Raptors Have Interviewed Duke's Vernon Carey Jr.

The Toronto Raptors have spoken to Duke center Vernon Carey Jr. who is trying to prove he's more of a modern big than he showed in college

Had Vernon Carey Jr. come out of college a decade ago he likely would have been among the first players selected in NBA Draft. He's a prototypical traditional centre from that era: 6-foot-10, listed at 270 pounds, he can score inside, and he can protect the paint. But those days of traditional big play are long gone, replaced by an ever-growing need for mobile bigs who can stretch the floor and guard across positions.

It's why Carey has spent his offseason trying to reshape his body. He's reportedly lost 30 pounds during the pandemic in hopes of making himself more versatile for the NBA game.

"It definitely helped my athleticism," he said Monday during his pre-draft media availability. "I feel like I definitely got more mobile."

Then there is that buzzword centres like to use these days: Stretch.

At Duke, Carey was almost exclusively an interior presence. He took just 21 3-pointers and shot just 16-for-42 from the midrange, according to The Vi5ion. Of his 324 shots, 79% of them came right under the rim.

But Carey wanted to portray himself as a stretch five during his media availability, someone with a lot more versatility than he showed in college.

"I feel like what I can bring to an NBA team is just me being able to stretch the floor," he said. "I feel like people didn't get a chance to see me do that at Duke a lot just because of the role that I played."

If that is indeed the case, Carey has some upside that could help a team like the Toronto Raptors who have spoken to Carey during the pre-draft process. Especially considering the Raptors' frontcourt could look very different later this month if Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol both depart via free agency.

For Carey to succeed at the next level, he's going to have to improve his passing in the low post and show that he can defend pick-and-roll situations at a higher level. It would take a lot of work for the 19-year-old to rebuild his game as a modern big, but he appears to be up for the challenge.