First & Second Round Point Guards Raptors could Target

Point Guards

Elfrid Payton, La Lafayette

Even though the point guard position isn't a need (Only if we can re-sign both Lowry and Vasquez). There are still skilled point guards that could be the best available player when the Raptors 20th pick arrives.

The Good

I really enjoy watching Payton play both offensively and defensively. Offensively he attacks the rim at a high rate and defensively he is aggressive. What really stood out to me is how his defensive play really helps his offensive play. He is really aggressive at the man to man defence and creates turnovers. He has great height and length at the position which allows him to deflect balls and disrupt passing lanes. The reason why it translates well to his offensive game is because Payton is so good on the fast break. By creating those turnovers, he creates more opportunities for the fast break which is an area he excels in. This could fit the Raptors team well because he's a good on the ball defender and having great fast break wing players like DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross, Payton could fit in really well. He has good court vision so he can distribute the ball well to the scorers on the team. Considering he does a good job at penetrating to the basket, he could kick the ball out the the wing players for open shots.

The Bad

Even though he is a guard that can penetrate the basket, he has some flaws. He 6'4 and is about 190 pounds. He is really frail and doesn't have a lot of strength. Considering a lot of his game is getting to the basket, it's a big problem if he can't finish when there is contact. When he eventually gets stronger and can finish when there is contact, he still has another area he needs to improve. When there is contact, there is normally fouls. He is a really poor free throw shooter for a point guard at 60%.

He doesn't shoot the mid-range jumpers well and he shoots 26% from three. At this point of time, he seems to be primarily a penetration scorer. If he was a good mid-range shooter and a decent three point shooter, I wouldn't worry about him too much at the NBA level. I don't like it when a guy's game is primarily penetrating the basket, and he can't finish against contact, or can't make free throw shots when he is fouled. He seems to predictable on the offensive side of the ball which makes me wonder if his game can translate to the next level.

Overall

I enjoy watching him play. I really like his defensive game and he's one of the best in the draft on the fast break. I don't really like when point guards don't shoot well. He's overall jump shot is poor, but if he improves that I think he could be a very good in the future.

I see him going around the 25th pick in the draft.

Shabazz Napier, UCONN

Shabazz is just a slick player. He can do a lot of things that other point guards in the draft can't do as well whether it's his just jump shooting or his dribbling, he just brings it all together really well. He is one of the best players in this draft based on his pure skill but he will be a late first rounder because of his size, poor decision making, and teams don't value seniors as high as younger players.

The Good

He is just a great shooter overall. He shot over 40% from three in his senior season. He is great at catch and shooting from any part of the court. He is great at shooting off of the dribble almost like Stephen Curry.

He's really fun to watch when he wants to drive to the basket. He has great ball handling skills and an excellent crossover. He does a great job of getting to the rim and drawing fouls. What I really like about him is that he isn't afraid of contact. He looks to get to the foul line where he shoots 87%.

He is very good in the open court whether he has the mindset to score or to facilitate the ball. He does a good job at finding the best shot available on the transition which could complement DeRozan and Ross very well.

The Bad

He's size is going to be a concern for anyone. He's 6'1 and around 180 pounds. He is going to have a hard time defending the big strong point guards at the NBA level. He seems not to care sometimes when he plays defence and players can take him off the dribble to get to the rim. I thought he played really good defence in the national championship game, which means that he is capable of being a good defender and maybe a defensive coach like Dwane Casey will get him to perform consistently on that side of the ball.

I don't like his shot selection sometimes. Even though he has a great pull up jumper, he uses it too often. There are some games when he makes poor decisions on what to do on an offensive possession. Sometimes when a team mate has a better shot, Shabazz will take a pull up jumper, or he will jack up a shot way early in the shot clock. He scoring point guard that needs to pass the ball more instead of playing isolation ball too much. Creating ball movement needs to be a priority for him at the NBA level.

