Raptors should eye Cooper Flagg's Duke teammate if they lose out on star in NBA lottery
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The Raptors haven’t officially raised the red Flagg, or any colour for the matter, but the chances of the franchise getting its hands on Cooper Flagg grow dimmer by the day.
The consensus first-overall pick by draft experts, the Duke freshman leads a talented Blue Devils class that surely will be front and centre at this year’s NBA draft at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets.
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Raptors should eye Cooper Flagg's Duke teammate if they lose out on star in NBA lottery Back to video
One player fans of the Raptors should pay close attention is Flagg’s teammate, Khaman Maluach.
With 10 games remaining, including Wednesday’s visit to Brooklyn, the Raptors seem destined to finish seventh in the NBA’s reverse standings.
Even when they try to basically throw away a game — which does seem too harsh of a description given the competitive nature of players — the Raptors end up on the winning side.
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Witness Monday’s meeting against the host Washington Wizards.
Fresh off a truly regrettable home game against the San Antonio Spurs, the Raptors sat out their best players down the stretch against the Wizards, whose cellar-dwelling status was only cemented in the loss.
At 25-47, there’s a real possibility the Raptors may end the season by boasting 30 wins. The rub is that each win has only diminished the Raptors’ odds of drafting Flagg.
This end-of-season stretch features two games against the Nets, two against the Charlotte Hornets, and one each against Philly and Portland as the countdown to the final two games in Texas continues.
Unless fortune smiles on the Raptors, which always is a possibility, the hope of drafting Flagg appears remote.
The very worst scenario would see one of Toronto’s Eastern Conference rivals having their number called in the draft lottery.
If there’s any consolation, it may involve Maluach, a very intriguing big from South Sudan who is only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.
Maluach has size — he’s listed at 7-foot-1 — can block shots, is mobile and many believe he has the potential to emerge as a defensive anchor once he settles into life at the NBA level.
Offensively, Maluach is far from a finished product. In fact, he’s pretty raw.
On a Raptors team, he won’t be asked to score with the likes of Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and a healthy Brandon Ingram handling most of the scoring load.
You also can toss in RJ Barrett, assuming the moves the Raptors engineer this off-season do not involve him.
When he was asked to run the offence at point guard, Barrett did his best under trying times, but the fact remains that he’s not a point guard.
With Quickley and with Jamal Shead now having the benefit of one year of experience, the Raptors should have a decent rotation at that position.
Barnes is more than capable of running the offence in the half court, while Ingram is a skilled wing player who has that rare ability to create.
Overall, there should options at the wing position for the Raptors when looking at the current makeup.
The one glaring area of need is at centre — and that’s where Maluach comes into play.
Jakob Poeltl, who posted a 20-10 game in Washington after sitting out Sunday’s embarrassment, has proven to be indispensable.
While different players have been asked to fill the void when Poeltl isn’t available, no one has stepped up to the point where they are assured of a roster spot for next season.
With Poeltl, the Raptors don’t need a starting centre, but they will require a backup. In Maluach, the Raptors may get a chance to draft the ideal prospect whose ceiling is high and whose defensive profile is ideally suited.
Duke enters the NCAA’s Sweet 16 as one of the favourites to cut down the net at the Alamodome on April 7, when a new NCAA champion is crowned.
Thursday night, Duke’s road to the Final Four features a meeting with Arizona.
Flagg has been the highest-profiled college hoopster, but teammate Tyrese Proctor continues to turn heads with his shooting. A fourth Duke player projected to go high in the draft is small forward Kon Knueppel.
With very little, or any, intrigue remaining in the Raptors season, the focus will be on next and what kind of team Toronto ultimately fields.
The draft will shed some light on the potential moves the Raptors are capable of making this summer.
Three rookies from the 2024 draft class in Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo and Shead have shown flashes.
Of the three, Shead — who was acquired in a trade with Sacramento after going 45th overall — has separated himself from Walter and Mogbo, each selected in the first round.
Shead has a defined role as Quickley’s backup. Walter’s potential is attractive, while Mogbo remains intriguing.
And with the way that Jamison Battle — who went undrafted — can shoot the ball from distance, Toronto’s young core has distinguished itself.
A prospect such as Maluach only adds to the young depth or it creates the possibility of parlaying the assets into a veteran piece.
Whether it’s Maluach or any other prospect not named Cooper Flagg, the Raptors will have options as they look ahead to a new season.
The past two years have not been good and no one knows with certainty how Barnes and Quickley will mesh together.
Ingram can flat-out play, but he isn’t likely to make his Raptors debut until next season when everyone will be able to judge how his game co-exists with Barnes.
What’s clear is that Barnes shouldn’t be launching three-point shots, unless they’re in rhythm and preferably when he’s stepping into attempts. On Monday night, he went 0-for-5 from beyond the arc and on Sunday six of his 11 field-goal attempts were three-pointers.
Barnes, for anyone who hasn’t noticed, needs to be surrounded by shooters.
A player such as Maluach isn’t going to force opponents to extend their defence, but his defence and size do fit in Toronto.
Like anything, only time will tell where the Raptors end up selecting and what player the team drafts.
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