2025 NBA Draft Lottery Preview: Toronto Raptors
Albert Ghim and Rowan Kent are back with another lottery team preview, this time taking a look at the funky Toronto Raptors and their 2025 NBA Draft options.
Rowan: For the third time in a row, the Toronto Raptors missed the playoffs and ended up with a lottery selection. The Raptors sit in a state of limbo as a team, as they’re neither tanking for a star nor good enough to push for title contention. The team had a middling Net Rating this season and a truly anemic offense that ranked 26th in offensive efficiency. On the other hand, the roster dealt with a ton of churn and injuries in Darko Rajakovic’s second season, including an intriguing midseason trade for Brandon Ingram. On the surface, with a core of Ingram, Scottie Barnes, R.J. Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley all signed for the foreseeable future, Toronto appears to be firmly committed to returning to the playoffs and staying there. The team also has a strong young supporting core in Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Jonathan Mogbo, all of whom played important role on a rebuilding team last season. With the ninth pick in the draft, the Raptors are primed to either let a premium player fall into their laps or have their relative pick of the litter on the second tier of 2025 draft prospects. Albert, with a kind of funky roster in terms of timelines and needs, what do you think Toronto will do with their Top 10 pick? Do you agree that they’re pushing for a path to the playoffs? What types of players might they target here?
Albert: I don’t even know how to wrap my head around this roster. As you mentioned, they’ve got a ton of guys, and all of them are locked down for years to come. An extra layer we need to consider is all of the rumors going around that the Raptors are going big game hunting and will supposedly be looking to make a move for a star. My only question is, who would a team be interested in from this roster? If it’s Giannis or KD, would Phoenix or Milwaukee be intrigued by some mix of Barnes, Barrett, and Quickley? All those guys are locked down for big money for years to come. Would they be looking at those guys to be the core of their rebuild? If they can package some of those guys for a star, I imagine the ninth pick could be involved in a trade like that. For now, though, let’s just say they keep the roster as is. There are some really interesting options to consider late in the lottery. It’s highly unlikely that he’s there at nine, but if, for some reason, he were to fall a little bit, adding a guy like Khaman Maluach could be a ton of fun. As solid as Jakob Poeltl has been for them, adding a monster like Maluach could come in and immediately contribute off the bench as Poeltl’s backup, offering a ton of size, rim protection, and verticality as a roller in ball screens.
You also have to wonder if they look for another guard who can be a spark off the bench and offer a punch of scoring. If Jakucionis were there or if they were really into Jeremiah Fears or Jase Richardson Jr., maybe they could be an option for them. Of the three, I’d be most interested in Jakucionis. You have to like the size advantage he has over Quickley, and they might give him a year or two to develop behind Quickley before throwing him into a future deal before they hand the keys to the offense off to Jakucionis. With the type of roster they have, it’s hard to clearly identify a need for them. At this point, selecting the best player available should be their approach to this pick. You also have to wonder if Masai Ujiri might just be licking his lips at the chance to draft either Cedric Coward or Collin Murray-Boyles with their condor-like wingspans. Rowan, what is your magic eight ball saying about this team’s future? What would you do at nine to help them?
Rowan: The Magic 8 Ball said “Concentrate and Ask Again,” so I’m on my own for this one. If I were drafting at nine, assuming the roster wasn’t already sectioned off for a star hunt, I’d have to go best player available as well. If a player like Malauch or Derik Queen fell to the Raptors, I think they’d be extra excited due to the positional fit. Either player, although different in their skill sets, would fit well alongside Scottie Barnes in the frontcourt. Barring a Barnes trade to accelerate the timeline, Barnes is the only cornerstone I can count on with this roster when it comes to future construction. I don’t think either player will be available by the time Toronto’s pick rolls around, however.
