The Toronto Raptors season is winding down and focus is beginning to shift to the 2025 NBA Draft.
This year has been disappointing due to injuries and a lack of continuity among the young core.
On the bright side, it is another opportunity to bring in another enticing prospect. There are plenty of options to choose from in this class, especially in the lottery.
With the National Championship kicking off on Monday, Bleacher Report’s Julia Stumbaugh released an updated mock draft that has the Raptors taking Duke center Khaman Maluach at No. 7.
Unfortunately, Maluach’s freshman season came to a close on Saturday as they lost to the Houston Cougars in a thrilling Final Four game. As much as it stings, the 7’2″ big will move to greener pastures in the NBA.
Originally from South Sudan, his play as a 7-footer caught the nation by storm and now has a chance to earn generational wealth.
Against Houston, Maluach played 21 minutes and only had 6 points, 1 assist and four personal fouls. Admittedly, this stat line is concerning due to his size regardless of foul trouble.
On the year, Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 71 percent from the field. Despite being unable to space the floor, he could be an energy center off the bench for Toronto.
As he continues to develop, he will presumably be given spot minutes to block a few shots and get easy dunks. Hopefully, his rebounding gets better once arriving in the NBA.
Bleacher Report continues to link Khaman Maluach to Raptors
With the 2025 NBA Draft steadily approaching, mock drafts begin to round into shape as teams learn what they desperately need.
For the Raptors, strengthening their frontcourt behind Jakob Poeltl is one of those needs. Bleacher Report seems to be catching on to that as Khaman Maluach is a common name for Toronto.
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