Draft workout notes: Ivica Zubac and Diamond Stone, and Masai Ujiri speaks | Raptors Republic
On Tuesday, Zubac was going toe-to-toe with Diamond Stone, who became just the third prospect to visit BioSteel Centre for a second time. Like with Dorian Finney-Smith and Stefan Jankovic before him, it’s a good sign for Stone that the team either wanted another look or trusted him to come in and really push Zubac.
“Diamond is a great player, so we went hard at each other and proved what we can do on the court,” Zubac said. “I’m really satisfied. I think we did a great job.”
From here, it’s on to deciding on a draft board for the Raptors. Over the last few days, individuals have been putting together their boards, and the staff will now try to come to some sort of agreement on a big board, the tiers associated, and potential contingencies.
“We like it. We like 9. My guys are all over the place,” general manager Masai Ujiri said Tuesday. “I call it All Over The Place Monday, that was yesterday. So I’ll see what they have today.”
With the draft so wide open after No. 8 and the Raptors open to dealing the pick, Thursday very much has an “anything can happen” kind of feel. And that includes a potential trade, though it sounded more likely that the Raptors would wait to see if anyone slides before pulling the trigger (and other teams may want to wait, too, especially with multiple teams reportedly shopping their lottery picks). There’s also the option I’ve outlined where the Raptors use the pick and then retain it as trade bait into the summer, when more salary cap options open up. In any case, a trade is possible.
Full list of the 59 players the Raptors worked out for the 2016 draft | Raptors Republic
It’s worth repeating that in-house workouts are just one part of a very large process, but the workout lists can be instructive nonetheless. If a player didn’t come in, it could have been due to visa problems, scheduling issues, agent maneuvering, or even a comfort level on Toronto’s part with the work they’d already put in. The scouting department is large and works year-round, and between earlier visits, video scouting, the combine, and other events, the Raptors surely know the draft class well at this point. And there’s the possibility they met with players privately and we just didn’t catch wind, too (Jaylen Brown, for example).
In any case, the Raptors brought in 59 names over the past few weeks. Take from those visits what you will.
Raptors GM Ujiri raring to go as draft, free agency near | Toronto Sun
“There is no pressure to me,” Ujiri said. “I can never feel pressure because we have a pick. We are just lucky to have it. You jump at the opportunity and I tell my guys it better work out. That’s the pressure.”
Ujiri doesn’t come right out and say it, but you get the feeling he considers draft time when he and his team can shine brightest.
“This is how I grew up in the league,” he said. “It’s how my guys (the management team) grew up. So there’s so much pride whether it’s the (assistant GM Dan) Tolzman’s or the (assistant GM Jeff) Weltman’s. It’s such an exciting time for us. So we don’t look at it as pressure at all. We just look at it, like, get it right.”
Ujiri does not mind making decisions on the fly and is ready to go whatever direction the draft takes him. He can deal the pick, make the pick and then deal it, or make it and then stash the pick in Europe if need be.
At nine, he is just outside the what is believed to be the consensus top eight. That group includes the top two which have separated themselves from the draft in Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram and the next six which, in no particular order, include Jaylen Brown, Dragan Bender, Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield, Marquese Chriss.
NBA Draft Notebook: Ujiri, Raptors have ‘all kinds of options’ | Sportsnet.ca
Ujiri isn’t expecting to see a player at nine that can command minutes right away. Toronto has had great success at number nine with Demar DeRozan and Tracy McGrady being chosen there and eventually becoming NBA all-stars. Instead of searching for the best fit as a rotation player Masai may address the team’s current needs via free agency and draft the player who projects to be the best over time at nine. This line of thinking may mean a Skal Labissiere, Henry Ellenson or even Deyonta Davis might be options over safer picks like Jakob Poetl, Domantas Sabonis or Denzel Valentine.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG7-geMm7-j/
NBA draft unlikely to produce impact player immediately for Raptors, Ujiri says | Toronto Star
“I tell my guys: It better work out. That’s the pressure. This is how I grew up in the league and there is so much pride in it. It’s how my guys grew up . . . such an exciting time for us. We don’t look at it as pressure at all.”
It is true that in some regards Ujiri has a bonus card to play Thursday night, when he owns the No. 9 pick in the draft courtesy of the New York Knicks and an Andrea Bargnani trade, as well as Toronto’s own No. 27 pick. It’s a bit of an embarrassment of riches and provides myriad opportunities to make moves.
