Mock drafts are coming out left and right as the 2024 NBA Draft approaches on June 26 and 27. An important two days for the Toronto Raptors, who are embracing a rebuild.
It is all about surrounding Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barret with the necessary talent to succeed. Something that the organization has not experienced in awhile, so it will make for an intriguing experience.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie and co-host Bryce Simon went through a mock draft on the Game Theory Podcast. They both shared differing opinions on who the Raptors should select should they stay in the lottery.
For the No. 6 pick, Simon selected Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard over Ron Holland of the G-League Ignite. He believes Sheppard could be a possible replacement for Gary Trent Jr., should he leave in free agency.
Vecenie disagreed with the pick and called the Wildcat, the anti-Raptor. But, Sheppard could provide some much-needed floor spacing around Barnes, Quickley and Barrett.
Additionally, Vecenie said that there is a ‘zero percent chance’ that Toronto selects Sheppard with this hypothetical No. 6 pick.
Then with the No. 19 pick via the Indiana Pacers, Vecenie follows the floor spacing route by taking Johnny Furphy out of Kansas. The same school as Gradey Dick, who is another capable three-point shooter at 35.2 percent.
But, besides shooting, Furphy can put the ball on the floor a little and grab some rebounds. A key theme that the two agreed on is surrounding Barnes with dribble, pass and shoot guys.
While this draft is not filled with star-studded talent, this may actually work out better for Toronto. They simply need to add complimentary pieces around their core.
Sheppard and Furphy can certainly help space the floor and create more space for Barnes and company.
CBS Sports predicts Toronto taking Reed Sheppard No. 6 in 2024 NBA Draft
The Kentucky Wildcat guard is now being connected to Toronto more and more as of late. Recently, CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein predicted Sheppard being selected at No. 6 by the Raptors.
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