The Toronto Raptors continued their pre-draft workouts Tuesday, hosting a group of six prospects that included two centres, one guard, two hybrid forward-guards, and one forward that the club is “definitely considering” for one of their selections, according to personnel executive Dan Tolzman.
There has been plenty of speculation that the Raptors could move down in the draft, particularly at pick No. 27, and the fact that the club worked out players who are mostly projected to land in the second round provided some credence to that notion.
Here’s a closer look at the six players that were in Toronto:
The two biggest names in attendance were centre AJ Hammons and forward Alex Poythress while the rest of the group featured Northeastern guard David Walker, Michael Gbinije of Syracuse, Troy Williams of Indiana, and Villanova centre Daniel Ochefu.
Hammons, a seven-foot centre from Purdue, has size, strength, and could be a shot-blocking machine at the pro level. However, there are concerns. He was not a consistent player in college, although he largely improved that in his senior season, and disappeared for long stretches of games. He should land somewhere in the middle of the second round, along with Poythress, which means the Raptors would need to either move back quite a bit or trade back in since they do not have a second-round pick in next Thursday’s draft.
Poythress, 22, is an athletic wing player with impressive physical tools at six-foot-eight. He can defend multiple positions and was a solid shooter and rebounder throughout his time at Kentucky.
Ochefu just won a national championship at Villanova but is not a big-time draft prospect. The defensively sound big man has shot blocking ability, is versatile, and can rebound due to a big wingspan but is incredibly raw on offence. He’s a fringe second-round prospect and could be an option for the Raptors as an undrafted free agent.
“I’m an all-around player,” Ochefu told local reporters after his workout. “I’m an extremely hard worker … I play hard at all times when I’m out there.”
He also has a relationship with a current Raptor.
Gbinije began his collegiate career at Duke, where he didn’t get much playing time, and transferred to Syracuse after his freshman year. He stayed at Syracuse until his senior year in which he broke out with an average of 17.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists on 46 per cent shooting. He is a versatile wing player, projected to go in the middle portion of the second round, who has quality vision and can score from three-point range.
“Defence and pick-and-roll were the two things I wanted to focus on (in today’s workout),” Gbinije told reporters Tuesday.
Williams and Walker aren’t likely to be selected in the draft and could be options for summer league or the Raptors 905 next season.