“You continue to narrow and narrow (list of possible suggestions) and when you have a bunch of guys you have different options,” he said. “You can look at trading the pick, you can look at drafting a guy who doesn’t come right away, you can look at a player you can draft and develop slowly.
“We just feel it’s a great position for us to be in.”
Ujiri plays cards so close to the vest that there is no chance of even prying a list of candidates from him.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG7a-QgMJ-1/
Raptors GM Ujiri says options for draft include trading No. 9 pick | The Globe and Mail
“I don’t know if it’s something they teach at Harvard for negotiating, but there is something about everybody calling you with like one second to go, everybody trying to put a gun to your head. We do exercises to prepare for that time, and it’s exciting.”
Ujiri said there’s a market for the No. 9 pick, and that he was talking to several teams about potentially trading the pick — hence “options on the board Tuesday.”
The Raptors are fortunate to have such a high pick coming off their most successful season in franchise history, finishing two wins away from the NBA final.
Gonzaga forward Domantas Sabonis, the son of Lithuanian hall of famer Arvydas Sabonis, is a favourite at No. 9 on several mock drafts.
The Raptors selected two-time all-star DeMar DeRozan at No. 9 in 2009, and there have been numerous other notables at that spot: Chicago’s Joakim Noah in 2007, Charlotte’s Kemba Walker in 2011, and Detroit all-star Andre Drummond in 2012. There have also been a few busts, including D.J. Augustin in 2008.
“I don’t know if it’s a draft where we can get somebody who can come and impact our team right away,” Ujiri said. “And we have to take that aside and look at it sometimes in a different way.
“We also focus on: what do we want as a team? We try to put that on the board, and what is it we want to accomplish? That’s very important rather than you’re all over the place.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG7FiYCKmvk/
Masai Ujiri Speaks With Media Leading Up To Draft Day | Toronto Raptors
With 48 hours to go until the draft, Toronto’s front office is listing and ranking, and narrowing down its pool of prospects. Following a two-man session that saw Ivica Zubac (Croatia) and Diamond Stone (Maryland) face off against one another, Stone for his second workout with the Raptors, general manager Masai Ujiri addressed the media.
“It’s an interesting draft,” Ujiri said. “We’ve worked out quite a few guys and we like it. We like [having the] nine [pick]. My [front office] guys are all over the place [with their rankings]. I call it ‘All over the place Monday’, that was yesterday.”
Ujiri joked that Tuesday would be referred to as “Have all options on the board Tuesday” as he and his team sift through names and rankings, working to get their draft board ready for Thursday night.
With two picks in the first round (No. 9 and No. 27), the range of players the team has had to look at made for an interesting pre-draft preparation. Part of what makes the night so exciting is the element of the unknown. Preparing for the unexpected becomes as important as going in with a concrete game plan.
“Part of our jobs is to predict,” Ujiri said. “You have to think fast in this business and operate fast sometimes. And sometimes, you have to have patience.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG7DROnRHOB/
Raptors: Masai Ujiri Doubts he Can Select an Impact Player at 9 | Tip of the Tower
During a pre-draft press conference on Tuesday, Ujiri stated he doesn’t believe there is a player he could draft who is capable of contributing right away. Instead, he predicts that anyone they do take will require serious developing.
In regards to trading out of the ninth slot, Ujiri said: “It’s something I’m entertaining. We’re talking to a few teams … but right now it’s have all the options on your board Tuesday.”
Indeed, there are plenty of options if Toronto does stay put, but most pundits and mock draft creators have honed in on four prospects: Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga); Skal Labissiere (Kentucky); Henry Ellenson (Marquette) and Jakob Poeltl (Utah).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG6_TMLxHDG/
Raptors Player Review: Get ready for DeMar “Max Money” DeRozan | Raptors HQ
This obviously all comes down to whether or not DeRozan re-signs with the Raptors.
If he remains in Toronto, his role will likely remain exactly the same. He will continue to form one of the NBA’s best backcourt duos with Kyle Lowry, while being the team’s go-to scorer (unless they can miraculously land some help via trade or free agency). If he remains in a Raptors uniform, there’s plenty of reason to believe that he’ll have a shot at making his third All-Star team.
If he leaves and signs somewhere else? The rollercoaster experience that was DeRozan’s tenure as a Toronto Raptor will end and the team will have to find his 20-plus points per game elsewhere.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG6_-3URHFK/
Skal Labissiere at #9? | Raptors Rapture
The mental aspect of Skal’s game leaves something to be desired. He is prone to mental lapses and slow decision making, which often puts him in situations where he ball-watches and reacts too slowly or forgets to box out. On the plus side, Skal has only been playing basketball since 2010 upon moving from Haiti to the United States, so expecting him to make leaps in his understanding of the game is reasonable.
