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

[LoveMyRaps]

Sleeper alert. Here is another player that we might consider with our late second rounder. Out of Scarborough, Ontario - Isiaha Mike

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Dude looks like he can do it all. Seems like a Paul Watson type of player. Only knock on him is that he's 23. Nonetheless, his numbers are nothing short of amazing and he showed significant growth in each of his college years.

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Potential draft and stash pick for the Raps. Preserve cap space and allow him to develop overseas.

[Dalek]

Nathan Knight from William and Mary's worked out for the Raps, I think. He posted a pic in Raptors practice gear

He was brought up before earlier in this thread. Really interesting C prospect with some guard skills. Almost the C version of Pascal.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

This is interesting mainly because I checked Instagram and the image was posted on June 29. That was actually at the same time as the training camp for the Raptors who were in Fort Myers. I don't the Raptors were permitted to have draft workouts at that time and it would be weird that they had them at the same place as their camp considering the health risks.

RockIt Sports LLC actually posted the image, and they have training facilities in Virginia, so it might be likely that Masai/Bobby flew over to RockIt Sports to take in a work out. But, why would he be in Raps training gear unless Toronto organized it?

Interestingly, Knight only officially signed with Excel Sports in early July, so this might have been weird clandestine workout that a guy like Dan Tolzman organized. They did a similar secret workout for Siakam and Bruno so maybe the interest could be real in Knight and as the Raps do, they do things under the cover of darkness.

In re-looking at him, he is a strong C from a physicality perspective, and he seems like a natural leader and humble kid. The weird stuff to his game is he has a pretty good handle for a C with a euro-step and other difficult moves he pulls off in-game off the dribble. His assist numbers went down last year, but during his Junior year he averaged 3.5.

Also, can do SF types of dunks, even throwing down between the legs dunks with ease. He had a very high TS% and it was mostly because no one could stop him from dunking last year.

Also, there are not a lot of left-handed Cs. Could be interesting to have a left hand dominant C. There are only 10 left handed shooters in the NBA, and I only know of Ed Davis and DeAndre Jordan as the ones who play C.

Now there are a lot of Mid-Major guys who destroyed their league but amounted to nothing in the NBA. Knight doesn't have too many obvious flaws to his game to prevent him from getting a shot in the NBA.

He is already 23, but I don't it would hold Toronto back. He has a Combine invite so if he does well there it might drive more interest in him.

Spoiler:

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[Mark_83]

Nathan Knight from William and Mary's worked out for the Raps, I think. He posted a pic in Raptors practice gear

He was brought up before earlier in this thread. Really interesting C prospect with some guard skills. Almost the C version of Pascal.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

This is interesting mainly because I checked Instagram and the image was posted on June 29. That was actually at the same time as the training camp for the Raptors who were in Fort Myers. I don't the Raptors were permitted to have draft workouts at that time and it would be weird that they had them at the same place as their camp considering the health risks.

RockIt Sports LLC actually posted the image, and they have training facilities in Virginia, so it might be likely that Masai/Bobby flew over to RockIt Sports to take in a work out. But, why would he be in Raps training gear unless Toronto organized it?

Interestingly, Knight only officially signed with Excel Sports in early July, so this might have been weird clandestine workout that a guy like Dan Tolzman organized. They did a similar secret workout for Siakam and Bruno so maybe the interest could be real in Knight and as the Raps do, they do things under the cover of darkness.

In re-looking at him, he is a strong C from a physicality perspective, and he seems like a natural leader and humble kid. The weird stuff to his game is he has a pretty good handle for a C with a euro-step and other difficult moves he pulls off in-game off the dribble. His assist numbers went down last year, but during his Junior year he averaged 3.5.

Also, can do SF types of dunks, even throwing down between the legs dunks with ease. He had a very high TS% and it was mostly because no one could stop him from dunking last year.

Also, there are not a lot of left-handed Cs. Could be interesting to have a left hand dominant C. There are only 10 left handed shooters in the NBA, and I only know of Ed Davis and DeAndre Jordan as the ones who play C.

Now there are a lot of Mid-Major guys who destroyed their league but amounted to nothing in the NBA. Knight doesn't have too many obvious flaws to his game to prevent him from getting a shot in the NBA.

He is already 23, but I don't it would hold Toronto back. He has a Combine invite so if he does well there it might drive more interest in him.

Spoiler:

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Knight is a real interesting late second or unstated play. He's a big with uncommon skills for a guy his size, including ball handling. Kind of reminds me of a poor man's Ayton.

