The Toronto Raptors might already be looking ahead to the 2025 NBA Draft.
Toronto is dead last in the NBA and if they keep up their current losing pace, they will find themselves with a good chance to secure a top 5 pick in the upcoming draft.
The Raptors have dealt with a ton of injuries to start and their tough early-season schedule has them in a hole early.
Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN put out their latest 2025 NBA mock draft and they have the Raptors remaining a bottom tier team and landing Dylan Harper with the No. 3 pick:
“A slew of injuries has opened the door for Toronto’s young core to see significant action, which should benefit the Raptors in the long term and position them nicely at the top of the draft lottery — a place most expect to find them in May. Adding star power alongside Scottie Barnes will surely go a long way in their rebuilding effort.
Part of Harper’s appeal is his intrinsic versatility — he is a talented scorer and passer and has the size (6-foot-6) and strength to defend multiple positions at a high level. Harper was steady in his college debut and will draw plenty of eyeballs this season alongside Ace Bailey as scouts home in on Rutgers in the coming months.
NBA teams will want to garner a better understanding of Harper’s projection as a lead guard, his scoring in the paint and what caliber of shooter he is. (He was a career 34% shooter from 3 and 62% from the foul line in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.) He has a major platform to answer those questions at Rutgers. — Woo/Givony”
The prize of the draft will be Cooper Flagg who is projected to go No. 1. After him, ESPN has Ace Bailey going No. 2 and then at No. 3 they have the Raptors selecting Harper out of Rutgers. Harper is a 6-foot-6 forward who has looked explosive in his first two gams scoring 24 and 20 points, respectively. Harper is a multi-level scorer and has great playmaking skills. He can also defend all positions. Harper’s older brother is Ron Harper Jr. who briefly played for the Raptors in the last two seasons.
If the Raptors finish as one of the three worst teams in the league this season, they would have a 52.1 percent chance to land a top-four pick and a 14 percent chance at the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.
Immanuel Quickley pops up on injury report again
Immanuel Quickley is questionable to play against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Quickley missed eight games with a pelvis injury and returned to the starting lineup on Nov. 9 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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