TORONTO \u2013 If you\u2019re heading to a Rolling Stones concert in 2026, chances are you\u2019re not there for the new stuff. Let\u2019s face it, you want to hear them play the classics.<\/p>\n
They get it; it\u2019s why they\u2019re still filling seats decades after their prime. When you\u2019ve found a formula that works, don\u2019t overcomplicate things. Keep playing the hits.<\/p>\n
Over the years, we\u2019ve seen that become the Raptors\u2019 draft strategy. With their first-round pick, you can bet they\u2019re looking at a long, versatile two-way forward standing at or around 6-foot-8. In the second round, they tend to gravitate towards experienced and accomplished, gritty defensive-minded guards.<\/p>\n
Unlike Satisfaction, Start Me Up, or Jumpin\u2019 Jack Flash, those player archetypes don\u2019t always elicit a standing ovation from the fan base, at least not initially. They\u2019re not the most exciting, but there\u2019s a reason why Toronto continues going back to them.<\/p>\n
\u201c[For us], it\u2019s always been best available two-way players,\u201d said Bobby Webster, the Raptors\u2019 long-time backup vocalist-turned-frontman, who recently added executive vice-president to his general manager title. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can go back to when we first started here and that\u2019s always been our philosophy. I think sometimes you get into a little bit of a trap if you try to [draft] for fit in the first round. Ultimately, the NBA is super competitive and things are always changing. The turnover on a team that happens year-to-year around the NBA is normal, so you have opportunities to reposition the roster. So, we\u2019ve always said best available.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, \u201cbest player available\u201d is entirely subjective. When they\u2019re on the clock, most teams opt for the top player left on their board, the one they believe to be best available by whatever system, metric, or gut feeling they trust. Scouting and, ultimately, drafting is an imperfect science, after all.<\/p>\n
However, it\u2019s surprising how many people remain skeptical about a model that identified Scottie Barnes<\/a> over Jalen Suggs<\/a>, found Pascal Siakam<\/a> with the 27th overall pick, OG Anunoby<\/a> at 20, and Collin Murray-Boyles<\/a> at nine, or unearthed the likes of Fred VanVleet<\/a> (an undrafted free agent in 2016) and Jamal Shead<\/a> (acquired with the 45th pick in 2024). The Raptors front office is undoubtedly good at this.<\/p>\n So, when they pass on the likes of Khaman Maluach<\/a> or Labaron Philon Jr. \u2013 highly ranked prospects who could have addressed more glaring needs on the current roster \u2013 for another long-limbed, do-it-all player without a traditional NBA position, trust that there\u2019s a method to the madness.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the position-less-ness of the NBA now, I don\u2019t think you can have too many of these big, two-way wings,\u201d Webster said, famously, after he and then team president Masai Ujiri broke consensus to select Barnes fourth overall in 2021. \u201cWe see it as, let\u2019s have all five guys look like him and [Anunoby] and [Siakam].\u201d<\/p>\n The latest tweener to join Vision 6-8 is Allen Graves, chosen with the 19th pick in Tuesday\u2019s first round. Hailing from the small town of Ponchatoula, Louisiana \u2013 population of roughly 8,000 \u2013 Graves wasn\u2019t on the NBA radar until this past season, his freshman year at Santa Clara. It\u2019s not hard to see what caught the Raptors\u2019 eye. His profile, path, physical tools, and skill set all look familiar.<\/p>\n He\u2019s a late-emerging prospect, like Murray-Boyles was, and primarily came off the bench in college, like Barnes did. He comes with a big and strong NBA-ready body, complete with a seven-foot wingspan. His late growth spurt \u2013 he added seven inches between his freshman and sophomore years of high school \u2013 meant he grew up playing point guard, which explains his natural feel for the game. His high motor, quick hands, and defensive instincts made him one of the top disruptors in college basketball last season.<\/p>\n What sets Graves apart from some of the other Raptors draft picks in his mould is that he can shoot it a bit \u2013 he hit an impressive 41 per cent of his 93 three-point attempts as a freshman. He\u2019s been dubbed the analytics darling of the class. He only started four of the 35 games he played, but if you extend his numbers over 40 minutes, you\u2019ve got averages of 20.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 5.1 combined steals and blocks. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel ready,\u201d Graves said on Thursday, his first day getting accustomed to his new team and new city in a different country. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have [declared for the draft] if I didn\u2019t think I was ready and I was able to play at this level. I feel like I can compete with the best of them. That\u2019s why I want to be in the NBA, because it\u2019s the best competition in the world. To be able to go out there and showcase that I belong is what I\u2019ve been doing my whole life, proving everybody wrong. That\u2019s what I plan to do here at the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n At this stage of his development, the Raptors are betting on projection more than actual production and hoping that the promise Graves showed against mid-major competition can translate to a much higher level of play in the pros. The other question is how he fits next to Barnes and Murray-Boyles, the team\u2019s two foundational pieces, who share so many similar qualities and are roughly the same size.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not something the Raptors are worried about for many of the reasons that Webster cited. The league is ever changing and Toronto\u2019s roster could look a lot different by the time Graves is ready to contribute at a high level. And even if they feel like they\u2019re a sharpshooting guard or rim-running centre away from taking another big step this season, they probably weren\u2019t going to find that guy with the 19thpick. <\/p>\n While Barnes (a former Rookie of the Year) and Murray-Boyles (All-Rookie Second Team) both made an immediate impact, they came in as the fourth and ninth picks, respectively. Graves is 19, turning 20 next month. He\u2019s not lacking for confidence, and even though his game and approach are described as being mature beyond his years, early expectations should be tempered. <\/p>\n Their last 19th pick, Ja\u2019Kobe Walter, would often show flashes but didn\u2019t find his niche until the latter half of his sophomore campaign. That should be considered closer to the best-case scenario for a young player drafted in that range. If Graves develops as they\u2019re hoping he will, then they\u2019ll figure out where all the pieces fit. Employing too many players who can do a lot of different things on both ends of the floor and play or guard multiple positions is an enviable problem to have.