[LoveMyRaps]

I hadn't heard of Nathan Knight before. But based on his highlights he looks like a Terrence Jones/Tristan Thompson hybrid.
Pretty solid prospect.

[Dalek]

I hadn't heard of Nathan Knight before. But based on his highlights he looks like a Terrence Jones/Tristan Thompson hybrid.
Pretty solid prospect.

He doesn't have a huge wingspan (7'2"), but he is bouncy for a big and rebounds well, so I can see the Tristan Thompson comp. I read he is trying to slim down some, so he might end up trying to be like a proto Bam Adebayo type of player if he can prove he can handle, block shots and board. I mean Bam is the hottest prototype to have stock in (see Okongwu being a lottery pick), so I can see why the Raps could be interested.

I just didn't know Knight was quite this agile. It is weird, but he is in the same conference (CAA) as Grant Riller, yet Riller is the guy with all the hype. Knight won POY and DPOY in the conference this year. No injuries, no red flags for personality and he has okay positional size. Not sure why he is so poorly rated in mocks. My guess is that mid-major big men are overlooked because they don't tend to make it in the NBA.

[HeadtopChunes]

Nathan Knight from William and Mary's worked out for the Raps, I think. He posted a pic in Raptors practice gear

He was brought up before earlier in this thread. Really interesting C prospect with some guard skills. Almost the C version of Pascal.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

This is interesting mainly because I checked Instagram and the image was posted on June 29. That was actually at the same time as the training camp for the Raptors who were in Fort Myers. I don't the Raptors were permitted to have draft workouts at that time and it would be weird that they had them at the same place as their camp considering the health risks.

RockIt Sports LLC actually posted the image, and they have training facilities in Virginia, so it might be likely that Masai/Bobby flew over to RockIt Sports to take in a work out. But, why would he be in Raps training gear unless Toronto organized it?

Interestingly, Knight only officially signed with Excel Sports in early July, so this might have been weird clandestine workout that a guy like Dan Tolzman organized. They did a similar secret workout for Siakam and Bruno so maybe the interest could be real in Knight and as the Raps do, they do things under the cover of darkness.

In re-looking at him, he is a strong C from a physicality perspective, and he seems like a natural leader and humble kid. The weird stuff to his game is he has a pretty good handle for a C with a euro-step and other difficult moves he pulls off in-game off the dribble. His assist numbers went down last year, but during his Junior year he averaged 3.5.

Also, can do SF types of dunks, even throwing down between the legs dunks with ease. He had a very high TS% and it was mostly because no one could stop him from dunking last year.

Also, there are not a lot of left-handed Cs. Could be interesting to have a left hand dominant C. There are only 10 left handed shooters in the NBA, and I only know of Ed Davis and DeAndre Jordan as the ones who play C.

Now there are a lot of Mid-Major guys who destroyed their league but amounted to nothing in the NBA. Knight doesn't have too many obvious flaws to his game to prevent him from getting a shot in the NBA.

He is already 23, but I don't it would hold Toronto back. He has a Combine invite so if he does well there it might drive more interest in him.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

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Its might be possible that picture is from last year too

[Psubs]

I think the Raptors will take a Euro guard at #59 for the rights and give undrafted Nathan Knight a Terence Davis contract.

[casual_raps_fan]

I hadn't heard of Nathan Knight before. But based on his highlights he looks like a Terrence Jones/Tristan Thompson hybrid.
Pretty solid prospect.

Yeah. Definitely looks super solid for a late second/undrafted type of prospect. I am seeing a little bit of Draymond/BAM in him too. He's a true big but he's also got some mobility, dribbling, and passing. I'm surprised there isn't more buzz around him earlier in the second.

He looks to be an absolutely stat stuffer too. He even hit close to a three pointer a game last season.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/nathan-knight-1.html

[Dalek]

Its might be possible that picture is from last year too

I know Knight worked out for 6 teams last year and I did not see any workouts with Toronto, but I could be wrong. I just didn't see any media posts about any workouts last year.

Even still, why would a company post an image of Nathan Knight wearing a Raptors jersey which he posted to his Instagram in June of this year? Just too weird to think it wouldn't be intentional.

First Montrezl Harrell posts a picture of his AAU jersey with a Raps logo and now this. Either Toronto tampers a bit to get the players they want or players are dying to play for the Champs.

[casual_raps_fan]

This year will be incredibly hard for teams man. They won’t be able to conceal who they are considering and which players are on their big board.... with only 10 prospects, it’ll tip every teams’ hand.

