Raptors’ most likely draft picks include four standout guards.
The Toronto Raptors are expected to target a handful of excellent guards with the 19th choice in this year’s NBA draft. This year’s draft is likely to be the most surprising in recent memory.
There is little consensus at No. 1, and who comes next is anyone’s guess. The top five are full of intriguing players who may go in any order, and predicting who the Toronto Raptors will draft at No. 19 appears practically impossible.
And yet, the oddsmakers have shared a favorite for Toronto.
Providence’s 6-foot-2 point guard Devin Carter is listed at +500 to be Toronto’s selection in the first round, per OntarioBets. That implies a 16.7% probability the Raptors select the 22-year-old Carter whose defense and emerging three-point shot have him among the top guards in this year’s class.
If not Carter, Carlton Carrington out of Pittsburgh and USC’s Isaiah Collier are considered the next most likely with an implied probability of 14.3% they land with the Raptors. Carrington is an 18-year-old guard who averaged 13.8 points per game while shooting 32.2% from three-point range this year. Collier, meanwhile, was a standout in high school who had an up-and-down season with the Trojans this past year, averaging 16.3 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 33.8% from behind the arc.
Tyler Smith, a G League Ignite forward, is ranked as Toronto’s second most likely pick at +800, meaning an 11.1% chance the Raptors take the 6-foot-9 sharpshooter. This past season, Smith averaged 13.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in the G League while shooting 36.4% from three.
Baylor center Yves Missi and Duke guard Jared McCain are considered longshots at +1,000, meaning a 9.1% chance Toronto will select one of them. Missi is a strong defensive center who will need to improve his game at the NBA level. McCain, an undersized combo guard who shot 41.4% from beyond the arc, is anticipated to go before Toronto’s No. 19 choice.
The first night of the NBA draft is scheduled for June 26. Toronto will open Day 2 of the draft with the first pick in the second round as well.
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