Raps 2020 Picks (Prospect Watch, Update: Vecenie Mock Released)

[nabbs]

Skylar Mays is the guy we should go after. He is basically a better finishing Fred Vanvleet and he is 6'4-6'5.

Here are some key stats:

Standing 6’4 with a solid 205-pound frame and good length, Mays has nice size for a combo guard. A good all-around athlete, he is an aggressive slasher who embraces contact, takes the ball strong to the rim, and can play above the rim in space.

With his shots split almost evenly between jumpers and shots at the rim, Mays has slightly unorthodox shooting mechanics that are nonetheless very reliable. Scoring 1.21 points per catch and shoot jump shot in the half court [86th percentile] and 1.02 points per dribble jump shot in the half court [89th percentile], he did a very good job picking and choosing his spots to pull-up and is an efficient floor spacer. Fluid getting into his pull-up, he does not have the quickest release, but his ability to keep defenses honest when he puts the ball on the floor is a plus.

Taking the ball strong to the rim and using crossovers and spin moves to find angles to finish, Mays scored 1.19 points per shot around the rim in the half court [64th percentile]. Keeping his head up looking for the open man and embracing contact, he is not the shiftiest player, but his ability to play with pace helped him get to spots consistently and actually made him more effective finishing in the half court than in transition.

-1.14 PPP in the PnR

You trade back to get a guy like him and then add someone like Grant Riller or Isaiah Joe. That's a lot of playmaking/shot making added to your rotation that can come in to the NBA on day 1 and contribute immediately.

[GM89]

Tillie is more like a fluid version of Matt Bonner.

Is it really a negative to compare a late first round prospect to Matt Bonner or Ryan Anderson? Both had decade long careers. Even someone like Bertans is scheduled for a significant pay raise literately just because he is tall and can shoot well.

I don't think it's a negative but for a contender, will he help them win a championship? I guess he could help like Duncan Robinson in Miami.

Well Bonner was with the Spurs when they won in 2007 and 2014. Just spacing the floor for everyone else and not being a defensive liability is huge today.

I look at guy like Matt Thomas who had made a visible impact every time he stepped on the court against the Celts. Our slashers suddenly had more space to operate and looked much better seeing less doubles (sorry Gasol). Yet Nurse strictly played him in small spurts against the Celts bench because he was worried he would get abused but their bigger and stronger wings.

If Tillie becomes a tall version of Matt Thomas then I consider that a huge win. Regardless we currently do not have a championship core as we are missing that top 5 player and Lowry probably is getting their in age to keep playing a top 15is lvl.

[HeadtopChunes]

Skylar Mays is the guy we should go after. He is basically a better finishing Fred Vanvleet and he is 6'4-6'5.

Here are some key stats:

Standing 6’4 with a solid 205-pound frame and good length, Mays has nice size for a combo guard. A good all-around athlete, he is an aggressive slasher who embraces contact, takes the ball strong to the rim, and can play above the rim in space.

With his shots split almost evenly between jumpers and shots at the rim, Mays has slightly unorthodox shooting mechanics that are nonetheless very reliable. Scoring 1.21 points per catch and shoot jump shot in the half court [86th percentile] and 1.02 points per dribble jump shot in the half court [89th percentile], he did a very good job picking and choosing his spots to pull-up and is an efficient floor spacer. Fluid getting into his pull-up, he does not have the quickest release, but his ability to keep defenses honest when he puts the ball on the floor is a plus.

Taking the ball strong to the rim and using crossovers and spin moves to find angles to finish, Mays scored 1.19 points per shot around the rim in the half court [64th percentile]. Keeping his head up looking for the open man and embracing contact, he is not the shiftiest player, but his ability to play with pace helped him get to spots consistently and actually made him more effective finishing in the half court than in transition.

-1.14 PPP in the PnR

You trade back to get a guy like him and then add someone like Grant Riller or Isaiah Joe. That's a lot of playmaking/shot making added to your rotation that can come in to the NBA on day 1 and contribute immediately.

