First & Second Round Shooting Guards the Raptors could Target in the Draft

Zach LaVine, UCLA

He is one of the most athletic players I've seem coming out of college. He might be the most athletic player in the draft next to Andrew Wiggins. He really showed that at the combine, and that raised his draft stock. He is the biggest boom or bust player in this draft. He will either develop into a great pro, and even potential an all star, or he will be a bench warmer or even out of the league when his rookie contract is over.

The Good

Obviously what is good is his athleticism. I love watching this kid on the fast break. He seems like he has springs in his shoes. He's great in the transition game, and can finish as good as anyone. His overall athleticism is amazing. He has great quickness coming off of screens and has great speed attacking the basket. Because he is such a freak athlete, that has made people believe that his potential is remarkable. Even though his talent overall might not be considered a lottery pick or even a first rounder, the potential this kid has could make him into a special player.

His jump shot is very good. He shoots the three consistently at 37%. He comes off of screens well to take his jumpers but shooting off of the dribble is where he excels. Because he has that ability to shoot the ball, he can contribute to a team even though he is a raw prospect.

The Bad

Even though there are things that you have to love about him, there are more things that I don't like about him. He is young at 19 and raw so he can develop these weaknesses, but there's quiet a few.

He likes to shoot. Sometimes too much. He takes bad shots occasionally when he could set his team mates up. When he's in the transition game, he focuses on scoring the ball rather than creating opportunities for other players.

He can dribble the ball well. He has a solid crossover, but he still isn't able to create his shot. Overtime he could develop shot creation, but he won't be able to do that at the NBA level as of now.

His defence is just bad in general. He doesn't put too much effort on that side of the ball. He gets caught on screens, his on the ball defence is really poor, and he doesn't have the strength to handle the bigger stronger guards in the NBA.

Overall

He's a one dimensional player. Guys like Jamal Crawford maybe one dimensional but he doesn't have many weaknesses on the offensive side of the ball. LaVine has no strengths on the defensive side and has some holes on the offensive side. I could see him becoming a Crawford type of player but it's hard to project someone who is so raw and young 8 years from now. In the right situation, I think he could be a good player but if he goes at the top of the draft, I don't think he will develop well.

I really hope that the Raptors don't draft him. Considering Bryan Colangelo isn't the GM, I'm not worried about it. Masai will pick someone that will help us win now. Having a developmental player is not the way that we should be going in the draft. This team needs pieces to win, not pieces for us to develop.

I think out of everyone in the draft, LaVine was the guy that needed to go back to school more than anyone. He was coming off of the bench in his freshman year and yet he still might go ahead of his team mates who are better than him, who are Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson.

Considering he is such a project, I don't think a lot of teams will take him early in the draft. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes at the end of the first round.

James Young, Kentucky

Even though the Raptors seem to have their starting shooting guard for the next 5 years in DeMar, they could look at a player like Young who could play either the small forward position or the shooting guard position.

The Good

Young has great length at the position. At 6'7 with almost a 7 foot wingspan will be very beneficial for Young. That length will give him leverage on defence which is an area he needs to improve. Young is very good at hitting the spot up jumper and his length provides the ability to shoot over defenders. He shoots the three well at 35%, and most of those are spot up jumpers.

Even though Young isn't considered a player that plays above the rim, I think he has really underrated athleticism. That dunk in the national championship game was awesome. He does well below the rim but I think he can do more than we think above the rim.

The Bad

He has a hard time trying to create his shots. He doesn't have the dribble moves to create space for his shots, and if he decides to take it to the rim, it's a low percentage shot. When the paint is filled, he doesn't pass the ball out well when there is no opportunity for him to shoot the ball.

His defence is really poor. There really isn't much that he does on defence that well help him in NBA team. I wonder if he will be able to stay on the floor if everyone he guards continues to score on him. He gets caught on pick n' rolls, he gets beat easily on dribble moves, and his off ball defence is poor. I don't want to bash the guy, but this is a significant problem. I really don't have much confidence in his defence.

Overall

He's a really interesting prospect. One of the youngest players in the draft so he has plenty on time to develop. He's in the same situation as Zach LaVine. Both aren't going to produce well for a team in their rookie years but their potential is why teams want them. Young could be a great player someday if he is put in the right situation. I think going to the Suns would be a great spot for him.

I don't think this is a great option for the Raptors. DeMar is the guy for us, and Terrence Ross is a shooting guard as well. We don't need another shooting guard to develop because were still developing our own. He can play the small forward position but if we draft him with the intention for him to play small forward, he will need some time to develop.

PJ Hairston, D-League

The Good

PJ is a great size for the NBA. He's 6'5 and weights 230 pound which is great size and strength at the position. With that size and strength he is able to get to the basket and finish against contact. He's not afraid taking the ball in the paint and he will look for contact.

He has a very good shooting game. He's a great spot up shooter both in the transition game and in the half court game. When his feet are set he can shoot the ball at a high level. He also has a very good pull up jumper. He does a good job of setting himself up for a pull up jumper with his dribble.

The Bad

His dismissal from North Carolina brings up a lot of red flags which could bring him down a little more than we would have expected.

He looks for an opportunity to score the ball before he will pass it. Even though he had a good  year shooting the ball, he still jacks the ball up when there are other opportunities available.

