The Raptors and the 2015 Draft

[007]

No Raptors

Masai is mysterious. Nothing can be ruled out. Wood is one of the players I would like to draft though.

[OldSkoolCool]

My ideal draft night I think would be somehow trading up to get Trey Lyles. He just seems exactly like what we need to replace Amir. He's got perfect size for the 4, and is a very smart player. Though I have absolutely no confidence in our Coaching Staffs ability to develop him ..

Been looking into Trey Lyles a bit and he does have a very nice skill set. His weaknesses include defensive rebounding and being physical defensively.

I'm not worried about the defensive boards as long as we get PT for Bruno and a long defensive minded SG. Also his physicality defensively may just be a focus thing, as he hits people for offensive boards.

His lateral quicks don't seem to bad, and will get much better as he continues to work on his body.

If we are looking to add a PF who we can initiate the offense through he may be the guy. May not put up massive stats through his career but can be a very impactful player.

[DanH]

Shooting Guards

Continuing our look at draft prospects. Most info from Draftexpress.

Devin Booker, 15, SG
R.J. Hunter, 23, SG
Norman Powell, 30, SG
Rashad Vaughn, 30, SG
Michael Qualls, 31, SG

Devin Booker, SG, 18 years old, 12th in DX Top 100
Measurements: 6'6", 206 lbs, 6'8" wingspan, 35" max vert
Scouting report:
Athleticism: Fluid athlete with good quickness, not particularly explosive, decent strength, mediocre lateral quicks.
Offence: Tremendous shooter, one of the best in the class. Textbook form and quick release; great spotting up or off the dribble. High IQ player, moves well off the ball and makes good decisions with it. Rarely takes bad shots, almost never turns the ball over. Not a one on one player, but is capable in the PnR and coming off screens, though his strength lies in spacing the floor. Not very good finishing inside, nor does he get many shots there.
Defence: Although he lacks the tools to be a good defender (slow and not particularly long), he's not a serious liability either, due to playing smart positional defence and with endless effort on that end. Not a stopper one on one (can get beat off the dribble) and can be slow back out to contest shots. Doesn't generate steals or blocks, and is a sub par rebounder.
Other: Considered a low risk, low potential pick. Pretty much guaranteed to be a contributor, but very little chance he's ever a difference maker (which is basically the only reason there's a chance he slips to 20).

R.J. Hunter, SG, 21 years old, 26th in DX Top 100
Measurements: 6'6", 185 lbs, 6'11"wingspan, 35" max vert
Scouting report:
Athleticism: Another fluid athlete with good quickness, not particularly explosive, limited strength but has a lot of filling out to do - has the frame to carry a lot of muscle in time.
Offence: Very good shooter and has tremendous range. Good off the dribble, spotting up. Low release point but very quick release. Very pretty stroke. Only hits on 35% from 3, but takes a lot of deep and contested shots (7 attempts per game is very high volume). Very good free throw shooting, and gets to the line a lot when opponents close out too fast. Another guy who isn't really a shot creator, not great finishing inside, and he can be very streaky. Has a good eye for passing though, and doesn't turn it over too much.
Defence: On the upside, he has all the tools - length, quick feet laterally, quick hands. On the downside, played zone throughout his career, so his man defence is something of a mystery. There's certainly risk in this area, if not a clear weakness.
Other: His age (he'll be 22 by the time the season starts) makes his weight a potential issue - if he hasn't filled out by now, might not ever, which could mean he is undersized throughout his career. Add that to the lack of scouting on his individual defence and he might get bullied on that end.

Norman Powell, SG, 21 years old, 43rd in DX Top 100
Measurements: 6'4", 215 lbs, 6'11" wingspan, 41" max vert
Scouting report:
Athleticism: Incredible athlete, amazing leaping ability and strength for a guard. Great length, if short for his position. Very quick first step.
Offence: First and foremost a slasher. Uses his athleticism to drive head first into the defence, and is very effective playing above the rim even in traffic. Very poor shooter, poor mechanics, tends to hesitate on his jumper. Gets tunnel vision when he drives, poor passing in general. Also not a great ball handler.
Defence: Has all the tools but is only an average defender. Tends to gamble too much, and is only a decent rebounder considering his physical attributes. Heavy workload offensively may play into it as he was a very good defender in previous years.