I like your thought process just not the players tbh

I dont see Joe as an initiator, on account of him being poor at dribbling. Think he's more of a motion shooter decent defender. Id take him at 29 if nobody else is there tbh. I think he might be able to play 3 eventually.

Mays, I don't buy at all, I don't see anything special with him. Low volume shooter, meh defender, mediocre athlete and meh finisher. He's smart and probably a good guy but it takes more than that for me.

Riller I agree with although he's not a great shooter either.

Idk I think I'd prefer to trade up and get a real quality rotation piece than a bunch of cheap depth tbh. Especially a guy with a reasonably high ceiling. I think we've seen the value of good but not great depth in the postseason and really it isn't much

[nabbs]

Skylar Mays is the guy we should go after. He is basically a better finishing Fred Vanvleet and he is 6'4-6'5.

Here are some key stats:

Standing 6’4 with a solid 205-pound frame and good length, Mays has nice size for a combo guard. A good all-around athlete, he is an aggressive slasher who embraces contact, takes the ball strong to the rim, and can play above the rim in space.

With his shots split almost evenly between jumpers and shots at the rim, Mays has slightly unorthodox shooting mechanics that are nonetheless very reliable. Scoring 1.21 points per catch and shoot jump shot in the half court [86th percentile] and 1.02 points per dribble jump shot in the half court [89th percentile], he did a very good job picking and choosing his spots to pull-up and is an efficient floor spacer. Fluid getting into his pull-up, he does not have the quickest release, but his ability to keep defenses honest when he puts the ball on the floor is a plus.

Taking the ball strong to the rim and using crossovers and spin moves to find angles to finish, Mays scored 1.19 points per shot around the rim in the half court [64th percentile]. Keeping his head up looking for the open man and embracing contact, he is not the shiftiest player, but his ability to play with pace helped him get to spots consistently and actually made him more effective finishing in the half court than in transition.

-1.14 PPP in the PnR

You trade back to get a guy like him and then add someone like Grant Riller or Isaiah Joe. That's a lot of playmaking/shot making added to your rotation that can come in to the NBA on day 1 and contribute immediately.

I like your thought process just not the players tbh

I dont see Joe as an initiator, on account of him being poor at dribbling. Think he's more of a motion shooter decent defender. Id take him at 29 if nobody else is there tbh. I think he might be able to play 3 eventually.

Mays, I don't buy at all, I don't see anything special with him. Low volume shooter, meh defender, mediocre athlete and meh finisher. He's smart and probably a good guy but it takes more than that for me.

Riller I agree with although he's not a great shooter either.

Idk I think I'd prefer to trade up and get a real quality rotation piece than a bunch of cheap depth tbh. Especially a guy with a reasonably high ceiling. I think we've seen the value of good but not great depth in the postseason and really it isn't much

I only mention them because they are available in our range and the other players around that range are prospects or don't fit the playmaking type.

I never pegged Joe as a creator, he is very much a shot maker (Buddy Hield comes to mind but I think Buddy's playmaking has been a surprise to most scouts... didn't see mich of it at Oklahoma). Mays to me bring tremendous value if you get him in the 50s. Steady as hell and he fills a role as a secondary or primary playmaker off the bench.

Riller's shooting form is unorthodox but he can get the rim at will. We don't have that at all. It would be a welcome presence on this team

[nabbs]

Read on Twitter

[jacinto]

Media says draft stinks this year but who knows with what diamonds Masai will find.

What's impressive is that with all the GM's putting high value on 2nd round picks these days, Masai has basically gone away from that and created his own trend of undrafted guys. He's the first to put an emphasis on that.

Innovator. He has vision and goes for it.

[HeadtopChunes]

Skylar Mays is the guy we should go after. He is basically a better finishing Fred Vanvleet and he is 6'4-6'5.

Here are some key stats:







-1.14 PPP in the PnR

You trade back to get a guy like him and then add someone like Grant Riller or Isaiah Joe. That's a lot of playmaking/shot making added to your rotation that can come in to the NBA on day 1 and contribute immediately.

