Raptors Draft Watch: Mock Draft Roundup – No Consensus at 19th

If there’s no better indication that this is a flat draft, the draft gurus are torn about where specific prospects should go, and we’re seeing almost a different name for every mock draft.

It’s been over a week since the NBA Draft Withdrawal Deadline, a crucial point in the pre-draft process where players must decide whether to stay in the draft or return to college. With that settled, the usual suspects stood pat, but the mock drafts remained volatile.

It’s a flat draft. Take someone like Kel’el Ware, a 5-star high school recruit who faced a setback in his freshman year at Oregon but bounced back with a strong performance at Indiana. He’s a prime example of the unpredictable nature of this draft, with projections ranging from mid-lottery to the early second-round range.

There’s a wide range of opinions on many draft positions, and the Raptors’ 19th pick is no exception. Out of the 13 draft sites/experts that updated their mocks post-withdrawal, we saw diverse prospects linked to the 19th selection. Only Yves Missi, Isaiah Collier, and Kel’el Ware managed to garner more than one vote, adding to the intrigue of the upcoming draft.

Some experts thought that the Raptors could use some frontcourt depth with the Zach Edey, Yves Missi, and Kel’el Ware selections. There are also the “Vision 6’9” prototypes in Tidjane Salaun, Ryan Dunn, and Kyshawn George. Or perhaps these draft gurus thought that the Raptors could use a bit more shooting with the Johnny Furphy and Ja’Kobe Walter picks. Or maybe they just need to get the best talent available, as is the case of Isaiah Collier.

Let’s go over the selections.

Tankathon: Devin Carter

Previous Pick: Devin Carter (No Change)

31st pick: Ryan Dunn (No Change)

Update: May 23, 2024

There are no changes to Tankathon’s picks for the Raptors on their most recent mock draft. Devin Carter remains their pick at 19th, whose stock is soaring high right now, with a possibility of a promise somewhere in the lottery, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. The popular vote for the Raptors’ 31st selection is Ryan Dunn, a Vision 6’9” versatile, athletic defender who can’t shoot, which makes sense.

We profiled him the other day.

NBA Draft Room: Isaiah Collier

Previous Pick: Jared McCain

31st pick: Bobi Klintman

Update: May 30, 2024

The fellas at NBA Draft Room’s previous pick for the Raptors was Jared McCain; however, they now have him going to the Thunder in the 12th spot. Sadly, Devin Carter and Nikola Topic, whose stock is sliding, were no longer available at the 19th spot. The NBA Draft Room guys understand that the Raptors need talent and another ball handler who can sometimes be an advantage creator for the team. If he’s still on the board at 19th, Isaiah Collier is hard to pass up. Bobi Klintman bumps Ulrich Comche as the Raptors’ pick at 31st overall, and he is getting some traction moving up the boards.

https://nbadraftroom.com/p/2024-nba-mock-draft/

Bleacher Report (Wasserman): Zach Edey

Previous Pick: Zach Edey

31st Pick: Bobi Klintman (Previous: KJ Simpson)

Update; May 30, 2024

We featured Zach Edey as a potential Raptors pick last week, and at 19th, this might be a tough selection, given who else might still be on the board. However, if he’s still available when the Raptors get to pick again at 31st overall, I say, “Why not.” Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman sees the Raptors as a team that’s “looking to add more size, physicality around the basket, and interior offence,” and given how the season ended for the Raptors, I can’t blame him with that line of thinking. Wasserman is also another draft analyst who’s got the Raptors picking Bobi Klintman in the second round, and he fits the Vision 6’9” profile, especially for someone that’s a little further along shooting-wise than their typical projects.

ESPN (Givony/Woo): Kyshawn George

Previous pick: Kyshawn George (No Change)

31st Pick: Tyler Smith (Previous: Ryan Dunn)

Update: May 31, 2024

Kyshawn George brings positional versatility on both ends of the floor while adding size, playmaking, and ample shooting to a team that needs talent. At 19th, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo probably thought the Raptors needed more versatile wing talent than any other position, as higher-ranked prospects like Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, Kel’el Ware, and Carlton Carrington are all available at this spot based on their most recent mock draft. Still, George is a very Raptors-y type of prospect, except that he, at least at the college level, can shoot from the perimeter.The ESPN draft duo also changed their previous 2nd round Raptors selection from Ryan Dunn to Tyler Smith, which is interesting. If the Raptors come out of the draft with those two prospects, that’s not a bad draft night.

