-2.25 wingspan and a 9-foot standing reach. The defensive concerns are obviously still there, but for a team with the infrastructure the Raptors have on that end, his lowlights on that end can be overlooked.
With two versatile, switchable, elite defensive forwards in Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles, Steinbach's load defensively would be limited. Honestly, his focus would probably be mostly on closing possessions with defensive rebounds, which he is already elite at.
One stat/trait that always translates from college to the pros is rebounding. For a Toronto Raptors team desperate to improve in that area, and given that Steinbach would thrive in an environment where elite defenders surround him, the fit appears perfect. Steinbach is by far this class's most elite rebounder, and if the Raptors have a chance to draft him at No. 19, they have to pull the trigger.Â
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