That's very interesting. I would think that this would be disadvantageous to the Raptors who run a tight ship and have a late pick. Other teams will have an easier time reading their cards that are usually kept well hidden.

I guess it's more fun for the fans at least. We will finally have something new to talk about. lol

[God Squad]

Its might be possible that picture is from last year too

I know Knight worked out for 6 teams last year and I did not see any workouts with Toronto, but I could be wrong. I just didn't see any media posts about any workouts last year.

Even still, why would a company post an image of Nathan Knight wearing a Raptors jersey which he posted to his Instagram in June of this year? Just too weird to think it wouldn't be intentional.

First Montrezl Harrell posts a picture of his AAU jersey with a Raps logo and now this. Either Toronto tampers a bit to get the players they want or players are dying to play for the Champs.

Where there's smoke?! Honestly, I'm starting to warm up to Knight considering I've been getting most draft info from you guys on the board and he's clearly somewhat of an unknown or not talked about enough. But I see tools that should make him succeed in the league. Without even hitting an NBA court yet, I like him more than Dwan Hernandez and they project to play the same role roughly.

[Kevin Willis]

Well Knight is a very smart, well-spoken man. That is a plus from a character stand point. I couldn't find his physical measurements but I did compare his stats with Pascal's in college and they were very similar. Different game but similar dominance.

I mean his potential right now is to be in the rotation and he's older so teams will not be lining up to get him. His percentage from deep is not the greatest although he shoots it. I read on the board his wingspan is not long and he played in the mid-major. Teams will not be drafting him early. That might be a positive if we really like him.

I assume there will be no workouts in Canada because of the pandemic?

[Indeed]

Well Knight is a very smart, well-spoken man. That is a plus from a character stand point. I couldn't find his physical measurements but I did compare his stats with Pascal's in college and they were very similar. Different game but similar dominance.

I mean his potential right now is to be in the rotation and he's older so teams will not be lining up to get him. His percentage from deep is not the greatest although he shoots it. I read on the board his wingspan is not long and he played in the mid-major. Teams will not be drafting him early. That might be a positive if we really like him.

I assume there will be no workouts in Canada because of the pandemic?

The issue is that his offense comes from bullying with his size and strength, which may not transfer to the NBA.
I think we are more looking into his ball handling and passing ability, which allow us to go jumbo big as well (playing him at PF with Siakam and OG at SF and SG).

Meanwhile, we have to see how we are using Hernandez, as both of them could be around the same size and length. Maybe Knight will play more of a perimeter game?

[Psubs]

Well Knight is a very smart, well-spoken man. That is a plus from a character stand point. I couldn't find his physical measurements but I did compare his stats with Pascal's in college and they were very similar. Different game but similar dominance.

I mean his potential right now is to be in the rotation and he's older so teams will not be lining up to get him. His percentage from deep is not the greatest although he shoots it. I read on the board his wingspan is not long and he played in the mid-major. Teams will not be drafting him early. That might be a positive if we really like him.

I assume there will be no workouts in Canada because of the pandemic?

The issue is that his offense comes from bullying with his size and strength, which may not transfer to the NBA.
I think we are more looking into his ball handling and passing ability, which allow us to go jumbo big as well (playing him at PF with Siakam and OG at SF and SG).

Meanwhile, we have to see how we are using Hernandez, as both of them could be around the same size and length. Maybe Knight will play more of a perimeter game?

Maybe like a poor man's Zach Randolph?

[Kevin Willis]

Well Knight is a very smart, well-spoken man. That is a plus from a character stand point. I couldn't find his physical measurements but I did compare his stats with Pascal's in college and they were very similar. Different game but similar dominance.

I mean his potential right now is to be in the rotation and he's older so teams will not be lining up to get him. His percentage from deep is not the greatest although he shoots it. I read on the board his wingspan is not long and he played in the mid-major. Teams will not be drafting him early. That might be a positive if we really like him.

I assume there will be no workouts in Canada because of the pandemic?

The issue is that his offense comes from bullying with his size and strength, which may not transfer to the NBA.
I think we are more looking into his ball handling and passing ability, which allow us to go jumbo big as well (playing him at PF with Siakam and OG at SF and SG).

Meanwhile, we have to see how we are using Hernandez, as both of them could be around the same size and length. Maybe Knight will play more of a perimeter game?

Maybe like a poor man's Zach Randolph?

He seems to be a lot more explosive than Zach and not as skilled but he's still young.