The Kasparas Jakucionis shout is one that I’d be on board with as well. Jakucionis demonstrated a strong command of a good offense this season, running an efficient offense throughout the year and establishing his readiness for the NBA. His size and passing reads are his strongest suits, but I’m also a bit more bullish on this athleticism in the long run as well. A lot has been made over the fact that he just had one dunk this season, but he showed better vertical pop during his last youth season for Barcelona. The long grind of the NCAA compared to his past schedule isn’t accounted for enough, in my opinion, and I think Jakucionis does have enough athletic advantages to be a positive creator for the team. That, combined with his great size and wizardry with the ball in his hands, makes him a great addition to this Raptors team. He could probably play off Quickley in some lineups or organize the second unit alongside Gradey Dick.
In terms of Coward or Murray-Boyles, I like the fit of one player over the other. Coward has been a definite riser during the draft season due to his great measurements, shooting touch, and positional size, which is something this Raptors team could use. Toronto was 28th in three-pointers attempted this season and just 23rd in three-point percentage, so long-range snipers are a plus. Coward could provide them with that, alongside great defense and wing depth. He’d be a player who, even with a roster that was in flux, could be a mainstay on the roster throughout the tumult.
Murray-Boyles, on the other hand, seems a less suitable fit. He’s a great defender, has awesome horizontal athleticism, and has shown improvements on his offense inside the arc. Where CMB struggles, however, are areas that the Raptors need to excel in sooner rather than later. Murray-Boyles is still a non-shooter at this stage in his development, which makes his fit on the Raptors iffy at best. He’d do little to help the spacing issues that plagued the team this season and doesn’t project to be a dependable shooter without serious improvement. Murray-Boyles’s height is another factor, as he’s undersized as an NBA center. While Toronto may feel like the combination of him and Barnes could be a switchy, mobile, defensive twin mini towers, that team would give up a lot of height on both ends. Plus, Murray-Boyles has a similar skill set to Barnes already, which could work to compound those advantages, but it feels a bit odd to draft a potential long-term backup with a top-ten pick. Albert, what’s your sell on Murray-Boyles at this pick? And besides Jakucionis, how might Jase Richardson Jr. fit? To go out of left field, what about a Carter Bryant or an Egor Demin at this point in the draft?
Albert: I’m actually with you. If I were them, I wouldn’t take Murray-Boyles with a Top 10 pick. I just brought him up because of their love for guys who’ve replaced their arms with stilts. I like Murray-Boyles as a player, but for all the reasons you laid out, I’d be looking to grab him in the teens. I have no problem with a team grabbing him in the lottery; it’s just not for me.
Jase is an interesting name here. He’s another player I think should be considered later, but you wouldn’t lose your mind if the Raptors took him at nine. Jase is interesting because we didn’t really get to see the full arsenal of what he can do. Not only did he not see the floor a ton in his freshman season, but in his lone season for the Michigan State Spartans, they didn’t give him a ton to do. He was mostly just a flamethrower, coming off the bench and letting it fly. In his limited opportunities, he did show flashes of doing interesting things with the ball in his hands, but the sample size is small. My only concern with him and this roster is that they already have a smaller guard who isn’t exactly a prototypical point guard in Immanuel Quickley. I think Jase could have a very good professional career, I just don’t know if he’s the right pick for the Raptors at nine.
If Carter Bryant or Egor Demin are still on the board at this point, the Raptors should be very excited. Carter Bryant could be the second coming of OG Anunoby and would provide them with a significant defensive impact on the wings, complemented by a lot of offensive potential. Bryant was another guy who didn’t get to do a ton with the ball in his freshman season, but he has shown flashes of his offensive potential in high school and small sample sizes in college. If the Raptors grabbed Bryant, he really would be another depth piece on the wing and could see immediate playing time off the bench.
