With the Raptors' offseason getting into the swing of things and the NBA Draft less than 20 days away, there's a huge debate about what Toronto should do with the No. 19 pick.
This has left the No. 50 feeling like the ugly stepchild of Raptors fandom.
But what if I told you the Raptors may have their next late-round draft steal waiting for them in Duke big man Maliq Brown?
Over the years, the Raptors have done an excellent job identifying undervalued talent in round two of the draft and walking away with steals. Most recently, we look at Jamal Shead (No. 45 in 2024), and, turning back the clock a bit, there was Norman Powell (No. 46 in 2015).
This year, it could and should be Maliq Brown, who Bobby Webster walks away from night two of the draft, saying that’s our steal. Brown is a perfect fit for a Raptors culture built on defense, toughness, and size.
Brown is the definition of a Raptors pick
The way I’d describe Brown’s style of play is that every time I watch him, I want to throw on "Break Stuff" by Limp Bizkit. He plays straight-up, smash-mouth, physical basketball, and it’s super entertaining but also effective. In all of college basketball, there may not have been a player tougher or more physical than he was for the Blue Devils in 2025-26.
During his senior year at Duke, Brown averaged 4.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game, while shooting 62.9 percent from the field. While those stats don’t jump out, he does as a player anytime you watch him.
Despite measuring in at 6-foot-8 at the combine, Brown spent a fair amount of the season sharing the frontcourt with projected top four pick Cam Boozer, playing a small ball five role. What Brown lacks in height, he makes up for in his strength, listed at 216 pounds. He rarely gets knocked off his spot or bullied in the post, no matter the matchup.
I’ve talked about toughness a lot, so let me make this clear: he isn’t just some enforcer—he's truly elite defensively. Whether you need him to get in a stance and shut down a shifty guard or drop to the paint and guard a seven-footer, he can do both well. He can play the three through five effectively and would give Darko Rajakovic another fun defensive weapon to deploy in certain matchups.
The best way to picture Brown is to think of the inverse of Sandro Mamukelashvili.
We saw all season that Mamu was a darn good offensive player and could be the type of scoring spark plug Toronto needed at times, but also couldn’t guard a parked car. Brown is the opposite: he can be that defensive spark plug in the passing lanes or on the ball, wreaking havoc, but don’t give him the ball on offense. He’s shown enough as a passer to make me believe that he can become part of his game, but he’ll likely have to develop a jumper to become a factor offensively.Â
Brown has that hard-nosed, tough vibe about him that the Raptors always tend to fall in love with, and given his versatile defensive skill set, don’t be shocked to see his name called at No. 50.
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