<\/p>\n By adding Graves and using their second-round pick on Jaden Bradley, a pesky guard and four-year collegiate player out of Arizona, the Raptors doubled down on their strengths and, at least for now, opted against addressing their weaknesses. That\u2019s fine, so long as that\u2019s not the extent of their off-season work.<\/p>\n This is Webster\u2019s first big test as a lead executive. With the draft in the rearview mirror, his contract extension in place, and a new deal for head coach Darko Rajakovic days away from being made official, the pressure is on to figure out where they go from here. It won\u2019t be easy to top a 46-win season and hard-fought seven-game playoff series with the Eastern Conference improving around them.<\/p>\n Your mileage may vary on the revamped Miami Heat<\/a>, post Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> trade, but assuming the 31-year-old, two-time MVP is healthy, they at least enter the conversation with the Detroit Pistons<\/a>, Boston Celtics<\/a>, Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a>, and reigning champion New York Knicks<\/a>. The Indiana Pacers<\/a> are a year removed from a trip to The Finals and will be getting Tyrese Haliburton<\/a> back from injury, the Atlanta Hawks<\/a> are poised to take another step, and the Washington Wizards<\/a> are finally trying to be competitive.<\/p>\n What does that mean for last season\u2019s fifth seed? Merely running it back and banking on internal growth probably won\u2019t be enough to keep up. If the Raptors are going to bolster their roster between now and the start of training camp in the fall, they\u2019ll need to be bold.<\/p>\n Shortly after the final pick of Wednesday\u2019s second round was made, the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> sent shockwaves around the league by trading the face of their young core and engine of their exciting second-half push to Minnesota. TSN can confirm the Raptors\u2019 reported interest in LaMelo Ball<\/a>, but the cost for the all-star point guard (as well as Josh Green<\/a>) \u2013 which turned out to be Naz Reid<\/a>, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps between 2028 and 2030, and three second-rounders \u2013 was deemed too rich.<\/p>\n Balking at that price for a good, albeit flawed player owed north of $130 million over the next three seasons is completely fair. After a decade of irrelevance, it\u2019s surprising to see the resurgent Hornets take a strategic step backwards for hypotheticals, but it\u2019s not hard to see the vision. They essentially own the rights to Minnesota\u2019s first round picks in four of the next seven drafts, a sizeable haul (and big risk for the Timberwolves) under the new lottery format with flattened odds. <\/p>\n While the Wolves figure to be competitive as long as Anthony Edwards<\/a> is healthy, motivated and on the roster, to Webster\u2019s point, a lot can change in seven years. All it takes is one injury, down season, or Edwards deciding he\u2019d rather play elsewhere (his contract is up after the 2028-29 season) and they\u2019ve potentially mortgaged their future for three very expensive seasons of Ball.<\/p>\n If Webster and the Raptors continue to play their greatest hits through the summer, they\u2019ll be exercising patience and waiting for the optimal opportunity to strike \u2013 the right deal for the right player at the right time. It\u2019s worked for them before, though the scenarios in which they bought low on Kawhi Leonard<\/a> and Brandon Ingram<\/a> were situational and might not present themselves again.<\/p>\n Even if the Clippers make Leonard available and his reported interest in returning to Toronto is real \u2013 safe bet is that he and his camp are using the Raptors as leverage, again \u2013 he\u2019s eight years older than the last time they gambled on him and he wouldn\u2019t come cheap. Are they interested in trying to resurrect Ja Morant<\/a>\u2019s once promising career, assuming the price to do so reflects the clear risk? Rajakovic would have some level of familiarity with the fallen star from his time as an assistant coach in Memphis.<\/p>\n Sometimes fortune favours the bold. The Knicks gave up five first-round picks and one pick swap for Mikal Bridges<\/a> in 2024, a risky and polarizing deal that looks a lot better after he helped deliver New York its first NBA title in more than 50 years. In most cases, you get what you pay for. While they\u2019re limited by a few undesirable contacts, namely Jakob Poeltl<\/a>\u2019s, the Raptors have the picks and assets to get in on the Jaylen Brown<\/a> sweepstakes or put together a competitive offer for another star who may become available, but they have to be willing to spend. During Webster\u2019s 13-year tenure, Toronto hasn\u2019t sent out more than one first-round pick in any trade.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019ve been stockpiling and what we\u2019ve been patient on over the last couple years \u2013 having a lot of assets, having our first-round picks, having players under rookie scale contracts \u2013 that\u2019s allowed us to build and be the youngest team in the playoffs,\u201d Webster said. \u201cBut, yeah, at a certain point we want to be opportunistic in the trade market, and so we\u2019ll look to do that over the course of the summer and even into the trade deadline next season.\u201d<\/p>\n Patience is a virtue, but it rarely wins the day. Playing the hits is often a good way to go, but it might be time to try something new.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2013 If you\u2019re heading to a Rolling Stones concert in 2026, chances are you\u2019re not there for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":761379,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[16159,64,63,590,85,297370],"class_list":["post-761378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-apple-news","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports","tag-toronto-raptors-sports-basketball-team-team-statscom-28"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=761378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761378\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/761379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=761378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=761378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=761378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}