Rashad Vaughn, SG, 18 years old, 45th in DX Top 100
Measurements: 6'5", 199 lbs, 6'7" wingspan, 34" max vert
Scouting report:
Athleticism: Smooth athlete, nothing spectacular. Not explosive, average quickness. Good strength.
Offence: Very good shooter (38% from 3) and from all over the floor. Can create his own shot, shoot off screens and spot up equally effectively. Very good at creating space for midrange jumpers. Has strength to finish in the lane and draws fouls well, and has a nice floater. Can score every which way but loose, rare for such a young player. That said, very poor shot selection - takes many tough shots instead of passing, fadeaways and contested jumpers. Poor passing vision on the rare occasion he does look for a teammate. Not a great ball handler, tends to dribble in straight line drives, depending on his strength to bully past opponents, and his step back to get himself open shots.
Defence: Another guy who has all the tools but not the mentality. Part of a terrible defensive team, so coaching might play into it, but was often blown by, not in a proper stance, lacked awareness.
Other: Questions about whether he can play a less selfish game, or be more disciplined defensively. But at his age, someone will take a swing at him, because if you can correct his shot selection and defensive focus, he's much better than the position he'll be drafted at. Said to have a great work ethic, but also sees himself as a star even if his performance doesn't quite line up with that view.

Michael Qualls, SG, 21 years old, 39th in DX Top 100
Measurements: 6'5", 201 lbs, 7'0" wingspan, 40" max vert
Scouting report:
Athleticism: Good athlete - decent quickness and speed, strong and very explosive leaped.
Offence: Decent shooter, mostly in catch and shoot - not very effective shooting off the dribble. OK on the drive, but lacks ball handling skills, so relies on explosiveness to get past his man in a straight line. Can draw fouls well. Good offensive rebounder for a wing. Poor passer and turns the ball over a good deal when asked to do to much on the ball.
Defence: Not super quick, but very aggressive. This forces turnovers, but also gets him blown by and chasing his man a lot. His length helps him out here, but even with that he's an average defender at best. More discipline could get him above average, but his lack of elite quickness will leave him short of a stopper.

Hmm, not a great class of shooting guards here. Vaughn is intriguing - young, seems like a DeMar clone except can hit the three. Hunter can shoot but he's a complete question mark defensively and he's already 22. Booker is interesting, he's sold as a low upside pick but at 18 years old who knows? None of them are perfect and I'm not sold on any, but those three are the three I'll be holding onto for a final big board.

[mcHAPPY]

SG sucks this year...unless you think Russell is a SG...but he is out of raps range.


NEXT!!!

[DanH]

SG sucks this year...unless you think Russell is a SG...but he is out of raps range.


NEXT!!!

Patience mcHAPPY - I'll get to your PF's soon enough.

[ceez]

man i'm a huge Booker fan. if he fell to 20 i'd be all over that.

[magoon]

In any case, my starting point tends to be the draftexpress mock drafts, as they are the best in the biz, and that's where I get most of my scouting info on the prospects. But to avoid any mis-steps, I also look at NBAdraft.net's mock. They are usually less accurate than DX, but not always.

This year, I'm going to add a few more mocks in to make sure we don't miss anyone obvious. I'll grab Basketball Insiders' 4 mocks and CBS' 3 mocks. I'd grab ESPN's, but that's insider.

ESPN's latest post-lottery mock, for those wondering:

1. Towns
2. Okafor
3. Russell
4. Mudiay
5. Porzingis
6. Cauley-Stein
7. Winslow
8. Hezonja
9. Booker
10. Johnson
11. Turner
12. Lyles
13. Kaminsky
14. Payne
15. Dekker
16. Looney
17. Oubre
18. Jones
19. Portis
20. Grant
21. Hunter
22. Wright
23. Harrell
24. Hollis-Jefferson
25. Wood
26. Anderson
27. Vaughn
28. McCullough
29. Rozier
30. Michael Frazier II

[BreakingBradStevens]

Guys in 20 range I like:

Looney
Portis
Grant
Hunter
Wood
RHJ

Wouldn't mind trading down to get Rozier.

[Joey]

ESPN's latest post-lottery mock, for those wondering:

1. Towns
2. Okafor
3. Russell
4. Mudiay
5. Porzingis
6. Cauley-Stein
7. Winslow
8. Hezonja
9. Booker
10. Johnson
11. Turner
12. Lyles
13. Kaminsky
14. Payne
15. Dekker
16. Looney
17. Oubre
18. Jones
19. Portis
20. Grant
21. Hunter
22. Wright
23. Harrell
24. Hollis-Jefferson
25. Wood
26. Anderson
27. Vaughn
28. McCullough
29. Rozier
30. Michael Frazier II

Geez, no body has any clue where Lyles is going ... NBAdraft.net has him #9, ESPN has him #12, and DraftExpress has him at #17. If he dropped to 20, would people take him over a few of the other PFs?

[magoon]

If he dropped to 20, would people take him over a few of the other PFs?

If he drops to 20 he's a no-brainer pick unless somehow a superior lottery-level pick drops even further (which won't happen). The reason some mocks have him going top 10 is because he's a really smart player and hasn't mastered his own body yet (which will happen) and has room to go in terms of strength. He's lottery-quality and if he drops he's the pick, and frankly him being Canadian is a marketing boon for the Raps.

