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

[Psubs]

Joe was my first love in this draft, and is now considered a 2nd round to undrafted prospect, which is ludicrous. This kid has more talent in his pinky finger than 90% of this draft, and he could flourish in our developmental system.

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I'd be cool with him at #58. Isiah Thomas dropped to #60 when he was a borderline 1st round prospect.

[casual_raps_fan]

Yeah you're right, he doesn't have the length and athleticism of a Norm or TD according to this recent article.

https://www.poundingtherock.com/2020/6/3/21278866/potential-2020-nba-draft-targets-for-the-spurs-leandro-bolmaro

Still he might not be available at our pick suprisingly. Hopefully someone good drops into our lap. I hope it's Nesmith.

Nesmith is like a Doug McDermott shooter. Someone is going to use a pick in the teens on him.

He shot well in HS and his freshman season might be the anomaly. He should shoot around 40% in the pros. Can't see him making it past 20 Philly 21 Dallas 22 Memphis.

In 2019-2020 season, he played 14 games and attempted 8 three pointers a game and made 52% of them. What?

Not only that, he has solid measurements as a wing (height 6'6 and 6'10 wingspan) and projects as a positive defender.

I'd be surprised if he gets past the lottery.

[casual_raps_fan]

From scouting report, Bolmaro is not good in team defense, and he is not quick enough to guard some players, so I don't think he can guard multiple positions. I think we might draft a SF/PF at 28 instead of PG/SG, and maybe a big at 58.

SI needs a better editor. It can't be the first first-round pick since 2020. Well I guess it could but that's not what they meant.

Bolmaro is an on the ball hawk defender. He does lose his man time to time off-ball but Terence Davis had the similar problem in college, it's fixable. If you look at some of his games, he will probably be as good a defender as Norm so it depends how well you rate Norm. Norm can guard 1,2 and small 3 so I think Bolmaro can do the same. I wouldn't keep him overseas. I would have him stay here and develop in our G-League like others.

I also think we will go PF but they will be looking for a certain type. It's possible that what they want might be off the board, in that situation Bolmaro is a good choice.

I don't think Bolmaro has the lateral quickness and first step of Davis.
Davis actually has a good first step.

If we are looking for Norm replacement as the 6th man, that would be an option, but he does not have Powell measurement. I think we are looking replacing defense for offense, not necessarily an improvement, and neither address our needs (eg. rebounding).

I think short term, people want him to replace McCaw as our utility player off the bench. Offensively, his ball handling would immediately be an upgrade over McCaw. Defensively, he has similar size and should be able to replace him.

When one of Fred or Lowry were out, the Raptors were desperate for another primary ball handler. Nurse was trying out Norm, TD, McCaw and none of them really worked out so another reliable ball handler would be welcomed. The problem is, our two main guys (Fred and Kyle) are really short so we would probably prefer somebody with more height than them.

The nice thing about Bolmaro is that he fits beside any of our main guards (kyle, fred, norm, td) and against smaller lineups, we'd be able to slot him in nicely in a 3 guard lineup.

The biggest question mark about him for me is that his potential hinges heavily on his shooting. It's nice that he has skills with the ball but without shooting (or scoring), there isn't much value in it. He hasn't shown any consistency with his shot so it lowers his floor by quite a bit. He's still young and his shot doesn't look broken so there is hope but it looks like a gamble. If his shot doesn't pan out, we are left with an unreliable playoff player.

[casual_raps_fan]

He seems like PJ Tucker at best. I'd rather take Reggie Perry, who improved his shooting from his rookie season and just hope that his 32% shooting from 3 will get better, as he shot 76% FT's which is over 10% better than Woodard. Perry can at least play PF/C.

I'm guessing some team will draft Stewart ahead of our pick and Perry might be available at #28.

I'd be okay with taking 1 of Carey, Perry, Stewart, Jalen Smith, Paul Reed, Zeke Nnaji, Tillman or Pokusevski at #28.

Ew to either Carey or Pok with our pick.

Woodard is nothing like Tucker, but I think you underestimate how valuable a guy like Tucker is to a contending team. I'd love to have Tucker on our team now. Heck, when we drafted him OG was compared to Tucker as a selling point.

