Raptors Executive Explains How This Year's Draft is 'Unique'

Toronto Raptors executive Dan Tolzman explains how this year's NBA draft is different from others because there are no sure things at the top

Jun 23, 2022; Brooklyn, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks before the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

This year's NBA draft is a little different.

It's no secret it's viewed as a weak draft compared to the 2023 draft last year or the 2025 draft next year. There's no Victor Wembanyama or Cooper Flagg at the top and nobody really has a feel for who exactly the one or two superstars will be coming out of this year's class. Even down the board a little, it's all pretty confusing.

For the Toronto Raptors, that could create some opportunities.

Sure, the No. 8 pick would have been a whole lot better than the No. 19 pick Toronto has ended up with. But based on how the draft board looks, it's entirely possible someone the Raptors view in their top 10 ends up at No. 19 based on how strange this year's class is.

"It does seem like most players have a really wide range," said Dan Tolzman, the Raptors assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel. "Usually by this time we have a better idea of at least a smaller group of players we’ll likely be looking at 19, for instance.

"This year, I would say we have an idea, but at the same time it could go completely differently if a few players that we didn’t expect to go in front of 19 end up going and it pushes down a handful of guys, not to say we didn’t expect, but maybe that we weren’t ready to be looking at with that pick."

Sometimes agent games play a part in that too.

Changes to the pre-draft process have enabled every team to get the medicals for the players it's interested in drafting. Improved participation at the draft combine thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement helped even the playing field in terms of getting a look at all the prospects up close. But still, sometimes agents shut down workouts to facilitate their players going to specific teams and there are always more players who view themselves as top-15 picks than there are spots in the top 15, for example.

"A lot of times players get passed on because they weren’t able to get them into their facilities for whatever or other reason or agents and whatnot try to manipulate it a little bit to try to get their guys to get passed by a few different teams," Tolzman said. "It just kind of snowballs in terms of someone who was expected expected to go in the top four ends up going 14 instead."

Even looking at mock drafts it's hard to get a read on where the top players will go. ESPN, for example, has Donovan Clingan at No. 7 and Rob Dillingham at No. 6 while The Ringer has Clingan at No. 3 and Dillingham at No. 15. Even Kel'el Ware, Indiana's big man who has been projected to be the No. 19 pick by some prognosticators, is tabbed for No. 9 by The Ringer compared to No. 23 by ESPN.

The lack of those sure things up top has led to this notion that this year's draft is weak which in that respect it is. But historically speaking, there are guaranteed to be valuable stars and high-end role players in every draft and this one will be no different. Where they go, though, is anyone's guess.