Raptors' 13th pick: Favourites after the NBA Combine

Amit Mann is joined by Richard Stayman to discuss which players are must-drafts for the Raptors after showing out at the NBA Combine. Listen to the full episode on the 'Raptors Over Everything' podcast feed.

Video Transcript

AMIT MANN: Like, they need guards. They need shooting. Combo guards would be terrific.

RICHARD STAYMAN: I think there's a few. I personally, I'll just start with my highest rated player if he's there at that point, and that would be Kobe Bufkin out of Michigan. He's a young sophomore. He's still 19-years-old.

He really didn't run point guard until this year, ever. Like, this is his first year as at point guard, and honestly, it wasn't like glowing reviews everywhere, but it was not bad. It was never at one point like, oh my god, stop, stop.

Like, it was never there. It was always, OK, we can tell you're making some simple reads, but there are mostly simple reads, but there are some advanced flashes, but the shot's there the motor's there, the defense is there. He's a little undersized. I take it, anyways. I think some of these undersized guys still find ways to really pop out.

Two other names I would say. Also a guard in the Big Ten, Jalen Hood-Schifino. He's a bit bigger, 6' 6". Real shooting upside and he's a better shooter than given credit for. People talk about him like he was a bad shooter, but he still shot 36% from 3. So I think there's a lot there. Great pick-and-roll ball handler. Defense could go either way, but I think it'll ultimately be positive.

And then lastly, I think this one is just the most Raptors pick of all. Everybody knows the Masai measurements and everything, and there's one player in this draft and only one that fits that bill, and that's a Canadian, as low-hanging as that is, and it's Leonard Miller. I think Leonard Miller is fantastic out of the G League Ignite. Really two-way slashing forward. I think he's got a lot of upside that the Raptors would probably be the best team for him.

AMIT MANN: I don't mind that. One that he's Canadian. Obviously, that helps, but it's the right kind of 6' 9" players what we're looking for, the right kind. And this past season, man, it was brutal. Like, on multiple occasions I'm just like, what am I watching?

Like, there's no spacing, teams are hedging so tight to Pascal Siakam, and he's asked to operate and score against five players. It happened all the time.

And I think, again, I've said it so many times on this pod, game 6 against the 76ers, that's where it started. It was the second half, and I'm not sure why Doc Rivers didn't do this defense earlier on because had they done that, they probably would have swept the Raptors, but it was that box and 1 kind of style of defense, stacked.

And you got players on the elbows and blocks, and Pascal Siakam had five guys guarding him. And they said, I want to see all these other players hit shots. And then the Raptors got blown out in the second half.

And then fast forward to this season, and that was a defense that they kept on seeing. So if they brought in a shooter-- I mean, whoever they bring in there has to be a shooter. I understand wanting to acquire length, but again, there are things that a 6' 5" player can do with their speed and their ability to wiggle, zigzag in the lane that is harder for a 6' 9", 6' 8" player to do. And that's where I'm landing at least with the Toronto Raptors right now. But Jalen-- I love Jalen, though. I love his game.

RICHARD STAYMAN: Yeah, I think ultimately if all three of those guys are there for the Raptors, like, on my big board, I have Leonard the lowest, which it's not even a knock on him. I still have him pretty high in the top 20 and everything, but I think you have to take Leonard Miller.

Like, just watching how they developed Pascal Siakam, right. A lot of the similarities are there. I mean, you remember, of course, Pascal really took a while-- or not really a while, but there was a learning curve with shooting. Like, he wasn't-- he was never a good shooter until I forget exactly what year, but it was towards the end of his rookie contract. And even then, I don't remember if he was actually good or if you just progressing.

So Leonard Miller is going to follow that same exact path as a shooter. Like, where he's got the shot I think is worse than Pascal's at similar points, but at the same time, like, you just never know. I really do think there's a lot of room to grow there. And we know the Raptors can develop any forward, it feels like. Why not Leonard Miller, who's already got the professional off-court element, I think, behind him as with the G League Ignite. They can easily develop him on court.

AMIT MANN: I would love Kobe. I think he averaged 17, 6, and 3 in his final 12 games. That's pretty damn good, man.

RICHARD STAYMAN: Yeah. Yeah, he can do a lot. I mean, the best the way I've heard him described is like-- I had somebody asked me. They were like, so what does Kobe Bufkin do wrong? And I just couldn't answer. I was like, I mean, he's new at point guard and he's not that strong. I don't know, like, that's it. In his actual game, like, if you're breaking down film, it's really, really hard to find negatives.

AMIT MANN: Yeah. He attacks close outs. He can play off-ball. He can play on-ball. His approach is multi-dimensional.

He's got a decent wingspan. He can shoot the ball. Yeah, I love Kobe. I'm curious why you think he might be available at that point?

RICHARD STAYMAN: There's a weird disconnect I think between like Twitter, draft Twitter and everything, and the NBA teams, but I do think he's-- I think it might just be the size. I mean, he's 6' 4", it's not like super impressive. That would be it, and people are going to go, oh, well, Jalen Hood-Schifino is 6' 6", we can take him. Leonard Miller's there.

There's higher upside plays than him, and I get it. I do think Kobe Bufkin, though, is just high upside hiding in plain sight. And also, after I don't remember how many years it's been, almost 20, but it'd be great to get a Kobe in Toronto after-- sorry for the jab, but after everything that happened, 81 and all that. So I think that'd be kind of funny.

AMIT MANN: I think at this point, Jalen Rose is more famous for that 81 than the Raptors. That's hilarious enough. That commercial is hilarious with Kobe and Jalen. 81 olives, was it? 81 olives? Oh man. Rest in peace, Kobe, got to say. A couple of other guys that were rumored with the Toronto Raptors for that 13th pick, Nick Smith Jr. and--