On the other end of the floor, Skal’s main positive is his shooting stroke. Labissiere has shown some touch from midrange and in recent draft workouts extended his range out to the NBA three-point line.
NBA Draft Prospect Preview: Henry Ellenson, is he really a “stretch” four? | Raptors HQ
It’s so easy to look at the gaping hole the Raptors have at the four and compulsively want to shoehorn a guy like Ellenson into the void. Drafting for need is a great idea in theory, but the reality is that it’s borderline impossible to do – especially as late as ninth-overall. Plugging a position of weakness with a rookie draftee doesn’t suddenly turn it into a rock-solid pillar of the team.
Picking the best player on the board that fits a perceived need is fine, but taking the most talented guy left, period, is a more prudent strategy. Roster building in the NBA is fickle, and the nature of needs and surpluses evolves. Remember when the Raptors drafted Delon Wright to replace Greivis Vasquez as Kyle Lowry’s back-up last year?
Ellenson might look like a smart choice as a guy the Raptors will try to groom as the power forward of the future, but if he’s not the most potential-filled prospect still sitting there at nine — a strong possibility considering the flaws in his game — it won’t be a great marriage between team and player.
NBA Draft: How Will Thon Maker and Other GTA Players Fare? | Tip of the Tower
The two specifically dive into a discussion about Maker and if he’s ready for the NBA Draft, whether he should have gone the college route, what his ceiling could be and if he’s a fit for the Toronto Raptors.
They close out the show by discussing Jamal Murray and what he can bring to an NBA team, and why he will have a long career in the NBA.
Top 10 Draft selections set to compete at Samsung NBA Summer League 2016 | NBA.com
The 24-team field at Samsung NBA Summer League 2016 is composed of 11 playoff teams from the 2015-16 NBA season, 12 teams with lottery picks in NBA Draft 2016 presented by State Farm and an NBA Development League Select Team. Teams will compete in three preliminary round games from July 8-12 before being seeded in a tournament that starts on July 13 and concludes with the Championship Game on July 18. Each team is guaranteed to play at least five games.
It’s incredibly difficult to argue with the logic here. And while I may be blinded by an intense love for his dad Aryvdas, I do think Domantas could fit in with this Raptors team quite well. He’s an efficient scorer and solid rebounder, with room and ability to improve both skills. I have to believe he’s got a sliver of that playmaking gene that his father obviously had, too. As you could probably guess, defense is the possible weak point with Sabonis the younger, and grabbing him at nine does seem like a bit of a reach.
But look at those four names For has mentioned again. I’m comfortable with taking Sabonis from that group. (Bonus points for the potential all-Lithuanian frontcourt with JV.)
FanSided NBA Network Mock Draft | FanSided
I may hate myself in 2 years when Skal doesn’t develop and Denzel Valentine does, but that’s the risk you run in the draft. The Raptors can afford to pick for need rather than follow the specious “best player available” dogma, and their greatest need is more size and athleticism in the frontcourt. Over time, Skal will provide that. The Raptors aren’t in need of a youthful miracle worker. Skal will have every opportunity to develop with the Raptors’ D-League team, located a 40-minute drive from the Air Canada Centre. That’s where their current International Man of Mystery, Bruno Caboclo, is learning his trade.
Toronto has a significant Haitian community, so our new man should feel comfortable from Day 1. If Skal works hard on the court and in the weight room, he’ll pay dividends and could make the big team in two years. He was expected to be in the top-3 when the college season opened but tumbled. The Raptors should be happy, and Skal should be motivated, because of his choppy year at Kentucky, our head coach’s alma mater. Welcome to Toronto, Skal.
African players of the season | SuperSport
1. Bismack Biyombo (Toronto Raptors)
The DR Congo native made the most of the absence of the injured Jonas Valanciunas with impressive contributions in the second round of the playoffs.
The 6-foot-9 centre not only finished his fifth year in the league with regular-season haul of 5.5 points per game and 8 rebounds per game, but he also excelled in the postseason averaging playoff highs 6.2 PPG, a staggering 9.4 boards and 1.4 blocked shots.
At some point in the second round of the postseason, Biyombo was dominant in Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As the Raptors tied the series at two games apiece, Biyombo amassed an incredible 40 rebounds while also contributing 12 points, 7 blocks, and 2 assists and committing just two turnovers.
Did I miss something? Send me any Raptors-related article/video to rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