Tucker was a 4 in college. He didn't shoot a single three until his junior year, and he was a below the rim player who played bully ball.

Woodard is 3 who's taller, longer, and more athletic (above the rim). Has a nice looking 3 point stroke already, and is a very good shot blocker for a SF. He's a lot closer to OG than he is to Tucker, even similar with their strange 3pt vs FT shooting disparity. I think his better comparable might be Robert Covington though.

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Perry is interesting with his skill set for a big. I'd have to check out his defense though to see how he would fit our team. One draw back on him is his lack of length with only a 7'0 wingspan. That's shorter than Woodard who is a small forward, so it's definitely short for a power forward.

If Woodward can decently defend 1-3 or 2-4 in space and make stationary 3s at a decent % then I got no issues at taking him at #28.
If he ends being anything like Tucker or Covington then the pick will be considered a major win. Both of those guys are high demand glue guys that every aspiring championship team chases after.

A player with more offensive upside sounds sexier but if nobody that the Raptors likes is available, then I'd have absolutely no issues with a good versatile defender who can hit jumpers. That sounds like great value with a late first round pick.

Edit: I just noticed but I'm seeing a ton of PJ Tucker comparisons this draft. Is that because people are looking for players like him or because he's just a convenient comparison?

[Psubs]

Edit: I just noticed but I'm seeing a ton of PJ Tucker comparisons this draft. Is that because people are looking for players like him or because he's just a convenient comparison?

Every tweener forward is working on their 3pt shot since that is what the NBA require these days. It's more likely to find 6'7 players playing PF in College. Also Tucker what you'd expect from a late 1st round talent when you hit and this draft is pretty spread out.

[Psubs]

Yeah you're right, he doesn't have the length and athleticism of a Norm or TD according to this recent article.

https://www.poundingtherock.com/2020/6/3/21278866/potential-2020-nba-draft-targets-for-the-spurs-leandro-bolmaro

Still he might not be available at our pick suprisingly. Hopefully someone good drops into our lap. I hope it's Nesmith.

Nesmith is like a Doug McDermott shooter. Someone is going to use a pick in the teens on him.

He shot well in HS and his freshman season might be the anomaly. He should shoot around 40% in the pros. Can't see him making it past 20 Philly 21 Dallas 22 Memphis.

In 2019-2020 season, he played 14 games and attempted 8 three pointers a game and made 52% of them. What?

Not only that, he has solid measurements as a wing (height 6'6 and 6'10 wingspan) and projects as a positive defender.

I'd be surprised if he gets past the lottery.

I agree but his freshman year wasn't that impressive so others may see his sophomore season and being a giant hot streak. He might be the next Kyle Korver.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Nesmith is like a Doug McDermott shooter. Someone is going to use a pick in the teens on him.

He shot well in HS and his freshman season might be the anomaly. He should shoot around 40% in the pros. Can't see him making it past 20 Philly 21 Dallas 22 Memphis.

In 2019-2020 season, he played 14 games and attempted 8 three pointers a game and made 52% of them. What?

Not only that, he has solid measurements as a wing (height 6'6 and 6'10 wingspan) and projects as a positive defender.

I'd be surprised if he gets past the lottery.

I agree but his freshman year wasn't that impressive so others may see his sophomore season and being a giant hot streak. He might be the next Kyle Korver.

I'm not sure what to believe when it comes to Nesmith. To me there are guys that have shot the ball more consistently for their collegiate careers that are worth being selected over him, but I could be wrong. It could've been a minor tweak from his freshman to sophomore season that resulted in his simultaneous rise in percentage and attempts from 3. He could join the NBA and stay over 40%, but I'd probably take a pass on him, especially if I have to select him in the 1st round.

[Psubs]

In 2019-2020 season, he played 14 games and attempted 8 three pointers a game and made 52% of them. What?

Not only that, he has solid measurements as a wing (height 6'6 and 6'10 wingspan) and projects as a positive defender.

I'd be surprised if he gets past the lottery.

I agree but his freshman year wasn't that impressive so others may see his sophomore season and being a giant hot streak. He might be the next Kyle Korver.