[007]

ESPN's latest post-lottery mock, for those wondering:

1. Towns
2. Okafor
3. Russell
4. Mudiay
5. Porzingis
6. Cauley-Stein
7. Winslow
8. Hezonja
9. Booker
10. Johnson
11. Turner
12. Lyles
13. Kaminsky
14. Payne
15. Dekker
16. Looney
17. Oubre
18. Jones
19. Portis
20. Grant
21. Hunter
22. Wright
23. Harrell
24. Hollis-Jefferson
25. Wood
26. Anderson
27. Vaughn
28. McCullough
29. Rozier
30. Michael Frazier II

Grant dropping that far would be awesome. And where Lyles ends up will probably be one of the more interesting stories on draft night.

And I want to trade up for Hezonja so badly.

[mcHAPPY]

Geez, no body has any clue where Lyles is going ... NBAdraft.net has him #9, ESPN has him #12, and DraftExpress has him at #17. If he dropped to 20, would people take him over a few of the other PFs?

If Lowry and DD were traded on draft night for prospects and picks, a great way to deflect a lot of criticism is to draft a Canuck, eh?

[KHD]

If Lowry and DD were traded on draft night for prospects and picks, a great way to deflect a lot of criticism is to draft a Canuck, eh?

dear god please

[koncept]

DanH I was enjoying the position detail. Awaiting SF..

[DanH]

Small Forwards

DanH I was enjoying the position detail. Awaiting SF..

Hold your horses!

Continuing our look at draft prospects. Most info from Draftexpress.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, 23, SF
Justin Anderson, 26, SF
Jarell Martin, 29, SF/PF

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, 20 years old, 13th in DX Top 100
Measurements: 6'7", 211 lbs, 7'2" wingspan, 38" max vert
Scouting report:
Athleticism: Great athlete; strong, explosive, quick, long. Plays with very high energy as well. Complete package in this area.
Offence: Plays well above the rim, can finish through contact and draws fouls at a very high rate (highest of any SF in the draft). Can't create for himself, lack of ball handling skills, drives in straight lines. Terrible shooter, both from midrange and from 3. Poor and inconsistent mechanics.
Defence: Magnificent defender. True stopper on the wing, with the strength to defend in the post if needed. Great lateral quicks to stay in front of his man, has a James-Johnson-esque ability to block jumpers as well.
Other: Currently projects as a role player in the NBA due to complete lack of offence. Would need to add a jumper to be more than that, or drastically improve his ball handling skills.

Justin Anderson, SF, 21 years old, 23rd in DX Top 100
Measurements: 6'6", 231 lbs, 7'0" wingspan, 43" max vert
Scouting report:
Athleticism: Amazing athlete; good quickness and strength, incredibly explosive.
Offence: Big improvement from him offensively in his final year - developed a 3 point shot - and a good one (45%). Especially good on the catch, but can shoot off the dribble as well. Form has improved noticeably, so the improvement is probably real and not a lucky streak. Not an on-ball creator, not a strong dribbler. Can drive past defenders closing out too fast, but not much beyond that. Doesn't set up offence with passes, but has improved his shot selection, knowing when to move the ball rather than take a tough shot, while also reducing his turnovers.
Defence: Very good defender, and a key player on a tremendous defensive team. Very good at using his strength and quicks to keep his man in front of him, and has tremendous recovery speed (both back to the perimeter and beating his man to the rim to contest when he gets beat). A little raw in defensive fundamentals (can be beat sometimes due to incorrect positioning or body angle) but he is another high energy defender who will make up for his mistakes.
Other: Looks like an ideal 3 and D prospect. If there's no one with high potential left, that's always a good thing to have. And his recent improvement might point to a bigger role being possible down the road.

Jarell Martin, SF/PF, 21 years old, 27th in DX Top 100
Measurements: 6'8", 239 lbs, 6'10" wingspan, 35" max vert
Scouting report:
Athleticism: Good athlete, quick for his size, average length and quite strong.
Offence: Versatile game. Can face up and hit jumpers out to the midrange, but is pretty ineffective from 3. Good in the post, if raw (and he doesn't go there enough), and gets to the line a lot. Struggles from the line (<70%) and has poor mechanics wherever he shoots it from.
Defence: Not a good defender. Poor instincts, poor focus, and struggles in the post against bigger players and on the perimeter against smaller players. Commits way too many fouls. Also a very poor rebounder for his size.
Other: Worst kind of tweener - stuck between the 3 and 4 spots, too slow for one and too small for the other, and doesn't do anything exceptionally to make up for it.

Not a lot of options here. Hard pass on Martin for me. I know a lot of people love RHJ, but I think his best case is as a defensive role player, and you can get guys like that on the free agent market for reasonable deals anytime (see Johnson, James). And he seems even more limited offensively than JJ or Fields are, not even a capable ball handler. My pick from this group is definitely Anderson. Can shoot (always good), can defend almost to the level RHJ does (also good), and has improved a lot recently, which might bode well for further untapped potential - his floor seems like a 3+D guy (which is rare enough) and his ceiling seems higher than the alternatives.