Egor Demin is a guy that I think people are severely sleeping on. I know he didn’t shoot it well last season, and I know he’s not the fastest or twitchiest athlete. Where I think people are missing the point is that you don’t have to be ridiculously fast or athletic to create advantages with the ball in your hands. I got to see Egor work out in person here in Los Angeles, and I was impressed with what I saw. Even before I saw him in person, I had him fourth on my Big Board, and after seeing him work out, it only solidified what I had seen on tape. Demin is a super fluid and smooth athlete who can really handle the ball. Even without elite burst or speed, he can create headaches for the defense with solid footwork and hesitations. He’s also a magical playmaker who has a God-given vision that most are not born with. The feel, pace, and fluidity with which he plays are different. I also loved seeing him shoot. He may not be a deadeye sniper yet, but he has worked extensively on his jumper, and it looks a lot smoother than it did at BYU. He got to showcase his growth by putting on a good shooting display at his pro day at the combine. When you have a guy at his size, with elite playmaking tools, I believe you have to take a bet on guys like that in the Top 10 every single time. If the Raptors have a chance to take him at nine, I’d do it without any hesitation.
Rowan, gun to your head, who would you take at nine if you were running the Raptors?
Rowan: Gun to my head? I’m glad we’ve upped the stakes to where they belong this time of year. I think I would take Jakucionis at nine if I were the Raptors. Both Demin and Bryant are intriguing options at this pick, as pending a secret boost in stock or promise, both players should still be on the board here. I don’t think the Raptors would regret drafting either guy, but it comes down to whether they see them as fitting into the rotation this upcoming season. Whether the Raptors go star hunting or not, they appear to be a team deadset on making it back to the playoffs. While both Demin and Bryant are probably good enough to earn some bench minutes for the team, that may not be enough to warrant their selection over other players in their tier who could have a more immediate impact.
Were the draft board to fall a different way and either of Maluach or Queen were available, I’d draft them. Both players make too much sense with Jakob Poeltl’s ceiling as a player and his current contract situation. Each one would fit into the current crop of good, not great, young players that Toronto has and provide them with a north star. Fitting either center between Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Gradey Dick, and Jonathan Mogbo would round out the rest of the rotation around Ingram, Barrett, and Barnes.
I doubt either one falls to nine, however, which paves the way for Jakucionis to land in Toronto. He’s built with the size to play point guard or switch over to the off-guard spot, while having a complementary skillset that can take over possessions when needed. He’ll do the most critical task for the ancillary pieces in Toronto, which is to create easier shots for Ingram and Barnes, which makes him a valuable piece. Given Toronto’s spot in the draft, I do think this is where the board can open up and see some wild swings from consensus and expectation, but if I were in Masai Ujiri’s shoes, I’d add Jakucionis as the next piece in ending the rebuild for the Toronto Raptors.
If I’m the raptors, I think jaku is the better decision. Lottery is questionable at this point for demin. Not really a guard, he’s a wing who’s comfortable on the ball. His handle is bad, too upright and loose, and he’s not assertive enough to leverage his elite passing. Struggles to finish at the rim right now too. He can play defense at an at least average level. His shot hasn’t been connecting but I have faith in his mechanics. Wizards should take him to let him kink out his handle and finishing, and the shot. His passing can completely change a team though, dude is the best passer in the draft. There are a lot of issues when it comes to his translation, a PG that struggles to handle, shoot, or be assertive on offense while not being an elite defender is a bad choice to have someone running your team. Later on in his career that’s when I think he can be the 6’9 PG he’s supposed to be. Jaku can play off the ball with his size and solid jumper, although it did fall off later in the season. With Ingram and Barnes there, they can cover for his weakness when it comes to getting to his spots off the bounce, which he struggles with. He’s obviously a great passer, not better than demin but his turnover issues are a question for me and his defense. I feel as if jaku needs to maximize his pull-up shooting to finish his desired outcome. Since he’s not going to be a volume rim finisher, and he’s not usually going to stand on the perimeter and spot up (you don’t draft a great playmaker for that), he needs to pull ups out of the PNR and off the bounce.