The Toronto Raptors will have a plethora of project forwards when they select at No. 23 in the NBA Draft. But everything that glitters isn’t gold. This draft is deep, but many of the prospects have serious warts. Here are the players the Raptors should steer clear from despite the temptation due to their upside.
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Harry Giles
Giles was a McDonald’s All-American, but many thought he’d better off redshirting at Duke because of his long, recent injury history. Giles tore his left ACL, meniscus and MCL in 2013, tore his right ACL in 2015 and had a left knee procedure in 2016. More alarming though is he only scored 10 points twice in college. It’s tough to pull the trigger on a player who struggles to get five baskets against inferior competition. If Giles has struggled with health playing a high school and NCAA schedule is it realistic to believe he can navigate an 82-game schedule against stronger and bigger athletes? It’s easy to fall in love with Giles who shot 57 EFG% from the floor and has accomplished post moves. But how long can he be expected to be on the floor for? He’s a “hack-a-Shaq” candidate shooting 50 per cent from the line. Giles has more questions than answers, which is why you might want to stay away.
Zach Collins
You’re likely not going to get a starter outside the lottery. But if you’re drafting in the first round, you’d like to think that player one day could become a starter. Which is the point of conflict for Zach Collins. Collins didn’t start until his senior year of high school. He also didn’t start in his one year at Gonzaga. Collins is talented and plays with a chip on his shoulder, but he’s foul prone. The main reason he can’t play extended minutes is because he’s constantly in foul trouble and even at the best of times can’t guard. With his slim build those issues are only going to be exacerbated in the professional ranks as he’s a below average athlete that lacks tremendous size.
John Collins
John Collins is a great scorer, but was also in foul trouble a lot as a freshman at Wake Forest. He cleaned that issue up in his second year, but it was by being passive at the defensive end. He’s a great paint scorer on offence, but he’s only attempted one three-point shot in his career and zero last year. In the new era NBA, you need your big to provide some spacing. Collins projects to be a good pro, but he isn’t a stylistic upgrade for the Raptors on either end of the floor.
Ike Anigbogu
The most alarming stat when you look at Anigbogu’s college body of work is that he only played 20 minutes in a game once. If he isn’t playing heavy minutes in the Pac-12, he’s not going to be a star in the NBA. Anigbogu lures you in as he’s a tremendous athlete, but his skill level is low. A big who scored 4.7 points and four rebounds isn’t exciting in the draft. Although not ready to contribute, this was the perfect time for him to come out as he’ll be exposed at UCLA next year without Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf. Although it was wise for him to enter the draft, it wouldn’t be wise for the Toronto Raptors to select him.
Luke Kennard
Luke Kennard has good size for a guard at six-foot-six but his wingspan is actually shorter than that at six-foot-five. Unless you’re a dinosaur, it’s out of the ordinary to have a smaller wingspan than your height, especially if you’re a basketball player. Kennard struggles to finish at the rim because of his lack of athleticism and his limited reach doesn’t help. Despite his effort and intensity, he also struggles in man-to-man defence. He’s too slow without a good enough handle to be a NBA guard. He’s too small and not imposing enough to be a NBA forward. Kennard doesn’t really have a position in the NBA and his elite feel for the game and shooting stroke isn’t enough to make up for that fact.
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