The Toronto Raptors’ first round draft pick was shocking because of just how predictable it was.
Allen Graves is not only viewed extremely favourably from an analytics standpoint, but is the archetypical Toronto Raptors player: a defensively minded forward who plays well on both sides of the ball. A one and done college player, the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year is a decorated forward who when stacked with Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles, could be a part of a group that – while too short to be a Trio of Towers – could have serious lockdown impact.
But, it seems that the fans might need some time to come around to the rookie.
In this FanDuel sponsored survey, a whopping 50% of Raptors HQ readers polled looked upon the pick as a bad move for the Raptors, with less than a quarter of people answering that they saw it as an above-average pick.
This likely reflects less on an assessment of Graves’ skills, but rather, subverted expectations that led to short-term disappointment. Creator @5starsportz on TikTokn exemplifies this, with his video about the Raptors passing on guard Labaron Philon Jr. reaching more than 30,000 views and nearly 7000 likes at the time of writing.
Philon Jr. was mocked at falling to 19, but was ultimately passed on by the Raptors in favour of Graves. This came as a shock to many fans, who identified guard play and a new centre as major priorities for the team to address with the draft. Still, the Raptors are betting on what’s worked for them in the past. Collin Murray-Boyles is in some respects a variant of the Scottie Barnes archetype, and was seen a superfluous pick at a position the Raptors already had a guy at. I think what has been underdiscussed is how cool it would be to have 3 guys who can play even half as well as Scottie Barnes.
Ultimately, I believe that the Raptors’ front office should be trusted with their decision. The draft is far from the only way to build up a team, and many of Toronto’s most important pieces have joined the team as trades. There are other ways to address the deficiencies of this team, and while taking a great centre or guard in the draft could have worked, searching for an upgrade or backup at either of the positions could be done just as easily in another way.
Graves will be the one who has to cash the cheque with his play that the Raptors wrote with their pick, however. But, if the forward remains tenacious on both ends of the ball and plays his role well, I see no reason why the Louisianian couldn’t flourish here in Toronto.
