It feels like Monday, May 12th can’t come soon enough.
This date of course, is the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, where we find out the draft order for each team.
As we’ve covered before, Masai Ujiri mentioned the Raptors' need for a ‘big’ in his 2024/2025 regular season exit interview.
"Yeah, we need another young big. We would definitely look at that, but it's not really, like, focused on that, to be honest. There are a lot of talented kids, again, I see in the draft."Masai Ujiri
According to Tankathon.com and numerous mock drafts, the Toronto Raptors are expected to select between the 6th to 8th pick range. In another previous Raptors Rapture piece, we discussed which Duke standout prospect best fits the Raptors’ needs. We landed on the South Sudan product Khaman Maluach, who would address our need at the center position.
But what if Maluach isn’t available?
What is the Raptors' plan B if they don’t land their projected big man?
The Raptors' focus should immediately shift to center Derik Queen, also projected to go somewhere in the top 10.
There is a lot to like about Queen’s game, especially on offense. He averages 16.5 points, 9 rebounds, just under 2 assists, with a block and a steal according to sports-reference.com
What stands out the most about Derik Queen is his motor on offense. Whether that’s scoring in the paint or facilitating through his playmaking abilities, it’s clear that Queen’s strengths favor his offensive game. While the assist column doesn’t jump off the page, his soft touch, good hands and impressive vision allow him to make the right decisions when feeding his teammates.
If Maluach is taken before Toronto is on the clock, Queen should serve as a great back-up option, right? Good close-mid range, crashes the boards, with a pro comparison drawn to Zach Randolph of the "Grit and Grind" Grizzlies.
However, his likeness to "Z-Bo’" only highlights the offensive component, not Randolph's defensive dominance. From watching tapes of Queen, it’s clear that the two do not share the same defensive qualities. While he can be active and sometimes stretch out to the perimeter to guard smaller players, he is not someone who is going to be a physical presence in the paint.
What Toronto needs is that defensive anchor in the paint; something you will not find with Queen.
With an imposing frame, one would think that Queen averages more than a block a game. You would hope that if he had the opportunity to develop under an established veteran like Jakob Poeltl, he could establish himself somewhat in the paint. What is worrisome is that we haven’t seen this from Queen at the collegiate level, so there is very little reason to believe that he can make that big of a jump at the pro level.
Now, if the Raptors cannot land Maluach and also decide to pass on Queen, then what's next?
One could assume that Masai Ujiri would elect to take the best talent on the board, which would hopefully mean Kon Kneuppel or Tre Johnson are still available.
Again, this still leaves the Raptors in search of a big man. Is this where the front office turns to free agency? Toronto has never been a major player in the free agency market, so hopes of adding an ideal fit like Naz Reid appear slim to none in my books. The likelihood of acquiring someone like Jaxson Hayes seems more attainable, but this is where we begin to spiral before even knowing the Raptors' drafting position.
It all comes back to May 12th, when Toronto finds out exactly when they’re picking. Until then, all we can do is let our minds wander and conjure up the best or worst-case scenarios for our beloved Raptors.