I’m sure whoever we end up will be good, so I suggest not getting to attached to any specific person. Especially since we do not get to see as much as the front office does, like who may exceed expectations in their workouts with us, who might be underwhelming, etc. This is how we did end up with Barnes over Suggs, even though most of this sub wanted Suggs at the time (which would have honestly still been a pretty good pick). I always spend a lot of time looking at what each year’s draft has to offer, and this year is especially exciting, as there seems a lot of high potential talent this draft class around the range we will be drafting. Let’s take a look at some of the interesting options we may have at pick 13.
**Keyonte George**
November 8, 2003 (age 19 years) – 6′ 4″, 185 lbs – Baylor
|**GP**|**MIN**|**FG%**|**3P%**|**FT%**|**REB**|**AST**|**BLK**|**STL**|**PF**|**TO**|**PTS**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|33|28.6|37.6|33.8|79.3|4.2|2.8|0.2|1.1|2.1|2.9|15.3|
This is most people’s favorite for 13 on their draft boards, and may even get picked earlier than that.
Good size for a guard. He has issues with low IQ plays sometimes, and has had a bit of an inefficient year with Baylor so far, but he is still considered a top prospect because of his high upside, and probably has the biggest offensive bag out of the prospects I will be discussing below. People rate him highly on the eye test. He has tendencies to chuck and play hero ball some games, then play with low confidence in other games where he doesn’t do much. He is a good on ball defender, has good passing, can finish with both hands, good at attacking/drawing contact, very versatile shot creator and shooter.
I’m personally not too high (or low) on Keyonte because his downsides remind me of the issues we already have at the guard position and I feel he will be a bit of a project or gamble but most people seem to think his offensive game will translate better into the NBA than a lot of the other guard prospects that are being considered in this pick range. It’s worth keeping in mind that he was playing better before coming back from an ankle injury, and also played into some very aggressive defenses that focused him quite a bit. If the raptors think he can come back to his former self and help him improve even further from there, the payoff from his upside could be big.
Highlights: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNPJmRskMOo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNPJmRskMOo)
**Kobe Bufkin**
September 21, 2003 (age 19 years) – 6′ 4″, 195 lbs – Michigan (second row is freshman year, 2021-2022 season)
|**GP**|**MIN**|**FG%**|**3P%**|**FT%**|**REB**|**AST**|**BLK**|**STL**|**PF**|**TO**|**PTS**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|33|34|48.2|35.5|84.9|4.5|2.9|0.7|1.3|2.4|1.9|14|
|28|10.6|38|22.2|77.3|1.1|0.3|0.1|0.4|0.9|0.5|3|
This prospect has been moving up on a lot of draft boards lately, most boards having him around 15\~20 right now. I expect him to keep moving up a couple places on a lot of boards. The general consensus is that Kobe Bufkin is possibly the most well rounded ball handler this draft class. There are definitely better choices, like the obvious outliers, Scoot and Amen, but they aren’t without their faults, like Amen’s complete lack of a jumper.
He’s a shifty player, that’s able to take long strides, has a decent bounce when he wants to get up and dunk, spot up shooter, good strength, body control, good with both hands, has a good motor, accurate high velocity passes, good at taking contact, has sort of a jittery pacing/dribble that’s good at throwing defenders off, good movement shooting, great at driving and can get some pretty wild angles/shots off. Good shot blocking guard that leverages his length and also plays good team defense.
He can be a decent pick and roll player but there’s room for improvement. He can be a little slow to make reads or figure out who to pass to, and won’t strike you as the most athletic person, but I’m really nitpicking here. On the other hand he has actually pretty much been better than Keyonte in almost every category. Main difference I would say is that he doesn’t have the same offensive flair, or flashiness, and is maybe a step slower/less explosive? This is probably his biggest weakness, he doesn’t have the deepest 1v1 offensive bag and gets bumped off screens easily. His pick and roll and on ball defense could be a bit better.
I’m somewhat high on Bufkin and personally think he’s currently quite underrated by most people. I think he’s going to be one of those surprise picks that ends being better than what everyone expected if he ends up going late in the first round. He is probably lower on draft boards than he should be because of his team’s disappointing season in a relatively weak conference. If he does end up going lower, I think it would be worth trading down for him it would easily be worth it since we would be getting assets on top.
Highlights: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukMJ-B2WmlQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukMJ-B2WmlQ)
**Cason Wallace**
November 7, 2003 (age 19 years) – 6′ 4″, 193 lbs – Kentucky
|**GP**|**MIN**|**FG%**|**3P%**|**FT%**|**REB**|**AST**|**BLK**|**STL**|**PF**|**TO**|**PTS**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|32|32.1|44.6|34.6|75.7|3.7|4.3|0.5|2|2.4|2.1|11.7|
Carson is slated for around the 12th pick in most mock draft boards. It is very likely that he will get picked before our 13th pick so I won’t write too much here about him, but if he isn’t picked up by our turn we should definitely snag him.
He fits pretty much everything we need outside of scoring. Carson is the best defender out of all the guards this draft, and also averaged a very impressive 4.3 APG on only 2.1 TO per game. The next best point guards all average around a 1 or 2 to 1, assist-to-turnover ratio. Carson plays very unselfish team first basketball, and is very good all around outside of his one major weakness, his offensive production. He has had some pretty big games recently where he stepped up and shot incredibly efficiently, but he is otherwise not much of a big volume scorer. Im pretty high on Carson and think he can be our next lowry type player if he somehow drops to 13 or if we trade slightly up for him without giving up much.