I like your thought process just not the players tbh

I dont see Joe as an initiator, on account of him being poor at dribbling. Think he's more of a motion shooter decent defender. Id take him at 29 if nobody else is there tbh. I think he might be able to play 3 eventually.

Mays, I don't buy at all, I don't see anything special with him. Low volume shooter, meh defender, mediocre athlete and meh finisher. He's smart and probably a good guy but it takes more than that for me.

Riller I agree with although he's not a great shooter either.

Idk I think I'd prefer to trade up and get a real quality rotation piece than a bunch of cheap depth tbh. Especially a guy with a reasonably high ceiling. I think we've seen the value of good but not great depth in the postseason and really it isn't much

I only mention them because they are available in our range and the other players around that range are prospects or don't fit the playmaking type.

I never pegged Joe as a creator, he is very much a shot maker (Buddy Hield comes to mind but I think Buddy's playmaking has been a surprise to most scouts... didn't see mich of it at Oklahoma). Mays to me bring tremendous value if you get him in the 50s. Steady as hell and he fills a role as a secondary or primary playmaker off the bench.

Riller's shooting form is unorthodox but he can get the rim at will. We don't have that at all. It would be a welcome presence on this team

For me, I look at a guy like Maledon and I think he can approximate most of that, he can get to the rim and finish really well, (61.1% vs EuroLeague comp) vs Riller's (76% vs Mid Major comp), he can run PnR well (actually play Point Gaurd) and he's got the mechanics to be a shotmaker off the dribble and a good multi-positional defender (provided we switch stuff, Maledon is poor at navigating screens right now)

So if you ask me I'd rather have that guy vs all 3 of those guys. Which is my argument for trading up.

[Indeed]

Media says draft stinks this year but who knows with what diamonds Masai will find.

What's impressive is that with all the GM's putting high value on 2nd round picks these days, Masai has basically gone away from that and created his own trend of undrafted guys. He's the first to put an emphasis on that.

Innovator. He has vision and goes for it.

Well, your owner needs to buy into it, and to make it happen, they spend a lot of effort on workouts and training camps. There are also other sponsorship in scouting youth on other countries. A good GM would able to push these things in terms of strategy.

[jacinto]

Ya, it's just a basic good investment strategy. When you're competing against 30 others, you need to find another means to achieve the same thing. I think he's doing a great job in that regard.

[Psubs]

Read on Twitter

I would like Pritchard at #59. I think I once mentioned that he was Carlos Arroyo with a 3pt shot (may like Lowry's).

[nabbs]

I like your thought process just not the players tbh

I dont see Joe as an initiator, on account of him being poor at dribbling. Think he's more of a motion shooter decent defender. Id take him at 29 if nobody else is there tbh. I think he might be able to play 3 eventually.

Mays, I don't buy at all, I don't see anything special with him. Low volume shooter, meh defender, mediocre athlete and meh finisher. He's smart and probably a good guy but it takes more than that for me.

Riller I agree with although he's not a great shooter either.

Idk I think I'd prefer to trade up and get a real quality rotation piece than a bunch of cheap depth tbh. Especially a guy with a reasonably high ceiling. I think we've seen the value of good but not great depth in the postseason and really it isn't much

I only mention them because they are available in our range and the other players around that range are prospects or don't fit the playmaking type.

I never pegged Joe as a creator, he is very much a shot maker (Buddy Hield comes to mind but I think Buddy's playmaking has been a surprise to most scouts... didn't see mich of it at Oklahoma). Mays to me bring tremendous value if you get him in the 50s. Steady as hell and he fills a role as a secondary or primary playmaker off the bench.

Riller's shooting form is unorthodox but he can get the rim at will. We don't have that at all. It would be a welcome presence on this team

For me, I look at a guy like Maledon and I think he can approximate most of that, he can get to the rim and finish really well, (61.1% vs EuroLeague comp) vs Riller's (76% vs Mid Major comp), he can run PnR well (actually play Point Gaurd) and he's got the mechanics to be a shotmaker off the dribble and a good multi-positional defender (provided we switch stuff, Maledon is poor at navigating screens right now)

So if you ask me I'd rather have that guy vs all 3 of those guys. Which is my argument for trading up.

