The Toronto Raptors will have two picks in the 2024 NBA Draft.
They will have No. 19 via the Indiana Pacers and No. 31 via the Detroit Pistons.
The Raptors are going into this draft with a lot of needs to address. They could use another big man, a guard and more shooting.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report put out his latest mock draft and he has Toronto taking Purdue big man Zach Edey with the 19th pick:
“At the least, Zach Edey may have opened scouts’ imaginations at the combine with the comfort level he demonstrated making jump shots during drills. Regardless, for a center who measures just under 7’4″ in socks with a near 7’11” wingspan, his touch and footwork have gotten sharp enough for scouts to picture a useful low-post scorer and offensive rebounder. Teams deeper up front will look elsewhere. So will those who question how playable he’ll be defensively in the playoffs. He’ll be enticing to teams looking to add more size, physicality around the basket and interior offense.”
Edey is one of the most intriguing prospects of the draft. His stock has risen and the Raptors could definitely take a chance on him with their first-round pick. If Edey’s game translates to the NBA level he will carve out a nice NBA career.
Next Wasserman has the Raptors adding some shooting with KJ Simpson out of Colorado at No. 19:
“KJ Simpson backed up the big stat lines at Colorado with a handful of blow-by drives, tough finishes and shotmaking during NBA combine scrimmages. He also got up for a 40.5-inch max vertical, which could help make up for the fact that he only measured 6’0” without shoes. Production, creation skill, touch, range, energy and confidence could potentially sway a team to look past the underwhelming measurements.
This would be a nice pick for Toronto. Simpson is coming off a breakout year where he averaged 19.7 points, 4.9 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting it 47.5 percent from the floor and 43.4 percent from deep. He drastically improved his three-point shooting from last year. He went from 27 percent up to 43 percent on 4.9 attempts per game.
Fox Sports has Toronto taking Edey at No. 19 as well
This isn’t the first time a mock draft has projected Edey to the Raptors at No. 19.
Fox Sports’ latest mock draft also has the Raptors taking the Canadian with this selection.
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