Potential Raptors Draft Target Justin Lewis Posts Photo from Toronto

The Toronto Raptors appear to be interested in Marquette's NBA Draft prospect Justin Lewis who posted an Instagram in Toronto
Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Marquette's Justin Lewis appears to have piqued the interest of the Toronto Raptors.

The 6-foot-7 forward posted an Instagram story in Toronto on Thursday evening, presumably hinting at a workout with the Raptors ahead of next month's NBA Draft. It's not hard to see why Toronto, who holds the 33rd pick in the draft, would be interested in Lewis who is ranked the 33rd prospect in the draft by Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo. He's a three-and-D wing who fits the mold the Raptors have been looking for over the past two years.

"Lewis comes off a breakout sophomore season, in which he emerged as a legitimate perimeter shooter with complementary skills as a rebounder and defender," wrote Woo. "There’s reason to buy his improved jumper, and he fits a viable mold as an athletic, floor-spacing forward (think Trey Murphy in last year’s draft) if he stays on track. He’s not going to create a ton of shots for himself or teammates, but there’s enough ability here to think it can work. He has a long, projectable frame, but doesn’t always put it to use in the flow of the game—if Lewis embraces doing the small stuff, there’s a pathway to him becoming a valuable contributor. He’ll need to convince teams he can be more versatile—if one were confident he’d be able to switch on the perimeter and make the occasional play, it would help—but he just turned 20 and offers upside, and first-round potential."

The 20-year-old from Maryland averaged 16.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 34.9% from behind the arc on 5.2 attempts per game.

Further Reading

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Aaron Rose
AARON ROSE

Aaron Rose is a Toronto-based reporter covering the Toronto Raptors since 2020.