Several top draft prospects linked to Raptors with NBA lottery in the books

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So, now what?

It’s a question Raptors fans are wondering after Monday’s NBA draft lottery didn’t go so well.

Rest assured the team’s management and coaching staff are thinking similar, but already had mapped out numerous paths before Monday based on lottery scenarios.

The draft combine in Chicago runs through Sunday and then it will be time for individual workouts leading up to the June 25 and 26 draft (this is the second year it has been held on multiple days) in Brooklyn.

Toronto has the ninth and 39th selections and, while it’s unlikely anyone expected to go in the Top 4 or 5 will work out for them, the front office expects it will be able to get to know a significant number of prospects both on and off the court in the coming weeks.

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A silver lining to not moving up into the Top 4 is it will allow the Raptors to stay under the luxury tax, if they choose to, because the ninth pick’s starting salary is a fair bit lower than what Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and Co. will be commanding.

Well stocked on the wing, Toronto’s most pressing need is a backup to centre Jakob Poeltl (ideally someone with a shot to turn into a starter one day since Poeltl can leave as early as next season if an extension isn’t worked out).

Toronto tends to go for best available talent though, so picking a big isn’t guaranteed. An attacking point guard would also be useful and you can never have enough shooting.

It will be stunning if Flagg doesn’t land in Dallas and Harper in San Antonio, with V.J. Edgecombe either going third or fourth. But the rest of the Top 10 is pretty wide open and it wouldn’t be crazy to see any of the other top prospects still on the board when Toronto is up to draft.

Ace Bailey, the sweet-shooting Rutgers forward long seen as a lock at third or fourth has seen his stock fall a bit in recent weeks, including when he measured in shorter than expected at the combine.

Two of the draft’s best shooters, Texas guard Tre Johnson and Duke wing Kon Knueppel, probably go earlier, but one might slip as Gradey Dick — billed as the best shooter in his class two years ago — did to Toronto at 13.

The workouts will shake things up as teams get enamoured with and also fall out of love with prospects. Right now, Maryland freshman centre Derik Queen and gigantic Duke centre Khaman Maluach are most commonly linked to the Raptors at nine in mock drafts.

Here’s a look at some of the players Toronto likely will take long looks at:

KHAMAN MALUaCH

This is about an obvious a fit as it gets.

Maluach is huge (7-foot-2 with a ridiculous 9-foot-7 standing reach and 7-foot-7 wingspan, matching or coming close to last year’s top centres Donovan Clingan and Zach Edey) and he’s one of the younger players available.

Yes, he’s likely the rawest of the candidates for No. 9 and looked awful on the boards in Duke’s last game, but Maluach should be able to contribute immediately behind Poeltl and, in time, could grow into a good player. He already has shown promise against grown men for South Sudan in international competition and his outside shooting continues to progress.

DERIK QUEEN

At 6-foot-10 and nearly 250 pounds with an uncommonly versatile offensive package that includes an ability to destroy opposing big men off the dribble and in the post despite not being a ridiculous athlete, there are some DeMarcus Cousins similarities with Queen (though he’s not as heavy as Cousins and has a far less impressive wingspan).

He seems like a perfect fit on offence under Darko Rajakovic and another walking mismatch on a team that could use one.

The issues with Queen are he is nowhere close at the other end of the floor and, like Cousins, might regularly get exploited. He’s also a bit short to bang with the NBA’s biggest centres and not yet enough of a shooting threat to stretch the floor at power forward.

Plus, Queen’s combine performance was rough, to say the least. He’s an obvious talent, but the limitations are the type that lead to a lot of empty calories and not a lot of wins.

JEREMIAH FEARS

Every year there are some late risers who start creating a buzz around NCAA conference tournament time and just keep building it. Fears might be head of the class in the category in 2025.

He showed flashes of brilliance down the stretch for Oklahoma and some real star potential even though he’s one of the four youngest players expected to be taken in the first round.

With that youth comes some inexperience — the turnovers are way too high and the outside shooting is erratic — but Fears probably goes before Toronto is up because of his size and shot-making abilities.

He nearly matched Harper’s shooting numbers at the combine and is an outstanding free-throw shooter, indicating the three-point shot will come around.

KASPARAS JAKUCIONIS

There’s also a lot to like with another even-bigger point guard in the 6-foot-6 Jakucionis.

The Illinois freshman also is young, can shoot, get to the free-throw line and create. On the other hand, his decision-making is terrible so far, leading to tons of turnovers and, though he tries defensively, he gets targeted at this point.

If the Raptors believe they can iron out his deficiencies, it’s easy to see a match, given his size and excellent work on pull-up shots, a skill the team covets and needs more of behind Immanuel Quickley.

KEEP AN EYE ON

Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel, Thomas Sorber, Noa Essengue, Nolan Traore, Jase Richardson, Nique Clifford, Collin Murray-Boyles, Rasheer Fleming, Asa Newell, Danny Wolf.

@WolstatSun