I'm not sure what to believe when it comes to Nesmith. To me there are guys that have shot the ball more consistently for their collegiate careers that are worth being selected over him, but I could be wrong. It could've been a minor tweak from his freshman to sophomore season that resulted in his simultaneous rise in percentage and attempts from 3. He could join the NBA and stay over 40%, but I'd probably take a pass on him, especially if I have to select him in the 1st round.

At least he shot 82.5% FT in each of his 2 seasons. Maybe a bigger Wesley Matthews fits as his release isn't as quick as Korver.

[casual_raps_fan]

I agree but his freshman year wasn't that impressive so others may see his sophomore season and being a giant hot streak. He might be the next Kyle Korver.

I'm not sure what to believe when it comes to Nesmith. To me there are guys that have shot the ball more consistently for their collegiate careers that are worth being selected over him, but I could be wrong. It could've been a minor tweak from his freshman to sophomore season that resulted in his simultaneous rise in percentage and attempts from 3. He could join the NBA and stay over 40%, but I'd probably take a pass on him, especially if I have to select him in the 1st round.

At least he shot 82.5% FT in each of his 2 seasons. Maybe a bigger Wesley Matthews fits as his release isn't as quick as Korver.

Slightly off topic but Wesley Matthews has had a very underrated career. He went undrafted and has been a starter every season of his 11 year career. Very impressive.

[casual_raps_fan]

In 2019-2020 season, he played 14 games and attempted 8 three pointers a game and made 52% of them. What?

Not only that, he has solid measurements as a wing (height 6'6 and 6'10 wingspan) and projects as a positive defender.

I'd be surprised if he gets past the lottery.

I agree but his freshman year wasn't that impressive so others may see his sophomore season and being a giant hot streak. He might be the next Kyle Korver.

I'm not sure what to believe when it comes to Nesmith. To me there are guys that have shot the ball more consistently for their collegiate careers that are worth being selected over him, but I could be wrong. It could've been a minor tweak from his freshman to sophomore season that resulted in his simultaneous rise in percentage and attempts from 3. He could join the NBA and stay over 40%, but I'd probably take a pass on him, especially if I have to select him in the 1st round.

You'd pass on him? Which players interest you the most in our range?

Unless there is a big or wing with offensive potential, I'd have a hard time passing on him. He looks like a tailor made NBA role player in the mold of Danny Green, Trevor Ariza, Wesley Matthews. I don't see too much risk in selecting him because his required tools to play his role are well refined already (high floor). He'd slot in nicely right behind OG eventually taking McCaw's minutes.

[Indeed]

SI needs a better editor. It can't be the first first-round pick since 2020. Well I guess it could but that's not what they meant.

Bolmaro is an on the ball hawk defender. He does lose his man time to time off-ball but Terence Davis had the similar problem in college, it's fixable. If you look at some of his games, he will probably be as good a defender as Norm so it depends how well you rate Norm. Norm can guard 1,2 and small 3 so I think Bolmaro can do the same. I wouldn't keep him overseas. I would have him stay here and develop in our G-League like others.

I also think we will go PF but they will be looking for a certain type. It's possible that what they want might be off the board, in that situation Bolmaro is a good choice.

I don't think Bolmaro has the lateral quickness and first step of Davis.
Davis actually has a good first step.

If we are looking for Norm replacement as the 6th man, that would be an option, but he does not have Powell measurement. I think we are looking replacing defense for offense, not necessarily an improvement, and neither address our needs (eg. rebounding).

I think short term, people want him to replace McCaw as our utility player off the bench. Offensively, his ball handling would immediately be an upgrade over McCaw. Defensively, he has similar size and should be able to replace him.

When one of Fred or Lowry were out, the Raptors were desperate for another primary ball handler. Nurse was trying out Norm, TD, McCaw and none of them really worked out so another reliable ball handler would be welcomed. The problem is, our two main guys (Fred and Kyle) are really short so we would probably prefer somebody with more height than them.

The nice thing about Bolmaro is that he fits beside any of our main guards (kyle, fred, norm, td) and against smaller lineups, we'd be able to slot him in nicely in a 3 guard lineup.