I am with you on Maledon. I think he is worth a gamble and it's no surprise to me Masai sat with Tony Parker while he watched him play lol. He is so young and has tremendous size to be a PG. I like it quite a bit

[HeadtopChunes]

I only mention them because they are available in our range and the other players around that range are prospects or don't fit the playmaking type.

I never pegged Joe as a creator, he is very much a shot maker (Buddy Hield comes to mind but I think Buddy's playmaking has been a surprise to most scouts... didn't see mich of it at Oklahoma). Mays to me bring tremendous value if you get him in the 50s. Steady as hell and he fills a role as a secondary or primary playmaker off the bench.

Riller's shooting form is unorthodox but he can get the rim at will. We don't have that at all. It would be a welcome presence on this team

For me, I look at a guy like Maledon and I think he can approximate most of that, he can get to the rim and finish really well, (61.1% vs EuroLeague comp) vs Riller's (76% vs Mid Major comp), he can run PnR well (actually play Point Gaurd) and he's got the mechanics to be a shotmaker off the dribble and a good multi-positional defender (provided we switch stuff, Maledon is poor at navigating screens right now)

So if you ask me I'd rather have that guy vs all 3 of those guys. Which is my argument for trading up.

I am with you on Maledon. I think he is worth a gamble and it's no surprise to me Masai sat with Tony Parker while he watched him play lol. He is so young and has tremendous size to be a PG. I like it quite a bit

im surprised his value is as low as it is tbh, i think Maledons shoulder injury really hurt his stock because it looks like underperforming (team also changed his role halfway through the season)

Could be another OG type situation for us (perfect storm to let a very good prospect fall to us) because he's a top 5 talent in this class IMO

[Psubs]

im surprised his value is as low as it is tbh, i think Maledons shoulder injury really hurt his stock because it looks like underperforming (team also changed his role halfway through the season)

Could be another OG type situation for us (perfect storm to let a very good prospect fall to us) because he's a top 5 talent in this class IMO

https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2019/9/16/20862998/france-basketball-nba-draft-2020-golden-generation-theo-maledon-killian-hayes-2001-born

Theo Maledon is Tony Parker’s prodigy

At just 17 years old, Maledon was a starting point guard in Eurocup for ASVEL, a club in France’s top pro league run by Tony Parker. With Parker as his mentor, Maledon was named the youngest all-star in the French league since 1987 and has established himself as one of the brightest young prospects in the world. We projected him as the No. 3 overall pick in next June’s draft.

[HeadtopChunes]

im surprised his value is as low as it is tbh, i think Maledons shoulder injury really hurt his stock because it looks like underperforming (team also changed his role halfway through the season)

Could be another OG type situation for us (perfect storm to let a very good prospect fall to us) because he's a top 5 talent in this class IMO

https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2019/9/16/20862998/france-basketball-nba-draft-2020-golden-generation-theo-maledon-killian-hayes-2001-born

Theo Maledon is Tony Parker’s prodigy

At just 17 years old, Maledon was a starting point guard in Eurocup for ASVEL, a club in France’s top pro league run by Tony Parker. With Parker as his mentor, Maledon was named the youngest all-star in the French league since 1987 and has established himself as one of the brightest young prospects in the world. We projected him as the No. 3 overall pick in next June’s draft.

yeah its very similar to OG isn't it?, he got injured and had a down year and his stock dropped but the talent is still all there imo

[Psubs]

im surprised his value is as low as it is tbh, i think Maledons shoulder injury really hurt his stock because it looks like underperforming (team also changed his role halfway through the season)

Could be another OG type situation for us (perfect storm to let a very good prospect fall to us) because he's a top 5 talent in this class IMO

https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2019/9/16/20862998/france-basketball-nba-draft-2020-golden-generation-theo-maledon-killian-hayes-2001-born

