And Then There Was One: Thank Nation 2. Raps pick 23rd

[CoachJReturns]

If Dillon Brooks goes undrafted(currently ranked 55 in DraftExpress, 48 in Draft.Net) he probably becomes the next Canadian signed to the 905. He can play. He's just got gator arms, unfortunately.

[MavCarter]

What do people think of Anzejs Pasecniks? He looks like he can become an intriguing stretch 5

[MavCarter]

2018 draft looks awful. Hope we draft a high potential guy like bruno even though it didn't work yet. We can afford to do it

Yeah i agree, especially with the expanded roster spots next year. I don't want us to draft based on need and ignore BPA or upside. Finding rookies to come in and be highly productive is rare anyway

[Ell Curry]

Draftsxpress has us taking Bam 21st. I could live with that. They've still got us taking Mitchell with the 24th pick which obviously makes no sense. We have a surplus of young, average guards.

Taking another C would be just ridiculous at this point

I think it's plausible, actually. If we bring back Lowry, Ibaka and Pat we will be around 30-35M over the tax. Obvious moves to get that down are to trade Joseph and JV for picks, to save 20M. But if the deals are separate and bring back an immediate young SF (say a high 2nd for Joseph and a future years away very protected 1st for JV and a cheap young 3 like Hollis Jefferson, Justin Anderson or Finney Smith, TJ Warren to look at teams who could use JV, or even a JV and Joseph to one team for a mid 1st like Chicago or if New Orleans trades down, and we draft a 3 with that pick) I could see us taking a 5 in case Bebe gets a big RFA offer. We won't need a guard with Lowry, Demar, Powell, Wright and VanVleet signed for multiple years. We won't need a 4 with Ibaka, Patterson, Siakam. If we grab a backup for Carroll who we think has starting potential in the future and Masai thinks a 5 is the bpa, he might so it again.

I wanted Hernangomez purely as a stretch 4 fit, and he looks okay, but the Poeltl pick looks good enough right now. Always best off getting the bpa, unless they are a 5 who can't play D, and then they aren't really the bpa, we're just trapped in pre Dantoni ball thinking.

[JShuttlesworth]

Here's hoping Masai and Weltman continue their streak of getting quality rookies not taken in the 1st round. Powell, VanVleet, ?????

Of the guys currently in our range on DraftExpress for the 1st rounder: Lydon, Leaf, Jackson all work. All 3 seem like guys who at least have decent odds of being a rotation player, which is what you hope for outside the lottery.

Jackson and Leaf are the guys I'm looking at the most since the Ibaka deal. Jackson could be a nice fit at SF spot for us, especially with a pick in the 20s, I wouldn't be mad.

[Psubs]

What do people think of Anzejs Pasecniks? He looks like he can become an intriguing stretch 5

Good draft and stash for 1 season to save on luxury tax.

[HangTime]

With the expanded Rosters, why doesn't the nba add a 3rd round to the draft.

It just seems like a good thing to do.

[Psubs]

With the expanded Rosters, why doesn't the nba add a 3rd round to the draft.

It just seems like a good thing to do.

I agree there should be a partial guarantee for 2nd round picks and maybe a NBDL salary for 3rd round picks.

[bongmarley]

I said this 2 months ago i will say it again. Caleb Swanigan is the best player in this draft

[Wraps_fan]

Seems like it's a lock that the Raptors will draft a Small Forward with good size given that they don't have any SFs other than Carroll under contract for next season (not including Bruno who won't be a rotational player). Lowry/Ibaka will put them well into the luxury tax, so they can't sign any free agents unless it's with the MLE

Unless Miles Bridges drops to 21-23, I can't see us drafting anyone except Justin Jackson or Jaron Blossomgame (he'd be a reach at 21-23 though so I'm not too sure about that pick)

I guess Raps could go BPA if they have a plan to trade for a back-up SF, but given the cap situation they'd probably rather fill that need with a rookie scale contract.

TL:DR - If I had to bet money on who the Raptors will draft, I'd feel the safest with Justin Jackson

[Mark_83]

Ok I'm sold. If no one better falls I want Semi Ojeleye. He's a little older like Pascal but he's very impressive. He has good size, length, strength, athleticism, shooting, defense and aggressiveness. His skillset is not all that different from OG Anunoby who everyone loves.

Watch on YouTube

[HangTime]

With the expanded Rosters, why doesn't the nba add a 3rd round to the draft.

It just seems like a good thing to do.

I agree there should be a partial guarantee for 2nd round picks and maybe a NBDL salary for 3rd round picks.

It also give you chances to take a player you were interested in. It'll allow you to hold on to their NBA rights.

A lot of good players go undrafted, and with all the international players getting drafted, the talent pool keeps getting bigger.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Ok I'm sold. If no one better falls I want Semi Ojeleye. He's a little older like Pascal but he's very impressive. He has good size, length, strength, athleticism, shooting, defense and aggressiveness. His skillset is not all that different from OG Anunoby who everyone loves.