The biggest question mark about him for me is that his potential hinges heavily on his shooting. It's nice that he has skills with the ball but without shooting (or scoring), there isn't much value in it. He hasn't shown any consistency with his shot so it lowers his floor by quite a bit. He's still young and his shot doesn't look broken so there is hope but it looks like a gamble. If his shot doesn't pan out, we are left with an unreliable playoff player.

Pretty much disagree that our short term priority is to replace McCaw or someone not better than Powell. The short term need is a C replacement, as Gasol and Ibaka are out, we are worst than VanVleet and Lowry being out. And I don't see his first step, as his majority of points come from shooting over breaking down defense with ball penetration.

I think we would prioritize a big SF plus defender who can initiate from the post or provide ball penetration.

[casual_raps_fan]

I don't think Bolmaro has the lateral quickness and first step of Davis.
Davis actually has a good first step.

If we are looking for Norm replacement as the 6th man, that would be an option, but he does not have Powell measurement. I think we are looking replacing defense for offense, not necessarily an improvement, and neither address our needs (eg. rebounding).

I think short term, people want him to replace McCaw as our utility player off the bench. Offensively, his ball handling would immediately be an upgrade over McCaw. Defensively, he has similar size and should be able to replace him.

When one of Fred or Lowry were out, the Raptors were desperate for another primary ball handler. Nurse was trying out Norm, TD, McCaw and none of them really worked out so another reliable ball handler would be welcomed. The problem is, our two main guys (Fred and Kyle) are really short so we would probably prefer somebody with more height than them.

The nice thing about Bolmaro is that he fits beside any of our main guards (kyle, fred, norm, td) and against smaller lineups, we'd be able to slot him in nicely in a 3 guard lineup.

The biggest question mark about him for me is that his potential hinges heavily on his shooting. It's nice that he has skills with the ball but without shooting (or scoring), there isn't much value in it. He hasn't shown any consistency with his shot so it lowers his floor by quite a bit. He's still young and his shot doesn't look broken so there is hope but it looks like a gamble. If his shot doesn't pan out, we are left with an unreliable playoff player.

Pretty much disagree that our short term priority is to replace McCaw or someone not better than Powell. The short term need is a C replacement, as Gasol and Ibaka are out, we are worst than VanVleet and Lowry being out. And I don't see his first step, as his majority of points come from shooting over breaking down defense with ball penetration.

I think we would prioritize a big SF plus defender who can initiate from the post or provide ball penetration.

I didn't say that our short term priority is to replace McCaw. Bolmaro would be a long term investment but short term, he could bring value by taking over McCaw's role (who will expire 2021). We are stacked at guard so it's not a priority to grab a guard but another ball handler would be nice. That's all I meant.

I don't know about priorities but I'd say a toolsy forward would be at the top of my wishlist. If nobody that fits the Raptors is available, a defensive anchor center would be next.

In the end, we are drafting at the end of the first round so I'll be happy with any player who can be a consistent contributor on both ends of the floor. That would be a win.

[Psubs]

Just thinking of players at the end of the first, it's good to have at least 1 elite NBA skill, who do you think for each category?

Most Athletic: Anthony Edwards, Cassius Stanley, Yves Pons?
Best Shooter: Aaron Nesmith, Saddiq Bey
Best Defender: Xavier Tillman
Best Passer: Tyrese Haliburton
Most Toolsy: Paul Reed
Best Scorer:
Quickest Player:
Best Rim Protector:

[Dalek]

Joe was my first love in this draft, and is now considered a 2nd round to undrafted prospect, which is ludicrous. This kid has more talent in his pinky finger than 90% of this draft, and he could flourish in our developmental system.

Read on Twitter

Watch on YouTube

I'd be cool with him at #58. Isiah Thomas dropped to #60 when he was a borderline 1st round prospect.

I was curious about Joe because of the draft guys talking him up. However, was he even the best player on that team? I watch Mason Jones and he was their go-to option, the guy who literally carried that team.

I get that Joe was hurt for part of the year, but his numbers don't lie: 36.7 FG%; 34.2 3%.
Mason Jones who averaged 7 more points, 45 FG%; and 34 3% was a much more versatile player, just a slightly worse athlete.

[BoyzNTheHood]

I agree but his freshman year wasn't that impressive so others may see his sophomore season and being a giant hot streak. He might be the next Kyle Korver.

