March Madness is here and Raptors fans should take a lot of interest in the players involved.
Toronto will have a pick in the late teens via Indiana (currently projected at 17), another in the very early second round via Detroit (projected at 32) and a chance to be in the top six of the draft depending on luck in the lottery. .
That represents a ton of opportunity. There are some dynamic options coming into the tournament that could potentially change the fortunes of the entire franchise.
Here’s a guide for Raptors fans on which players to watch, along with their rankings on our expert Kyle Irving’s latest big board.
MORE: 2024 NBA Draft Outlook: Ranking Top 60 Players on Big Board Ahead of March Madness
2024 NBA Draft Lottery Goals for the Raptors
Cody Williams
Colorado | Freshman | Wing | Large painting: n°4
The brother of rising Thunder star Jalen Williams, Cody is a taller forward who, with a 6-8 record and long wingspan, projects as an excellent defender. He showed some skill in an attacking role, bringing the ball up and making good reads. He doesn’t shoot the ball well yet, but he does everything else at a high level. He’s a tooled prospect with a high ceiling.
Rob Dillingham
Kentucky | Freshman | Playmaker | Large painting: n°6
It’s no secret that the Raptors could use more offensive punch. Dillingham is an electric shot creator who is one of the most exciting and promising prospects in this draft. He’s fun to guard on dribbles, making defenders look bad with his speed and trickery. And he’s an excellent 3-point shooter, hitting 44.9 percent from deep this season.
The Raptors could be a great fit for Dillingham given his lack of size. At 6-3, he would benefit from the length around him to support him on defense.
Reed Sheppard
Kentucky | Freshman | Combined guard | Large painting: n°8
Sheppard forms the other half of Kentucky’s dynamic backcourt.
Like Dillingham, Sheppard doesn’t have great size for his position at 6-3, but that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the best defenders in college basketball and an incredibly productive player on both ends of the ball. ground. He has excellent hands, averaging 2.5 steals per game. When he’s able to charge, he’s been able to catch a ton of jump shooters and recover a piece of the ball.
Where Sheppard really brings it is as a shooter. He made an incredible 52.5 percent of his 3s and is already very comfortable coming out of NBA range. He’s been a good finisher at the college level and has great feel. Think of him as a college version of Derrick White.
2024 NBA Draft First Round Goals for the Raptors
Dalton Knecht
Tennessee | Senior | Wing | Large painting: n°12
Knecht will be 23 at the time of the draft, making him one of the oldest prospects in the first round. He’s a three-level scorer who made 38.2 percent of his 3s during his college career and has good athleticism that he uses to throw down some fun dunks. He wasn’t a great defender in college, but he at least has good size at 6-6 to compete on that side of the floor.
Johnny Furphy
Kansas | Freshman | Wing | Large painting: n°16
Furphy climbed the rankings after earning a starting spot midway through Kansas’ season thanks to his combination of shooting (35.4 percent from 3) and size (6-9). He uses his high feel to find open pockets of space from which to launch his 3s, and he’s a good rebounder who runs the floor hard in transition.
Furphy is a good athlete but has not yet demonstrated good first steps or great self-creation abilities.
Kevin McCullar Jr.
Kansas | Senior | Wing | Large painting: n°18
McCullar is a very nice two-way wing prospect. He’s a good cutter and passer who could fit well into what the Raptors are trying to do offensively. He could be a good replacement for Bruce Brown Jr. if they decide to move on from him this summer.
McCullar is not a great 3-point shooter, hitting just 30.9 percent during his long college career. He has improved over time, however, shooting 33.3 percent this season.
Yves Missi
Baylor | Freshman | Large | Large painting: n°22
Kelly Olynyk and Jakob Poeltl won’t be around forever. The Raptors could use a big athletic prospect to grow on their roster, and Missi could be that player.
Missi is an excellent rim protector and rebounder who can play above the rim as a lob threat. He moves his feet well defensively, which allows him to play different types of coverages. He’s not a great shooter or free throw passer, but he can be a useful role player.
2024 NBA Draft Second Round Goals for the Raptors
DJ Wagner
Kentucky | Freshman | Combined guard | Large painting: n°26
Wagner certainly has the genes to succeed in the NBA. He is the son of Dajuan Wagner, the No. 6 pick in the 2002 draft. DJ is a tough guard who can pressure the rim and set up his teammates. He’s not a great shooter yet, as he’s only hitting 30.4 percent from deep, but he has tremendous potential. he was previously the #1 recruit in his high school class.
Justin Edwards
Kentucky | Freshman | Wing | Large painting: n°30
Edwards started the season slowly but picked it up late. He has good size on the wing at 6-8, and he’s a good athlete capable of throwing down impressive dunks, an unselfish passer and a 37.0 percent 3-point shooter. He’s not much of a shot creator, his shots were inconsistent and he’s not an A+ in any area, but he has plenty of paths to take to become a rotation player.
Zach Edey
Purdue | Senior | Large | Large painting: n°32
Edey is projected somewhere in that range. It would be a big homecoming for the Toronto big man. He has great size at 7-4 and 300 pounds. He was a monster scorer at the college level, averaging 24.4 points and 11.7 rebounds this year. He has some impressive old-school post moves and is a good shot blocker.
There are some concerns about how Edey’s game will translate to the NBA. He is not very mobile, which limits his effectiveness defensively. It’s also not an expandable option at all. But he would give the Raptors some size and scoring as a backup big man.
Colin Murray Boyles
South Carolina | Freshman | Wing | Large painting: n°39
Murray-Boyles is one of the most interesting and polarizing prospects in this draft. He is a 6-7 year old, 231 pound athlete with fantastic strength. These tools make him an elite impact defender who can guard an up-and-down lineup.
He entered South Carolina’s rotation midway through their season and became a ridiculously productive player for the No. 6 seed Gamecocks, averaging 15.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks on 65.8 percent shooting from the field over their last 12 games.
Murray-Boyles isn’t much of a shooter — he’s only attempted five threes this season and made none. He also only made 67.5 percent of his free throws, but he’s an excellent play-finisher and passer for his size who could become the star of the draft if he ever fixes his jumper.