Overall

I'm a big fan of Napier. Shabazz could become the next Kyle Lowry. He has a great pull up jumper, can take the defender off of the dribble and penetrate to the basket, and can play solid defence. They're both similar size, and they both take questionable shots. I think that Shabazz could be a great player on the Raptors considering Lowry fits in the system well. I think he is capable being a starter on day one. I don't see him going any higher than 20, but I see him going at the end of the first most likely to Miami. I'd be happy if the Raptors picked him.

If the Raptors do draft him, I'd be worried with all of the scoring guards. If Lowry comes back, the ball isn't going to be moving around as much. Lowry and DeRozan both have high usage rates, and so does Napier. I think the team needs a pass first guard and Napier isn't that player.

Tyler Ennis, Syracuse

I see this guy being a top 10 pick but he seems to be sliding down draft boards. Some mock drafts have him at the end or even outside of the lottery. This would be a great pick up for the Raptors not just because he is a great player, but because he is Canadian. The only Canadian that played for Toronto was Jamaal Magloire but he was a bench warmer. I think that Chicago is the only team ahead of the Raptors that would select him. If the Raptors wanted Ennis they would have to trade at the end of the lottery.

The Good

Ennis might have the highest basketball IQ in the draft. He looks for the best possible option on the floor and he watches plays develop. I would consider him a pass first point guard. He does a great job of creating ball movement and sets up his team mates for a great position to score. He is one of the most efficient players in the draft. He doesn't turn the ball over much which is really impressive considering college point guards can be a little reckless. When he drives to the basket, he does a great job of finding his team mates around the perimeter.

He's plays really smart with the ball in his hands and is calculated with his dribble moves. He doesn't have an explosive first step, but he can take people off the dribble just by analysing their stance. Once he takes someone off dribble, he has a great pull up jumper. He can shoot well from three at 35%.

Ennis also does a great job of playing passing lanes and creating turnovers. He averaged 2.1 steals per game. His awareness when opponents are passing the ball is really impressive. He does a great job of passing to the outlets and creating the fast break as well.

Ennis is a really clutch player. At the end of the games he was able to take over. How can anyone forget the game winning half court shot to beat Pittsburgh.

The Bad

Even though Ennis was good at stealing the ball on the defensive side, he still needs to improve. He doesn't play consistent defence on the ball, but I think that as his career goes on he will be able to improve that aspect of his game.

He isn't the most athletic player overall but he makes up for a lot of it with his intelligence. Offensively he uses dribble moves to get to the basket but he isn't going blow by anyone with his speed. Not having quick feet on defence allow the offensive players to get by Ennis if they are more athletic than him.

The Overall

I think Ennis would fit in great with the Raptors. He does well in the pick n roll game, which the Raptors do a lot. Considering this team did a great job at moving the ball around, Ennis would continue that kind of play. This team is filled with a lot of score first players like DeRozan, Ross, and Lowry. Having a guy like Ennis could make this team so much better. I'm a big fan of him and I think that he is a top 10 player. Looking at the top 10 drafting teams, there isn't as big of a need at point guard. Orlando has the fourth pick, but I see Dante Exum going there, and the Lakers have many needs that they could address at 7. In the 11th-20th pick range, the Bulls are the only team that needs a point guard. I could see either Marcus Smart or Ennis dropping, if they drop out of the top 10 I think the Raptors should really consider trading up.

Russ Smith, Louisville

Russ is a guy that I've been following for a while. I've always enjoyed watching Louisville basketball, and one of the main reasons is because of Russ Smith. He was known as a scoring guard coming into his senior year, but he became the main facilitator for the team. Since Peyton Siva declared for the draft last year, the team didn't have a point guard. Russ became the teams point guard and didn't do a bad job at it.

The Good

I really like watching Russ in the transition game. He is very smooth in his transitions and attacks the basket with great fluidity. His transition game just flows together very nicely, and he makes good plays whether it's drawing a foul or passing.