Theo Maledon is Tony Parker’s prodigy

At just 17 years old, Maledon was a starting point guard in Eurocup for ASVEL, a club in France’s top pro league run by Tony Parker. With Parker as his mentor, Maledon was named the youngest all-star in the French league since 1987 and has established himself as one of the brightest young prospects in the world. We projected him as the No. 3 overall pick in next June’s draft.

yeah its very similar to OG isn't it?, he got injured and had a down year and his stock dropped but the talent is still all there imo

Michael Porter Jr is probably more like the OG situation. Though MPJr was #1 and only dropped to #14. Actually maybe MPJr is more like the Embiid situation.

Maledon did play 20 league games and 22 in Euroleague (where he did play well).

https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/theo-maledon-1.html

Weird, did Killian Hayes just play 10 games in 2019/2020?

https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/killian-hayes-1.html

Ah, here's a more complete link. Hayes was just hot in Eurocup. Maledon played 9 more games than Hayes so enough data.

Is Hayes like Malcolm Brogdon and Maledon like Manu? Mini-Manu!

https://sircharlesincharge.com/2020/07/02/theo-maledon-scouting-report-risk/



https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Killian-Hayes/Summary/108654

[HeadtopChunes]

https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2019/9/16/20862998/france-basketball-nba-draft-2020-golden-generation-theo-maledon-killian-hayes-2001-born

yeah its very similar to OG isn't it?, he got injured and had a down year and his stock dropped but the talent is still all there imo

Michael Porter Jr is probably more like the OG situation. Though MPJr was #1 and only dropped to #14. Actually maybe MPJr is more like the Embiid situation.

i think Embiid is more comparable , Maledon just had shoulder injury which is the least serious here.

OG tore ACL which isn't that bad anymore, Embiid foot issues are a big deal (even now tbh, and some NBA staff thought MPJ might never ball again on account of his back (still tbd on how long he lasts)

[Dalek]

Skylar Mays is the guy we should go after. He is basically a better finishing Fred Vanvleet and he is 6'4-6'5.

Here are some key stats:

Standing 6’4 with a solid 205-pound frame and good length, Mays has nice size for a combo guard. A good all-around athlete, he is an aggressive slasher who embraces contact, takes the ball strong to the rim, and can play above the rim in space.

With his shots split almost evenly between jumpers and shots at the rim, Mays has slightly unorthodox shooting mechanics that are nonetheless very reliable. Scoring 1.21 points per catch and shoot jump shot in the half court [86th percentile] and 1.02 points per dribble jump shot in the half court [89th percentile], he did a very good job picking and choosing his spots to pull-up and is an efficient floor spacer. Fluid getting into his pull-up, he does not have the quickest release, but his ability to keep defenses honest when he puts the ball on the floor is a plus.

Taking the ball strong to the rim and using crossovers and spin moves to find angles to finish, Mays scored 1.19 points per shot around the rim in the half court [64th percentile]. Keeping his head up looking for the open man and embracing contact, he is not the shiftiest player, but his ability to play with pace helped him get to spots consistently and actually made him more effective finishing in the half court than in transition.

-1.14 PPP in the PnR

You trade back to get a guy like him and then add someone like Grant Riller or Isaiah Joe. That's a lot of playmaking/shot making added to your rotation that can come in to the NBA on day 1 and contribute immediately.

I love Mays for exactly what you are saying. I think we didn't fully get to see him work as a full-time PG as he played off-ball a lot at LSU. He adapted and was a very good slasher despite mediocre hops. My worry is that the jumpshot only recently improved, and same as Riller, both are relatively flat arcs and you wonder how their shots translate to NBA range.

Other day 1 contributors:

Devon Dotson - his speed and defense are elite but he is smallish
Elijah Hughes - 3 and D with some potential to run the offense
Jalen Harris (Nevada) - He is extremely underreported on, but he led the Mountain West in scoring and he is one of the best scorers in the draft with great athleticism and savvy on offense.