NBADraft.NET: Yves Missi

Previous Pick: Jaylon Tyson

31st Pick: Trey Alexander (Hunter Sallis)

Update: May 31, 2024

Yves Missi’s a raw prospect. He’s a project, and he’s probably “two years away from being two years away.” but he has all the attributes that Masai Ujiri often falls in love with as part of his Vision 6’9” team-building plan: long, defensive versatility, mobile, fluid, light-footed, and can’t shoot. It’s a bit of a weird selection, given Devin Carter and Jared McCain are also available at this spot. For the Raptors’ 2nd round pick, NBA Draft.NET went with Trey Alexander, a potential impact player who can provide combo guard play and on-ball defense, both missing from the Raptors last season.

CBS (Boone): Isaiah Collier

Previous pick: Devin Carter

Updated: June 2, 2024

CBS’ Kyle Boone’s got Devin Carter going to the Thunder at the 12th spot and Johnny Furphy joining Carter, crashing the lottery range. That means some guys projected at the middle of the lottery would slide down, and Isaiah Collier is probably the best player available at the 19th spot. No complaints there.

CBS (Parrish): Tidjane Salaun

Previous pick: Tidjane Salaun (No Change)

Updated; June 2, 2024

I’m not sure if CBS’ Gary Parrish updated his mock draft, and I don’t think Tidjane Salaun would be available for the Raptors at 19th come draft night. But he’s an intriguing prospect.

CBS (Cobb): Johnny Furphy

Previous pick: Tyler Smith

Updated: June 2, 2024

The CBS draft gurus are high on Johnny Furphy, and David Cobb has Furphy going to the Raptors in the 19th spot. BUT WE ALREADY HAVE JOHNNY FURPHY AT HOME! If the Raptors end up getting Furphy, at least they can give him Gradey Dick’s workout much earlier than they did with Gradey.

CBS (Finkelstein): Ryan Dunn

Previous Pick: Ryan Dunn (No Change)

Updated: June 2, 2024

I like Ryan Dunn, but it feels like CBS’ Adam Finkelstein went for a reach here, as Dunn could still be on the board at the 31st spot. Still, Finkelstein probably liked how the Raptors amassed and developed all of these big wings that can’t shoot and turned them respectable. With the Vision 6’9” cupboard empty, I guess why not?

CBS (Branham): Kel’el Ware

Previous Pick: N/A

Updated: June 2, 2024

Kel’el Ware’s draft stock is gaining traction as the draft approaches. The 7’ stretch big is a bit of a project, but the talent he’s flashed makes him an intriguing pick, especially at the 19th spot. He’s the type of big that would fit what coach Darko Rajakovic is doing, and he has the skill set to complement whatever Scottie Barnes/RJ Barrett/Immanuel Quickley is trying to do offensively.

CBS (Ward-Henninger): Kel-el Ware

Previous Pick: N/A

Updated: June 2, 2024

See above.

The Ringer (O’Connor): Ja’Kobe Walter

Previous Pick: Isaiah Collier

31st pick: Kyle Filipowski (Trentyn Flowers)

Update: June 4, 2024

The Ringer’s Kevin O’DraftExpert has several bold takes in his new mock draft, which saw prospects like Isaiah Collier and Ja’Kobe Walter still available for the Raptors’ 19th pick. O’Connor went with Walter, who has 3+D potential and good replacement value should the Raptors move on from Gary Trent Jr.

The Athletic (Vecenie): Yves Missi

Previous pick: Yves Missi

31st pick: Kyshawn George (Ryan Dunn)

Update: June 5, 2024

Sam Vecenie is convinced that Yves Missi is the Raptors’ prospect at the 19th spot. He updated his mock draft post-withdrawals, and Missi remained the Raptors’ pick. He’s right that the Raptors need some big-man depth, but Kel’el Ware and Daron Holmes should come in as less of a project than Missi, who are both still available at the 19th spot. Vecenie did, however, move on from early favourite for the Raptors’ 2nd round pick Ryan Dunn and went with Kyshawn George.

Here’s The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie’s mock draft.