With Allen Graves selected 19th overall, Toronto fans collectively let out a deep breath as the big pick for this draft was made. But! This does not mean the excitement is over. The Raptors are armed with the 50th overall pick, and get one more shot to draft a rookie this year.
While a number of high profile names were linked to the Raptors ahead of last night’s selection, the second round is by nature filled with some less well-known players. That doesn’t need to be the case however, so I want to take
a look at a few different players mocked as being taken within the Raptors’ range, fitting the three major positions, and what the team seems to want.
Tobe Awaka – F
Akawa and the Wildcats made it to the Final Four before being eventually being taken out by the eventual champions of the tournament, Michigan. The forward stands 6 foot 8, and averaged figures of 9.3 points and 9.1 rebound in 20.8 minutes. He is a capable rim finisher who seems capable of playing with his back to the basket, or as a lob threat in the dunker spot. That physical profile fits the Raptors’ favoured figures, so it’s no wonder that TSN had him going 50th overall to us.
With Graves selected yesterday, logic would dictate that Toronto would be inclined to take a shot on a non-forward, but “Vision 6’9″” does seem to be in full swing… it remains to be seen whether the Raptors will quadruple down on interiorly dominant forwards.
Felix Okpara – C
Okpara and Tennessee made it to the Elite Eight before being taken out by Michigan as well (seeing a pattern, anyone)? Okpara fits the Raptors’ physical needs, standing at 6’11”, and made the SEC All-Defensive team this past year. His highlight tape is packed with blocks and dunks, but his statistics leave something to be desired.
Averaging only 8 points and 6.3 rebounds in nearly 27 minutes per game, Okpara is indeed a dominant interior presence, who is also a complete non-three-point-shooter. Tankathon sees us scooping him up at the 50th pick to bolster our frontcourt, but he doesn’t quite meet the criteria of a full-time two-way player, which the Raptors are so fond of. While I do believe that a defensive big would be a great pick, one who is not a stellar rebounder is far less enticing to me than they would be otherwise.
Aaron Nkrumah – G
Nkrumah played 31.4 minutes over the past year, putting up 17.7 points and almost 3 steals for the Tennessee State Tigers, leading the Ohio Valley Conference in the both statistics. Despite being taken out in the first round of the NCAA tournament, he went down swinging, posting 21 points, 6 boards, and 3 each of assists and blocks, alongside a singular steal. He does not fit the “small guard” archetype, standing at 6’6″, a nice addition to Toronto’s roster at the position.
ESPN praises his defensive chops, and calls him the 22nd best player left to draft, but calls attention to poor efficiency on both 2 and 3 pointers. While the Raptors are indeed in need of shooting, Toronto has made it clear that they want to be uncompromising on their standards for two-way play. It’s this reason why Nkrumah might earn a spot on the Raps tonight.
Toronto has proven itself to be anything but predictable with the way they’re drafting this year, but a picture has been painted of who the Raptors might be interested in tonight. As for addressing issues of shooting and size, the Raptors have said in the past that they do not see the draft as the end-all-be-all of player acquisition, rather, being willing to focus in on free agency to fix any deficiencies.
