The Toronto Raptors could have two first-round draft picks when the 2024 NBA Draft finally comes around in June. They outright own the Indiana Pacers’ pick at No. 19, and have a 45.8 percent chance of keeping their top-six protected pick. If the lottery goes exactly according to record, the Raptors would have the No. 6 overall pick.
With that, the Raptors have been getting two first-round picks in pre-lottery mock drafts and have had a wide range of possible selections.
The latest mock draft, conducted by Bryan Kalborsky of USA Today, has the Raptors taking G League Ignite wing Matas Buzelis and Purdue superstar Zach Edey with the No. 6 and No. 19 overall picks, respectively.
Scouts are a bit divided on former McDonald’s All-American forward Matas Buzelis. He was a slightly challenging player to evaluate during his time with the G League Ignite.
Although he was able to play a lot better as the season progressed, he remains in serious contention for one of the top spots in the class. Buzelis currently has a wide range of outcomes on draft night.
Purdue’s Zach Edey was a two-time national college player of the year for a reason. He proved himself absolutely indispensable and remarkably efficient on both ends of the floor.
He averaged 0.53 points per touch, via Stats Perform, which is the most of any player included on the latest consensus big board.
Even if he doesn’t necessarily hit as a starter in the NBA, with his size, he will be fascinating to teams (and potentially to his hometown Raptors).
Edey had not been seen as a first-round draft pick for a majority of the pre-draft process. However, his standout tournament performance has vaulted him into the first-round of many mock drafts.
Masai Ujiri rebuffs idea of weak 2024 NBA Draft class
Draft experts might say that the Raptors made a mistake by choosing 2024 as the year to stockpile on valuable draft choices. The 2024 is considered by many to be one of the weakest draft classes in recent memory. The draft does not have any instant superstars like Victor Wembanyama, Zion Williamson or Anthony Edwards. It also doesn’t have some of the depth that classes like 2023 had.
However, Ujiri doesn’t buy into the idea of a weak draft class.
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