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OT: The Official Toronto Raptors Thread

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Allen Graves - 2026 NBA Draft Guide

Read Sam Vecenie's scouting report on Allen Graves
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Allen Graves
Forward, Santa Clara
High-IQ player and analytics darling who needs to maximize his body and offensive skill.
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Overview
  • Height: 6 ft. 73/4 in.
  • Weight: 225 lbs.
  • Wingspan: 7 ft.
  • Standing reach: 8 ft. 101/2 in.
  • Birthday: July 28, 2006
  • Age: 19.9
  • Hometown: Ponchatoula, La.
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Analysis
It’s easy to see the appeal of Graves in the modern NBA, given how much he helps you win the possession battle. He gets steals. He rebounds, creates second chances and doesn’t turn the ball over. By the time he’s 25 or so, the odds are good that Graves is going to be a useful rotation player.
But I think he’s entering the draft a couple of years before he’s ready, and the first team that acquires him isn’t likely to get the most out of him. Graves still needs to improve his body and maximize whatever speed and agility he can. He needs to continue to find his offensive game, because I don’t think he’s there yet as a shooter. It’ll require a creative basketball coach to figure out how to use him on that end, given that he operated at times as a hub for Santa Clara and won’t be asked to do that in the NBA.
All the intel reports on Graves are elite, so you want to buy into him long term. But I don’t believe he’s going to be that useful in the NBA within the first few years of his career given the intense athletic adjustment he’ll face and the way he struggled against good competition this year. If someone wants to use a later first-round pick on him, I’d get it. But that’s where the range starts for me, and he received one of my last guaranteed-contract grades of the cycle.
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John Hollinger

9m ago
John Hollinger·
Senior Writer, NBA

Party on, nerds! Allen Graves was the analytics darling of this draft after his one season at Santa Clara saw him post massive rates of steals, rebounds and assists for a player of his size and seemingly limited athleticism. His positional fit at the next level is still a bit of a question, but I love the upside swing at a point in the draft where the players selected are most likely to turn out to be backups. Grade: A-
 
I'm deeply struggling with this one. I don't think he's physically ready for the NBA so a project, but there's not a ton of upside beyond "rotation connector & spot up shooter" there. Think Kyle Anderson. Which is fine. If you can get a good rotation NBA player from the 19 spot, you've done a good job at the draft table, but I really wish we would take the swing on higher upside prospects when they present themselves. Philon and Carr both have legitimate #2-3 offensive option skill sets.

To make that worse, I struggle to see a fit here if he is any better than a rotation piece. He's severely position locked at the 4 imo and we already have 2 much better guys who are best suited at the 4.
 
Graves seems like a high-IQ, longish, unathletic defender who runs the court well, gets steals, rebounds, and makes the correct passes and cuts. He should be a fine corner 3 shooter.

Fine, but like fine. I was excited about getting a shot creator.
 
Pwner said:
Graves seems like a high-IQ, longish, unathletic defender who runs the court well, gets steals, rebounds, and makes the correct passes and cuts. He should be a fine corner 3 shooter.

Fine, but like fine. I was excited about getting a shot creator.
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As a general rule, I don't like low ceiling, low floor picks. I'd rather swing at guys with starter level or better tools to work with.

There is a real chance that Graves just isn't athletic enough to play in the NBA.
 
These guys cant help themselves and target every toolsy weirdo and year over year we ask where more offense is going to come from and i dont feel this dude is it.

Its like the told themselves never again after taking Gradey Dick and go back to what they know best.
 
CH1 said:
I remember this board wasn’t exactly jumping when the Raps took Scottie. Hollinger loved thar pick too
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oh, our scouting staff has earned patience from me. It's more the philosophy at work I don't like. We seem really focused at trying to be a better basketball team by not having people who are good with the basketball and I think that's probably a good way to build a durable 45-50 win program that leads the league in fastbreak points and has a perennial top 5 defence every year, but then loses in the playoffs when there's no more bad teams to run into the ground and you have to make shots in the half court to win games.
 
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Not every pick can be the freaky weird athlete that is good defensively thats an offensive black hole that might not have a position.

Carr was a legit shooter and Philon would have really helped our poor shooting backcourt.
 
This is where I felt Carr was the middle ground. Freaky athlete with huge wingspan for his height and crazy defensive upside (that he showed in flashes at Baylor). Can shoot off of the dribble and spot up. Plus slasher and finisher around the rim. If you like Ja'Kobe, he's basically a bigger, more athletic, more talented Ja'Kobe and even comes from the same school. He felt like a Raptor pick to me on the defensive upside.

I didn't expect them to take Philon or any of the scoring guards I wanted. But when Carr fell to us, that felt like a Raptors pick to me and I would have been pretty fucking happy.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R7fOrSpjio
 
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