Raptors exploring all options at draft
Toronto ‘ lucky’ to be picking at No. 9, GM Ujiri says
Two picks in the first round are his as it stands now heading into Thursday’s NBA draft scheduled for the Barclays Center is Brooklyn, and Toronto Raptors’ GM Masai Ujiri is having a blast.
It’s without question the part of the NBA year when Ujiri and those of his ilk make their money. This period, the free agency period which follows it and the trade deadline mid- season are crunch time. Ujiri and his management team along with the scouts are going round and round determining the best way to use the two first-rounders they have, the first courtesy of the Andrea Bargnani trade heist, the second their own from this past season’s finish.
Ujiri scoffs at the suggestion there is any pressure that comes with having the No. 9 pick at a time in franchise history when the team isn’t likely to find itself in the draft lottery again for a while.
“There is no pressure to me,” Ujiri said. “I can never feel pressure because we have a pick. We are just lucky to have it. You jump at the opportunity and I tell my guys it better work out. That’s the pressure.”
Ujiri doesn’t come right out and say it, but you get the feeling Ujiri considers draft time the time when he and his team can shine brightest.
“This is how I grew up in the league,” he said. “It’s how my guys (the management team) grew up. So there’s so much pride whether it’s the ( Assistant GM Dan) Tolzman’s or the ( Assistant GM Jeff ) Weltman’s. It’s such an exciting time for us.”
Ujiri does not mind making decisions on the fly and is ready to go whatever direction the draft takes him. He can deal the pick, make the pick and then deal it, or make it and then stash the pick in Europe.
Picking ninth, he is just outside the what is believed to be consensus top eight. That group includes the top two which have separated themselves from the rest in Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram and the next six which in no particular order include Jaylen Brown, Dragan Bender, Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield, Marquese Chriss.
Drafting for need the Raptors would go for a power forward but as Ujiri pointed out on Tuesday, there likely isn’t a player they can bring in that can have an impact right away so drafting via need is likely not the way he will go.
The mocks seem to have the Raptors taking the top centre with the No. 9 pick should they make it. That would be Utah centre Jakob Poeltl. He is a former teammate of last year’s first round pick Delon Wright. The two enjoy playing together but that doesn’t necessarily make Poeltl the right pick at nine.
In terms of longer term projects who could provide perhaps an even bigger upside is Kentucky one-anddone big man Skal Labissiere.
The Kentucky product isn’t as polished as Poeltl but may have bigger potential if a team is prepared to be patient and develop him and that is certainly an area the Raptors are now well set up to do with the D-League team in Mississauga.
Ujiri said he is already talking with a few teams with regards to trading the No. 9 overall pick. But teams looking to deal for the pick and even the Raptors would like to see what transpires ahead of the No. 9 slot before making any such deal.
“We are talking to a few teams and we will see how that part plays out,” Ujiri said.