After defeating a hobbled Golden State Warriors club in the 2019 NBA Finals, the Toronto Raptors emerged as the league’s ‘Cinderella’ team last season, finishing 2019-20 with a 53-19 record despite two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard leaving Toronto to join the Los Angeles Clippers.
However, the Raptors’ performance in the regular season was a lot different than it was in the playoffs, where rising star Pascal Siakam demonstrated how important it is for players with physical prowess to improve their guard skills. Subsequently, Toronto’s focus this offseason should be on player development and free agency rather than the 2020 NBA Draft.
This is particularly true due to the Raptors having just the second-to-last pick in each round.
Related: Full Toronto Raptors 2020 Salary Cap Preview
2020 NBA Draft Picks
| No. 29 overall | No. 59 overall |
Raptors Draft Needs
It’s always wise to shore up depth or plan ahead and that’s exactly what Toronto will be doing during the 2020 NBA Draft. The Raptors could have 15 players entering free agency, an absurd number when considering that thy were just in the NBA Finals last year and made it as far as the second round of the NBA Playoffs this year.
Using their draft picks on fringe roster or fringe rotation players will be a cheap way of maintaining the status quo. It also allows them to maximize their cap space for the 2021 offseason, should they decide that they want to chase one of the established stars whose contracts will expire in 2020-21.
2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist
| No. 29 overall | No. 59 overall |
| PG Cole Anthony, North Carolina | G Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky |
| PG Jahmi’us Ramsey, Texas Tech | PG Payton Pritchard, Oregon |
| C Xavier Tillman, Michigan St. | PG Markus Howard, Marquette |
| PG Tyrell Terry, Stanford | C Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State |
| F-C Isaiah Stewart, Washington St. | SF Josh Hall, Moravian |
What The Mocks Are Saying
| The Ringer | Theo Maledon (No. 29) |
| The Athletic | Xavier Tillman (No. 29) |
| USA TODAY Sports | Jahmi’us Ramsey (No. 29) |
| CBS Sports | Isaiah Stewart (No. 29) |
| The Score | Udoka Azubuike (No. 29) |
Projected Roster
| PG | Kyle Lowry |
| SG | Norman Powell |
| SG | Matt Thomas |
| SF | OG Anunoby |
| SF | Stanley Johnson |
| SF | Patrick McCaw |
| SF | Paul Watson* |
| PF | Pascal Siakam |
| C | Dewan Hernandez |
