The following is part of Raptors Republic’s series of pieces previewing the 2025 NBA draft. You can find all the pieces in the series here.
Thomas Sorber – 6’9.25 (w/o shoes) – Big – Georgetown – Age: 19
The big men of this class have been generating a lot of focus in Raptors circles, as center is one of the positions where the Raptors project to lack depth in the immediate future. The need for defensive versatility and length has made itself readily apparent over the past couple seasons, so naturally players like Khaman Maluach and Derik Queen have been some of the most common names discussed as a potential selection at 9th overall. The Raptors have interviewed a handful of names at the Combine, and we should be getting information about workouts in the coming weeks that may indicate what kind of players the Raptors are targeting.
I think we’ve been looking at it all wrong. If the Raptors do plan on targeting a big man, I strongly believe Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber should not only be considered along with the likes of the other popular names – but he should be the preferred choice.
The Offence
Sorber has fantastic hands and uses them well, you don’t really see him drop passes very often. He’s not so much of a lob threat as he is a threat in the post. His handle is nothing special, but it doesn’t make you cringe out of fear when he puts the ball on the floor either. Making 68% of his rim attempts in the half court, Sorber has a lot of reps when it comes to dribbling inside and he converts it quite well. His footwork is pretty fantastic for a big of his size, and we’ll touch more on that later.
The Ringer’s Danny Chau put it excellently: “When he crashes the offensive glass, the biggest concern isn’t how quickly he’ll go back up, but how quickly he’ll spray the ball out to a wide-open shooter”. Sorber isn’t selfishly hunting for rebounds to immediately go back up for a putback. If the smarter play presents itself, Sorber’s going to pursue that option.
I wasn’t expecting to come away impressed with Sorber’s playmaking, but his court vision is excellent. Sorber makes smart passes often, and boasts a positive AST/TO ratio with 2.4 assists per game. Some passes that I’ve seen him make are Jokic-esque, though he obviously doesn’t have the game to be a full playmaker at the 5. He reads defences with the patience and poise of a veteran point guard, and Georgetown often used him as a playmaking hub from the post.
Sorber’s offensive ceiling could explode if he becomes a shooter down the line. While the numbers aren’t encouraging, he took 37 attempts from behind the arc at Georgetown and shot 74% from the line on 4.4 attempts per game. I don’t expect him to become a shooting big, but if he can hit his free throws and be respected at the three point line by opposing defences, you’re definitely happy with that. Right now, if he’s forced to take shots outside the paint, he struggles.
His screens are so solid they look like they could end bloodlines if you collide with Sorber while he’s setting a pick.
The Defence
I’ve mentioned before that it’s one thing to have length and positive defensive tools – but it’s another thing to actually use them effectively on the court, which Sorber does. He is, quite plainly, one of the most impactful defenders in this class and arguably the best defensive big.
His discipline is otherworldly. For a freshman big to post a 7.4 BLK% and 2.7 STL% while only averaging 2.8 fouls per 40 minutes is nothing short of extraordinary. Sorber helps his team defensively while also keeping his fouling well under control to a point where you can play him extended minutes and not have to worry about taking him out in key moments.
He absorbs contact amazingly well since he’s built like a brick wall.
While the verticality may limit him, Sorber’s lateral quickness is a real positive for a player of his size. Need him to step out from the paint to guard the perimeter? Not a problem. Need him to switch assignments and move his feet to cover his check without fouling? All good.
Of course, we have to mention his shot blocking and rim protection. His BLK% went up to 8.3% against top 50 opponents, and Sorber really utilizes both his strength and long arms to be a deterrent even if his verticality keeps him closer to the ground. The impressive part is that he can be that effective without fouling at only 19 years old.
The Fit
I think Sorber’s fit in Toronto is relatively seamless. Bring him off the bench behind Jakob Poeltl, provide some staunch defence for the bench, develop him into the starter in a few years once he’s polished up his game a bit more offensively. Sorber isn’t an above the rim athlete, so I wouldn’t expect him to be a lob threat on the Raptors. He’s young, but not so raw where he hurts you when given key minutes. A big with his passing vision and game sense would fit excellently in a movement offence, and you don’t have to worry about his fit on the defensive end either since he can serve as an anchor in the paint and reliably switch on the perimeter with his lateral mobility.
Most importantly, he plays like an absolute dog.
The Conclusion
Though a foot injury ended Sorber’s season early, and foot injuries are massive red flags for big men, he should be healthy by the start of the season. With a blend of defensive discipline, passing touch, elite basketball IQ and game sense, it’s hard not to appreciate Sorber as a prospect and it’s also hard to understand why he hasn’t been getting more lottery buzz.
Expected Pick Range: 10-20. Sorber is a bit of an interesting case – I could see him being a draft riser for all the reasons I just listed just as much as I could see him being picked in the late teens if his foot injury scares some teams off. I would be a bit surprised to see him go in the top 10 (and overjoyed if picked 9th), but I wouldn’t call it a reach either just because he’s that talented and the class’ ranges start to widen up and become a bit more unpredictable after the top 5-6 players.
Brendan’s Big Board: It’s really not hard to see Top Ten value from a player like Sorber. Maybe we can wish he measured out a bit taller, but a likely 6’10.5 big (in shoes) with a 7’6 wingspan isn’t what I would label as undersized either. Sorber does a lot of things well, reads the game at a high level, carries some outlier skills for his position, and assuming he comes back healthy from his injury, should slot in as a productive player right away with a sky high ceiling. Regardless, he deserves more attention than he’s been getting.