**Nick Smith Jr**
April 18, 2004 (age 19 years) – 6′ 5″, 185 lbs – Arkansas
|**GP**|**MIN**|**FG%**|**3P%**|**FT%**|**REB**|**AST**|**BLK**|**STL**|**PF**|**TO**|**PTS**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|17|25.8|37.6|33.8|74|1.6|1.7|0.1|0.8|1.5|1.6|12.5|
The high risk, high reward option. Nick Smith Jr was expected to be the #1 pick coming out of highschool but has rapidly fallen down everyone’s mock boards as he underperformed in an injury riddled season. He may fall down to 13, he may fall down even further than that.
Not sure what to think of this one since his college performance has been pretty bad and doesn’t give us much to go off of because of his injuries. I think it would come down to what the raptors see from the draft combine and in a workout with us. Depending on what they see might be worth the risk, the same way we ended up getting OG way lower in the draft he was originally going to go before his injury. May also be worth trading down for Nick if he ends up going pretty low, and the FO liked what they saw during work out or combine.
Highlights: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uWMjVtjdSY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uWMjVtjdSY)
**Jalen Hood-Schifino**
June 19, 2003 (age 19 years) – 6′ 6″, 215 lbs – Indiana
|**GP**|**MIN**|**FG%**|**3P%**|**FT%**|**REB**|**AST**|**BLK**|**STL**|**PF**|**TO**|**PTS**||
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|32|33.1|41.7|33.3|77.6|4.1|3.7|0.3|0.8|2.4|2.8|13.5||
This one has been a bit polarizing from what I’ve seen. People seem to either be really high on him, or don’t think much of him at all. General consensus seems to be he will draft around the same range as Buffkin, I’m seeing around positions 13 \~ 17 on most people’s boards, but as far as the 20s in other boards.
Good pick and roll guy, good pull up jumper, fast release, etc. His defense can be a little suspect and but he is good at staying in front as the on ball defend, and is good at getting around screens. He’s also pretty streaky, and a little contact adverse. Looks great when he’s on fire, not so much when he isn’t. He’s not really athletic, but he is skilled, and if he can get to his spots he will usually make the right play.
Highlights: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp4JtLfVbrs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp4JtLfVbrs)
**Honorable Mentions**
Mostly cause Im too lazy to do an entire write up for anymore prospects Im just going to give a quick overview of some other interesting prospects that lay within our pick’s periphery.
Bilal Coulibaly – Should be a late teens or early twenties pick. Played on the same team as Wembaya, and is only 18. Had fairly decent production on decent efficiency. I think he’s an interesting international prospect with some good potential there. He’s sadly more of a forward than a guard though.
Gradey Dick – We likely won’t get him since a team will probably pick him up in the tens. Shot above an impressive 40% from three this season, against some pretty tough teams too. Might be one of the best shooters this draft. Shoots really well off the dribble and has an insanely quick shot. He has a good amount of height too. Would be nice if he fell down to 13. Or maybe we trade up to him if FO sees something special here. Jordan Hawkins is another insane shooter this draft but he’s even less likely to fall to 13.
Anthony Black – Probably the mostly likely to be drafted out of all the ball handling guards after Amen Thompson. Most expect him to go around pick 5\~8 but some boards have him much lower. Worth keeping an eye on in case he drops or we trade up. Good all round point guard. Has size, athleticism, great passing and defense, etc. His main weakness would be his shooting and touch. Maybe we trade up for him, or he somehow ends up falling low enough for us to catch.
by lemon07r
11 Comments
Kobe at 13th pick? It almost felt like destiny
Can’t wait for it to be Bilal despite this front office saying we need shooters and more guard play
Personally I’d be super pumped to have any of the first 3, and I could probably be convinced on JHS. Not a fan of NSJ though
Something I think that gets underrated in terms of what this team needs is guards (or any player really) that can get downhill and attack the rim. I think both George and Bufkin have potential to help with that at the next level which is why im high on them for the raps pick. The shooting is obviously a big need too (and both guys can potentially help there too), but besides siakam there’s no real slashing threat on this team.
ALL ABOARD THE KOBE TRAIN
I just really hope we don’t end up having “almost drafted a future star”. like drafting Kobe Bufkin and then Keyonte George ends up being the steal for the draft.
Thoughts on Dariq Whitehead? Similar to Smith Jr, fell due to injury but if he recovers, he is like a Jaylen Brown archetype. Good defense, good shooter, even movement shooting and ISO ability. Don’t see him high on anyone’s boards though.
Also, would add Jordan Hawkins. Pretty high on him. 6’5 Curry with defense? Jk
How important is ast/to ratio in college? Does it have any real correlation to how they’ll play in the nba? Because I know George and Bufkin aren’t exactly expected to be playmakers but those ratios aren’t very pretty.
Keyonte is about as efficient as Anthony Edwards was in college just not as much athleticism. Kobe is really nice too, we could use a quick guard it’s just that I don’t think this FO will care about his strengths.
I think Jalen Hood-Schifino can be our future lead guard because he’s got great pnr skills, great handles and is big for his position. 6’10.25 wingspan, 214 pounds and big hands. He just needs to show some more off-ball ability and athleticism at his workouts.
Grady Dick would be awesome but he’ll need to work on defense.