Watch on YouTube

Literally talked about him one page back. He's a good one although they're ruining his game by playing him at the 4. These college coaches are more worried about their jobs than these kids futures. If Ojeleye played the 3 he'd be ranked in the top-20 imo, but I guess that just works out better for us in the long run if Masai notices him.

[Mark_83]

Ok I'm sold. If no one better falls I want Semi Ojeleye. He's a little older like Pascal but he's very impressive. He has good size, length, strength, athleticism, shooting, defense and aggressiveness. His skillset is not all that different from OG Anunoby who everyone loves.

Watch on YouTube

Literally talked about him one page back. He's a good one although they're ruining his game by playing him at the 4. These college coaches are more worried about their jobs than these kids futures. If Ojeleye played the 3 he'd be ranked in the top-20 imo, but I guess that just works out better for us in the long run if Masai notices him.

Yeah, I'm not complaining as its better for us. Kawhai also played mostly 4 in college though as did Jimmy Butler so I'm not too worried. Do you think he'll enter this year and do you think he makes it to us?

[BoyzNTheHood]

Ok I'm sold. If no one better falls I want Semi Ojeleye. He's a little older like Pascal but he's very impressive. He has good size, length, strength, athleticism, shooting, defense and aggressiveness. His skillset is not all that different from OG Anunoby who everyone loves.

Watch on YouTube

Literally talked about him one page back. He's a good one although they're ruining his game by playing him at the 4. These college coaches are more worried about their jobs than these kids futures. If Ojeleye played the 3 he'd be ranked in the top-20 imo, but I guess that just works out better for us in the long run if Masai notices him.

Yeah, I'm not complaining as its better for us. Kawhai also played mostly 4 in college though as did Jimmy Butler so I'm not too worried. Do you think he'll enter this year and do you think he makes it to us?

No clue if he'll enter. He should. And if he does he'll almost definitely make it to us.

[HangTime]

Literally talked about him one page back. He's a good one although they're ruining his game by playing him at the 4. These college coaches are more worried about their jobs than these kids futures. If Ojeleye played the 3 he'd be ranked in the top-20 imo, but I guess that just works out better for us in the long run if Masai notices him.

Yeah, I'm not complaining as its better for us. Kawhai also played mostly 4 in college though as did Jimmy Butler so I'm not too worried. Do you think he'll enter this year and do you think he makes it to us?

No clue if he'll enter. He should. And if he does he'll almost definitely make it to us.

He and Masai have the Nigerian routes, Masai just may be keeping tabs on him.

[Jstock12]

Ok I'm sold. If no one better falls I want Semi Ojeleye. He's a little older like Pascal but he's very impressive. He has good size, length, strength, athleticism, shooting, defense and aggressiveness. His skillset is not all that different from OG Anunoby who everyone loves.

Watch on YouTube

Literally talked about him one page back. He's a good one although they're ruining his game by playing him at the 4. These college coaches are more worried about their jobs than these kids futures. If Ojeleye played the 3 he'd be ranked in the top-20 imo, but I guess that just works out better for us in the long run if Masai notices him.

I'm sorry but this is a bizarre statement. College coaches try to win games. They get new talented kids coming in every year. It's constant adjusting for the coaches to find the way their team is most effective. If Ojeleye's coach thinks the team wins more games with him at the 4, then that's perfectly reasonable. Showcasing kids for the scouts is not in their job description.

[RaptorsLife]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[RaptorsLife]

Next Canadian superstar

[Mikistan]

Ok I'm sold. If no one better falls I want Semi Ojeleye. He's a little older like Pascal but he's very impressive. He has good size, length, strength, athleticism, shooting, defense and aggressiveness. His skillset is not all that different from OG Anunoby who everyone loves.

Watch on YouTube

Good Call

Here is a 3 day old write-up on him from DraftExpress
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Semi-Ojeleye-SMUs-Versatile-Forward-5805/

6' 7” 235-pound , 6 10 wingspan
Semi Ojeleye

PLUSSES
"Used strictly at the four in SMU's offense, Ojeleye has time and space to get to his jumper off the catch, can shoot off the dribble if run off the line, is nimble enough to attack opposing fours off the bounce with a tough combination of power and quickness, and is dangerous operating in mid-post spots while flashing crisp footwork for a 235-pounder. Ojeleye is scoring 23.5 points per 40 minutes shooting 50% from two and 42% from three and has an NBA translatable skill set as a mismatch four who may be able to play a pinch of small forward for stretches. Here's a full breakdown of how Ojeleye is able to impact the game for the Mustangs:"

KNOCKS
"He's somewhat caught between positions on the defensive end as he's not quite big enough to check traditional fours, and while demonstrating solid lateral quickness when fully engaged, doesn't have a ton of experience chasing around NBA-level wings. His instincts on that end have room to improve as well, evident by his very low block and steal rates (partially a product of SMU playing a fair amount of zone). Ojeleye can also add more value on the defensive glass – 5.5 per 40 minutes –, another area where he'll need to bump up his production to play long stretches at the four in the NBA. "