Does he really bully or does he use his dribbling and handles to get where he wants? I looked at Psubs video and when he's in the paint he does bully but for some reason he likes to take people off the dribble. He's doing crossover and behind the back dribbles. He doesn't look too polished but he's not a lotto pick so...

Hernandez might be more polished but he plays a little weak. Knight definitely does not.

[Dalek]

Its might be possible that picture is from last year too

I know Knight worked out for 6 teams last year and I did not see any workouts with Toronto, but I could be wrong. I just didn't see any media posts about any workouts last year.

Even still, why would a company post an image of Nathan Knight wearing a Raptors jersey which he posted to his Instagram in June of this year? Just too weird to think it wouldn't be intentional.

First Montrezl Harrell posts a picture of his AAU jersey with a Raps logo and now this. Either Toronto tampers a bit to get the players they want or players are dying to play for the Champs.

Where there's smoke?! Honestly, I'm starting to warm up to Knight considering I've been getting most draft info from you guys on the board and he's clearly somewhat of an unknown or not talked about enough. But I see tools that should make him succeed in the league. Without even hitting an NBA court yet, I like him more than Dwan Hernandez and they project to play the same role roughly.

I think bringing up Dewan makes sense, since getting a back-up big should be a priority and Hernandez just doesn't bring a lot of toughness on court - even in the G-League. He seems like more of a finesse big and his body doesn't look like he will protect the rim at a high level.

Knight on the other hand, looks like he loves contact and wants to block every shot and grab some boards. Toronto is one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA, so he can help with his physicality.

I remember hearing from Knight that he is slimming down some to be able to play multiple positions, so him being a PF offers some versatility. Honestly, I think he took the previous draft feedback he got and worked on his body and game this past year, so I think he will come in and be able to play 10-15 minutes after a bit of seasoning in the G-League.

[Psubs]

Maybe Omer Yurtseven drops to #59?


He got 9.8 rebs in only 27 mins. 1.5 blocks is adequate. He's like a more skilled Omer Asik. Maybe a poor man's Vucevic?

For 7 feet tall his wingspan is only 7'1". At least he shot 75% FT last season.

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[PhilBlackson]

Amazing the amount of love/attention Nate Knight is getting in this thread lol you would think he's a top 10 player slipping in the draft.

[Dalek]

Amazing the amount of love/attention Nate Knight is getting in this thread lol you would think he's a top 10 player slipping in the draft.

Ha ha! I think there are a couple posters driving this interest (I am one of them). I don't have any idea if this guy is in play for any pick, or if they plan to sign him as an undrafted free agent, but the one thing is for certain: Masai/Bobby will likely shock the NBA media and draft a guy that no one will expect.

The only time I think I was ever right about a pick involving Masai was OG, and that was a fluke that he fell to the Toronto pick. I don't expect the same to happen again, but maybe a guy like Josh Green or RJ Hampton or Tyrell Terry falls and pick 29 is easy.

Knight, for all the attention he gets here is practically buried in mainstream draft sites. He is a mid-major big who led the NCAA in PER. He is eerily similar to Pascal Siakam being a mobile big who has some tricks in his bag, and is a great competitor with a high motor. It would be a shock if they drafted him at 29, but Siakam was picked at 27, so anything can happen.

[casual_raps_fan]

Amazing the amount of love/attention Nate Knight is getting in this thread lol you would think he's a top 10 player slipping in the draft.

Ha ha! I think there are a couple posters driving this interest (I am one of them). I don't have any idea if this guy is in play for any pick, or if they plan to sign him as an undrafted free agent, but the one thing is for certain: Masai/Bobby will likely shock the NBA media and draft a guy that no one will expect.

The only time I think I was ever right about a pick involving Masai was OG, and that was a fluke that he fell to the Toronto pick. I don't expect the same to happen again, but maybe a guy like Josh Green or RJ Hampton or Tyrell Terry falls and pick 29 is easy.

Knight, for all the attention he gets here is practically buried in mainstream draft sites. He is a mid-major big who led the NCAA in PER. He is eerily similar to Pascal Siakam being a mobile big who has some tricks in his bag, and is a great competitor with a high motor. It would be a shock if they drafted him at 29, but Siakam was picked at 27, so anything can happen.

I see what you’re saying but he only looks good as a 59th pick. Not 29th pick.

I’d be pretty disappointed if we select any center at the 29th pick. I just don’t see any safe options or any super high ceiling guys. I guess Nanji is interesting for his potential as a switchy defender and shooting.