With the #9 pick in the 2025 draft, the Toronto Raptors select…

I’m going Derik Queen here. I think a long term starting C is required by the Raptors and he is top big left on my mock. Toronto also take a look at Fleming, Sober and CMB but decide on Queen.

How high would you have had Crawford on your dtaft if he’d played a full season to the level he was playing at Norrin?

So were doing these picks assuming each team keeps the pick and selects the player for their team. Obviously I’m hoping this pick gets traded to Milwaukee for Giannis. Theres also a good chance they move up. As far as keeping the pick goes Im back and forth right now.

As of today I’m going with Coward. His abillity to shoot the ball in a wide variety of ways, his length and versatility, his mindset as well and defensive mentality. I think he is checking off all the boxes to be a Khris Middleton kind of player in the NBA offensively. In the shorterm though he steps in right away as a shot maker and 5 position defensive playmaker from the wing. Its exactly what Toronto has always wanted.

I’ve had Fleming here for a bit but earlier in the year I mentioned how it is weird when asked in interviewhe never compared himself to any Centers. He always uses Jaden McDaniels as a comparison. Its just a weird thing but you wanna hear him say he’s studying Myles Turner or Al Horford because thats where teams need him, So once again during these predraft workouts he says he compares himself to OG Anunoby, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid… which is great. Those are great winning players. But what he has shown so far does not really fit any of those profiles and they aren’t really the rim protector/paint bruiser youwant a fully developed Rasheer Fleming to be. I just can’t get past that with Rasheer right now, it was a question I was asking all year and he doubled down on it.

On the other side of this you have Carter Bryant who says he’s studying Toumani Camara a guy thats out of the playoff picture and not on so many peoples radars. Its just a bit more believable. I’m not as high on him because I think his shot creation and where he is able to get his shot off is limited but he is clearly rising up peoples boards. They compare him to OG but OG has about 4 inches on him in length.

I don’t think any of the guard oriented players will be on Toronto’s radar. I mean Egor Demin would be a great fit in our system but I think they only draft a player with a defensive mentality.

Theres a long list of players I could see Toronto picking because they prioritiaze development. Yaxel Lendeberg is another guy I think they would bring in and make it work. I would be fine with that fit.

I think they will look to acquire a big later in the draft or through trades. Developing a big is a longterm investment even if your picking him at #9 and this draft has quite a few 22 year old bigs to pick from in the 2nd round like YKN, Kalkabrenner, Goldin, Amari Williams, Broome,

Whats the story behind Hitster calling him Crawford all the time haha.

There is a lifecoach called Cedric Crawford who is almost his twin brother lookalike.

I don’t know if the photos ever got mixed up but they are very similar.

If the Raps took Coward where does he fit in with the line up as they’ve got Dick, Quickley, Barrett, Ingram, Barnes and Poeltl to form the backbone of their starting 5 with Ajbaji, Mogbo and Walter as the other key rotational guys. There just seems a lack of another legit big but as Oh Canada said there will be proven college senior bigs in the 2nd round.

We know what Williams’ trade value is from the Lakers deal. Kessler’s asking price will be high given Ainge’s track record. But I agree the core line up playing 65 to 70 games can easily be a play in team.

Poeltl has another couple of years left on his deal so there is no hurry to get another big especially if you draft a proven college guy. with your 2nd round pick.

I’ll go with Queen here