P&R ball handler 0.935 (excellent 87% rank)
ISO 1.071 (excellent 91% rank)
Transition 1.224 (excellent 83%)

He is only very good off-ball, but he will likely figure it out as he has shown significant growth in a short time.

[Dalek]

The Ringer posted its new mock draft and it has Toronto with a surprise selection of Killian Tillie at 29.

Tillie is a lottery talent who could fall into the second round because of injury concerns; he couldn’t stay healthy in four seasons at Gonzaga. But he has a game made for the NBA with a splashy shot, instinctive passing, and steady defense. Though he’s not a rim protector like Marc Gasol or Serge Ibaka, the Raptors have shown a willingness to play with modern small-ball lineups that Tillie could excel in due to his versatility. If Tillie can stay healthy, he would be a major steal.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/9/14/21435542/nba-mock-draft

I think if you are thinking about MPJ or OG being underrated due to injury history, Tillie is the guy to consider. So skilled, almost Jokic like in his ability to score and make plays. He also moves pretty well for a big man and can block shots. Perfect Gasol replacement, although he is more of a small ball C and not on Marc's level defensively. On the offensive side, he would be a huge addition to the offense.

[Mark_83]

Tillie is more like a fluid version of Matt Bonner.

Is it really a negative to compare a late first round prospect to Matt Bonner or Ryan Anderson? Both had decade long careers. Even someone like Bertans is scheduled for a significant pay raise literately just because he is tall and can shoot well.

I don't think it's a negative but for a contender, will he help them win a championship? I guess he could help like Duncan Robinson in Miami. I guess the goal is to get a Draymond, Siakam, etc.

Other recent late 1st picks / early 2nds.

Kabengele
Keldon Johnson
Jalen Brunson
Mitchell Robinson
Kyle Kuzma
Tony Bradley
Derrick White
Josh Hart
Dejonte Murray
Malcom Brogdon
Montrezl Harrell
Richaun Holmes
Josh Richardson

If the Raptors can draft a player like any of these, then I'd be okay.

Ironically, the Ringer compares him to Robert Horry, who is one of the best playoff performers of all time. Now, I don't think he's as athletic, tough, or as good a defender as Horry but I think his upside is higher than Anderson and Bonner. He's not just a big who can shoot. He's an excellent passer, high bball IQ, and a pretty good team defender. I wouldnt take him at 29, but i definitely think he can be a rotation player on a contender if he lives up to his upside.

[casual_raps_fan]

Is it really a negative to compare a late first round prospect to Matt Bonner or Ryan Anderson? Both had decade long careers. Even someone like Bertans is scheduled for a significant pay raise literately just because he is tall and can shoot well.

I don't think it's a negative but for a contender, will he help them win a championship? I guess he could help like Duncan Robinson in Miami. I guess the goal is to get a Draymond, Siakam, etc.

Other recent late 1st picks / early 2nds.

Kabengele
Keldon Johnson
Jalen Brunson
Mitchell Robinson
Kyle Kuzma
Tony Bradley
Derrick White
Josh Hart
Dejonte Murray
Malcom Brogdon
Montrezl Harrell
Richaun Holmes
Josh Richardson

If the Raptors can draft a player like any of these, then I'd be okay.

Ironically, the Ringer compares him to Robert Horry, who is one of the best playoff performers of all time. Now, I don't think he's as athletic, tough, or as good a defender as Horry but I think his upside is higher than Anderson and Bonner. He's not just a big who can shoot. He's an excellent passer, high bball IQ, and a pretty good team defender. I wouldnt take him at 29, but i definitely think he can be a rotation player on a contender if he lives up to his upside.

He's not an exciting pick at 29 but he's definitely interesting. I would definitely prefer having a guy like him on our roster over a RHJ type of player who offers no offence or a Chris Boucher who hasn't shown consistency.

In the playoffs, despite one of our strengths was having 2 good centers, we had droughts where we got absolutely no offence out of them. It would have been nice to have at-least one big who could offer some sort of offensive consistency.