He shoots the ball with confidence. Russ does a great job of hitting his spot up jump shots whether it is off of the dribble or if he catches and shoots the ball. Overall he shot the ball very well in his senior year. He shot the ball about 47% and shot his three pointers at almost 40% which was a great improvement from his junior year.

He does a great job of attacking the rim off of penetration. He can penetrate easily whether it is coming off of a screen or if he wants to use his dribble moves to get to the rim. He is fearless and scrappy which results in plenty of free throw attempts for Smith. He went from 80% free throw shooting in his junior year to 70%  in his senior year which is bazaar but he is capable of making free throws at a high percentage.

Russ Smith is a great perimeter defender. He plays tough and has really quick hands and feet. When he is covering his man, he does a great job at poking the ball away and that shows up in his stats with 2 steals a game.

The Bad

He shot selection can be really frustrating. He takes poor jump shots every so often but in his senior year he improved that aspect of his game. He still needs to make his shots more consistently but the improvement from 41% field goal shooting in his junior year to 47% in his senior year shows that his is working on his consistency. He still makes poor decisions still but he is a smart player and I think he can improve that aspect of his game.

His size is a concern. At 6'1, he isn't the ideal size for a guard 160-170 pounds is really small.

Overall

Russ Smith was one of my favourite players in college. I like watching his game and I like his improvement into his senior year. Everyone looked at him as a pure off the ball scorer but this season he showed that he is capable of running an offence. He won't do the job as well as a pure point guard but Smith can distribute the ball at the shooting guard position. I like him better as an off the ball scorer but I wouldn't be upset if a head coach had Smith run the offence. I could see him develop into a Jamal Crawford type of player if he is put in the right situation and becomes a work horse.

I really would like to see the Raptors select him at the end of the second round. I think he can be a contributor on day one depending on what roster he get selected by.

Deonte Burton, Nevada

Another senior point guard that is graded as a second round talent. A smaller player at 6'1 but he has a lot on physical strength that will translate to the NBA.

The Good

One of the most aggressive players in the draft. This guy takes it to the rim  as good as anyone. He's an attacking minded point guard, which is exciting to watch. Considering he is very strong, he is able to finish baskets against contact. He is a fearless player. When he drive to the rim, he will take it at you. He isn't afraid of contact and won't use floater to avoid it. He has the ability to take the defensive off of the dribble but he uses his strength really well to get to the rim.

He's a solid shooter at 47% field goal shooting (mainly around the rim) and shoots 31% from three. He is good at both catching the ball and shooting or shooting off of the dribble. He's not a dazzling dribbler like Shabazz Napier, but he can get himself open to shoot his solid mid-range jumper.

His aggressiveness on offence and on defence. He is very aggressive on defence and puts a lot of effort on that side of the ball. Even if his man gets by him, he has enough quickness to get back in front of them. I don't see any reason why he can't be a really go defender at the NBA level.

The Bad

If he was a few inches taller, I think teams would convert him into a shooting guard and he would be a first round player. Even though he plays point guard, he doesn't execute plays very well and he has a hard time involving his team mates. He only averaged 4.4 assists in college which is poor considering he averaged 38 minutes a game. Once he gets to the next level, he has to learn to be a play maker otherwise he is going to have to be a small shooting guard.

Considering he is such a good scoring player, the ball seems to stick to his hands too often. He will shoot poor shots when he could set up his team mates. He likes to jack up threes when there is still time to pass the ball.

Overall

I really like how Burton plays. I love aggressive players that attack the basket. I love when players put all their effort on the defensive side of the ball. It really bothers mean when players that are bad defender don't put effort into guarding a player. Burton doesn't do that. He has great on ball defence and a lot of it is effort.

I would love the Raptors to select him at the top of the second round, but I really hope that he can develop play making ability. I think he can do it but that is a really big weakness that is too important for a point guard to overlook.  Considering the Raptors have high usage players like DeRozan and Lowry, Burton will have to learn how to be a point guard.