I'm not sure what to believe when it comes to Nesmith. To me there are guys that have shot the ball more consistently for their collegiate careers that are worth being selected over him, but I could be wrong. It could've been a minor tweak from his freshman to sophomore season that resulted in his simultaneous rise in percentage and attempts from 3. He could join the NBA and stay over 40%, but I'd probably take a pass on him, especially if I have to select him in the 1st round.

You'd pass on him? Which players interest you the most in our range?

Unless there is a big or wing with offensive potential, I'd have a hard time passing on him. He looks like a tailor made NBA role player in the mold of Danny Green, Trevor Ariza, Wesley Matthews. I don't see too much risk in selecting him because his required tools to play his role are well refined already (high floor). He'd slot in nicely right behind OG eventually taking McCaw's minutes.

Like I said, I could be wrong but yes I'd pass on Nesmith. I can see him being a Mathews type in the NBA though, so I wouldn't be mad especially if a genius like Masai picks him.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Joe was my first love in this draft, and is now considered a 2nd round to undrafted prospect, which is ludicrous. This kid has more talent in his pinky finger than 90% of this draft, and he could flourish in our developmental system.

Read on Twitter

Watch on YouTube

I'd be cool with him at #58. Isiah Thomas dropped to #60 when he was a borderline 1st round prospect.

I was curious about Joe because of the draft guys talking him up. However, was he even the best player on that team? I watch Mason Jones and he was their go-to option, the guy who literally carried that team.

I get that Joe was hurt for part of the year, but his numbers don't lie: 36.7 FG%; 34.2 3%.
Mason Jones who averaged 7 more points, 45 FG%; and 34 3% was a much more versatile player, just a slightly worse athlete.

You're preaching to the choir about Mason Jones. I introduced him into this thread a long time ago and basically no one showed any interest even though his scoring numbers are elite. His collegiate statistics are comparable to the likes of James Harden. Is he Harden? No. But it definitely isn't a bad thing to be in the same statistical conversation as a guy like him though.

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With that said, Isaiah Joe is a lottery talent in this draft even if his struggles this season don't back up that statement. With proper development Joe can be very good.

[BoyzNTheHood]

If this kid isn't a lotto pick somebody will be getting a massive steal. You really have to dig to find negativity in his game.

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[Dalek]

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I'd be cool with him at #58. Isiah Thomas dropped to #60 when he was a borderline 1st round prospect.

I was curious about Joe because of the draft guys talking him up. However, was he even the best player on that team? I watch Mason Jones and he was their go-to option, the guy who literally carried that team.

I get that Joe was hurt for part of the year, but his numbers don't lie: 36.7 FG%; 34.2 3%.
Mason Jones who averaged 7 more points, 45 FG%; and 34 3% was a much more versatile player, just a slightly worse athlete.

You're preaching to the choir about Mason Jones. I introduced him into this thread a long time ago and basically no one showed any interest even though his scoring numbers are elite. His collegiate statistics are comparable to the likes of James Harden. Is he Harden? No. But it definitely isn't a bad thing to be in the same statistical conversation as a guy like him though.

Watch on YouTube

With that said, Isaiah Joe is a lottery talent in this draft even if his struggles this season don't back up that statement. With proper development Joe can be very good.

Sorry if I missed you posting about Mason Jones. He is an elite scorer at the college level. Just a very crafty strong guy who really knows how to draw fouls. It is too bad that he has a rep as being a horrific defender. I think he can be better with more agility training.

I'll have to take your word for it on Joe. I did not watch him over the course of his career, but there are many that say he is much better than his number indicate.

Arkansas was a weird team last year. From what I could tell they played only small ball the whole game.

[Psubs]

Are either of these Razorbacks a better SG/SF prospect than Paul Watson? If not, why use a draft pick on them?

https://gleague.nba.com/player/paul-watson/

[BoyzNTheHood]

Are either of these Razorbacks a better SG/SF prospect than Paul Watson? If not, why use a draft pick on them?

https://gleague.nba.com/player/paul-watson/

I don't understand the hype surrounding Watson. He's done pretty well for himself as a G-Leaguer but hasn't proven a lick in the NBA, and was underwhelming as a collegiate athlete to say the least.