Draft Options for the Toronto Raptors?

Hello folks,

Today I will be giving you the some players the Toronto Raptors will choose with their 5th pick in the 2011 NBA draft. We all know that Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams will be gone in the top 3 picks but there are some players who could land with the Raptors and how those players impact the Toronto Raptors.

1. Enas Kanter ( Probably won't be at the 5th pick)

2. Brandon Knight ( Could land at the 5th pick)

3. Kemba Walker ( Definitely will land at the 5th pick) 

4. Jan Vesely 

5. Jonas Valančiūnas

Sleepers: Kawhi Leonard, Tristan Thompson

Enes Kanter:

Positives: Probably won't land at #5 but he is a true center. The Raptors need a true center on the team. Kanter's comparison is like a Al Horford kind of guy who can block shots and shoot that ball at the 18 footer. Kanter is a really effective free throw shooter for a big guy so look for this guy to attack to the rim as well. Kanter has great length and height. He is 6-11" and has a 7-1 ½ wingspan and a 9-1 ½ standing reach. He can rebound the ball extremely well averaging 16.4 rebounds in the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. Though the good part of bringing him in is that he can be the post player inside who can get rebounds and he can attack the basketball so than Bargs can spread out on his 3 point line or his spot to shoot the basketball. 

Negatives: He is a good center but Kanter had really bad knees which kept him out of a lot of games. Scouts have to be careful about his physical health.

Brandon Knight

Positives: Brandon Knight has a better chance to land at # 5 than Kanter. Though he still might be taken. Knight is a amazing point guard with amazing size. He is 6"3 with an 6"6. 75 wingspan and a 7"7 standing reach. Knight is a one of those good defenders and has a very quick first step which allows him to drive easily like Leandro Barbosa. Knight has that great mid-range shot. Sometimes looks to pass first but he is more a shooter. He is also very good in half-court situations. In high school, Knight had a incredible average of 31points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals per game. Knight is a great leader and the Raptors need a good leader in Knight with a good touch for passes and a defending point guard. If Raps did get Knight, they need to trade Jose Calderon for a decent true center or a small forward. So now they have 2 defending point guards in Knight and Bayless with a decent backcourt in Derozan and Knight. He could be a more defensive type of Jason Terry who can drive more but shoot less.

Negatives:  He is not a true point guard. He shoots the ball at a low percentage but he can look to find his shot. He dribbles too high so guys can steal the ball easily and he is 177lbs so he can get knocked around when he is defending other stronger NBA guards. But he is only 19 so there is more than enough time to improve.

Kemba Walker

Positives: Kemba Walker will definitely be at #5 but the question is, will Bryan Colangelo take him. It definitely a option, not a must (cause he likes Euros). Kemba Walker had a unbelievable season in Uconn and he averaged 23 points, 4.5 assists, 5 rebounds and a bit less than 2 steals a game. Walker has a feel for running up and down the court. He is really sneaky and fast. He can also shoot the ball with ridiculous range and he has a knack for creating his own shot. His wingspan is 6-4”, height is 6-1” and standing reach is 7-8”which is pretty high. Walker a good leader and again, Raps need a leader to step up. Walker is willing to take those clutch shots which again Raps need. To me, he is a smaller version of Monta Ellis in point guard version. So Kemba is a great prospect for the Raps but the question is, will Bryan take him. We will see on June 23^rd.

Negatives: He is undersized. Stronger players in the NBA could just shoot over him or just push him out. Also, he is not a true point guard. He is unselfish at times but usually looks for his own shots (since he only averaged about 4 assists per game in Uconn). Again, he is still young and he can improve to get stronger and be more a passing point guard.

Jan Vesely

Positives: Excellent defender with a great comparison of Andre Kirilenko but bigger and has more athleticism. He is 6-11 and he is a SF and PF so he can post up on smaller defenders or shoot over them. Vesely has a great knack to attack the rim thanks to his quickness and his first step. He has great hands around the rim and runs the floor really well. He gets most of his points on dunks in the fast breaks. Raptors really need a good SF/PF that can run the floor and post up on people as well.,

Negatives: Jan Vesely needs to improve that shot of his. He also needs to more assertive by dribbling more. He needs to improve his one on one skills and ball handling. For a guy whose 6-11, he needs to pick up his rebounding. For example, he averaged 4.4 rpg in NLB League and only 2.9 rpg in Euroleague.

Jonas Valančiūnas

Positives: He is strong and has great size. His wingspan is 7-5 and a standing reach of 9-2 with a height of 6-11. He has a great knack to score at the rim and has a great soft touch on his shot. He has a amazing post up game which the Raptors need , a big man who can rebound and has a post up game. He is also a great defender which will help the Raps in the paint. He can be a Andrea Bargs with a more defensive touch and a lower offensive skill.

Negative: He needs more strength. His main problem is staying on the court. He needs to learn how to get out of foul trouble. He is also not an attacker but looks to let his teammates give him the ball in the paint instead of going 1 on 1. He is very predictable because after 2 or 3 moves in the post, players can easily figure out whats he is going to do which is going left.

Sleepers

Kawhi Leonard

Positives: He has a great spark in his game and he had improved jump shot. He loves to run down the break and excites the crowd with a dunk. He is a energy player which is great to have on a team. He has a lot of potential of being a very solid defender with those long arms of his. He has a height of 6-7 with a 7-0 wingspan and huge hands. When I say huge I mean it. Leonard has 9 3/8 inches size hands which could really help his ball handling.

Negatives: Leonard has his up and down games. He can maintain that 13-14 points a game. He usually has a great game and the next game; he just scores a few points. He also has trouble finishing at the basket when he is contested. He still needs to improve on his jump shot. When he releases the ball, the shot is flat so he needs more arc on the shot. He is fairly young so there is a lot more room to improve in the NBA.

(not the best but better than nothing)

Tristan Thompson

Positives: Hehehehehe, he is out of Brampton, Ontario J. He has enormous length. He is a 6-9 PF with a 7-1 wingspan and a 9 ft standing reach. He is a great defender inside the paint averaging 2.4 blocks per game. He is a really good rebounder for a guy who is undersized for a PF going for more than 7 per game. He has great athleticism and he is able to run down the floor effectively. He has great hands and strong shoulders where he can use those shoulders to create space to make those mini hooks with either hand. He also shoots the ball effectively shooting 54% on the floor though I think the shots come from the paint.

Negative: Like I said, he is undersized for a PF and he has to improve on his free throw shooting. He is only averaging 48% at the line. He has to improve on his jump shot. During his college season, Thompson was only shooting fade jumpers so he has to have more confidence to take that jumper.

So who will it be, Kemba Walker? Could it be a surprise and be Kanter or Knight. Or could it be the Canadian Tristan Thompson. Well, we will see on the 23^rd.

Have a good day J