He is really inconsistent on defence. Sometimes he will play really good defence than there are other times when he just doesn't put much effort to guarding other players. That would bother me if I was in the front office because there is no reason that he should be slacking.

Overall

He is going to be a player that should contribute on day one. He will be a good bench player in his rookie year. He isn't a developmental player in his rookie year like Young or LaVine. In his rookie year he will likely have a better year than them but Young and LaVine should become better players 4 years from now. With his experience both in the NCAA and in the D-League, he should have a good rookie season.

I think he is a good player but there are other players that should be available that have a better evaluation when the Raptors pick so the chances that he is in Toronto seem slim. I'd be surprised if Hairston is drafted by Toronto.

Jordan Adams, UCLA

Coming out of UCLA, he might be the last of the three getting selected. LaVine and Anderson will likely go ahead of Jordan Adams. Adams will likely go at the end of the first round.

The Good

Adams is similar to PJ Hairston. He's big too at 6'5 and 220 pounds, and they both use that size and strength well to get to the basket and get those contact layups to fall. He does a great job of using his body to just bully his way into the paint. Now with the bigger and stronger men in the NBA I'm not sure if he will be able to make these shots but regardless he can get the contact to draw a foul.

Adams doesn't stop moving. On the offensive side, he continues to move without the ball. He will continue to cut to the basket and move around the perimeter to find the opportunity to score. He can get himself open well whether it's using movement or if he uses screens.

He's a really good catch and shoot player. He can do it either on transition or he can spot up for a jump shot. Overall he shoots very well. He shoots almost 49% on field goal attempts and he shoots 36% from three.

He has really quick hand which results in steals. He gets 2.6 steals per game. He is able to strip the ball from an offensive player as well as playing passing lanes.

The Bad

Jordan Adams is a little chubby for a professional basketball player but that can be fixed. But he doesn't have the athleticism to get by his man. He doesn't have the dribble moves to get by defenders either, but he uses his body and strength well to get to the rim regardless. Not having the athleticism or the dribble moves to get to the basket could really hurt him in the NBA especially with the elite perimeter defenders.

He likes to post up on defenders and with his strength and size, but he doesn't have the best post moves. If he works on his post moves he could be lethal there.

He doesn't play the best defence at times. He likes to go for steals too often and if he plays a guy with good ball handling skills then he is going to get beat more often. He needs to build defensive awareness but a coach like Dwane Casey could help him with that.

Overall

I like Jordan Adams in fact I like him more than Hairston. I think he has some things in his game that needs to improve but I think he is capable of being a good bench player in the NBA. I think his game is more developed than both James Young and Zach LaVine but their potential is much greater.

I really don't see the Raptors taking him. I view him as a late first round player in this draft. We don't need to add a shooting guard.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, International

One of the highest rated international players in this year draft at the guard position. A lot of mock draft have Bogdan going early in the second round.

The Good

He has great length at 6'6 and almost a 7 foot wingspan. His length allows him to play passing lanes really well. On defence he has really good quickness which allows him to play on ball defence really well. He can have his bad moments on defence but he has the potential to become a solid defender.

He is a great shooter. He can become a high level shooter at the NBA level and he can shoot in a variety of ways. He can shoot the ball coming off of screens and he can shoot the ball off of the dribble. He can shoot over defenders with his great length and he can shoot with a hand in his face as well.

Bogdan is overall a solid passer. He can create plays better than some of the point guards in this draft which is impressive. He does a good job in transition passing the ball. He likes to push the ball in transition, which is what Dwane Casey really likes to do, and he can find players in the transition.

He's good in the pick n' roll which is a popular play in the Raptors playbook.

The Bad

Even though he can distribute the ball, he has too many moments where he make poor passes that result in turnovers. He won't be the main distributor on an NBA team but he is capable of making plays.

He shoots the ball poorly from mid-range but he shoots the three very well. He makes some poor decisions shooting the ball but it's not as bad as the shot selection of PJ Hairston.

He doesn't play the best defence. He has moments where his defence his good, than there are other time where he doesn't put as much effort into defence as he should.

Overall

I like Bogdan a lot when he shoots the ball around the perimeter. I think that he would be a good fit for this Raptors offence but his role isn't going to be as good as it could be in Europe.

I always get worried about drafting European players. I don't know if that player can come over for the next season or if they have to play in Europe until their contract is over. I don't know what Bogdan's contract situation is for his European team or if he will even come over when he gets drafted.

I wouldn't be surprised if Bogdan somehow got into the first round especially if his contract situation is ideal for an NBA team.

Quick Thoughts on Other Prospects

CJ Wilcox

CJ is a really good shooter, and he can shoot in a variety of different ways whether it's off of the dribble or coming off of screens for a spot up jumper. He can pass the ball as well and he isn't going to shoot too many bad shots. He plays with great hustle both offence and defence.

He doesn't play the best defence which could turn the Raptors away from him.

Jabari Brown

Jabari is one of my favourite players in this draft. He is a great scorer (20 PPG) and he can shoot the three well at 40%. He's not the most athletic player but he can play above the rim. When his shot is falling he can be prolific.

Jabari is a player that I hope fall to us at the 59th pick. I think he can be a good player.