Raptors at NBA draft: Tristan da Silva and 7 other wings who could head to Toronto

Tie goes to the wing.

Much like the runner gets the nod when they arrive at the base at the same time as the ball, the wing gets the tiebreaker when compared to a player at another position. The current NBA prizes positional versatility. If you can find a player who can toggle between spots on the floor, and therefore play with many different types of players, it is more beneficial than getting a pigeonholed player of similar talent.

If I were running a team, I would default to drafting wings. The onus would be on the guard or big to outshine his peers in the middle of the positional spectrum. With the 19th and 31st picks in the upcoming draft, the Raptors, barring a trade, should come away with at least one of the following eight wings.

(Once again, thanks to The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie for his insight into this draft class. My look at the six guards who make the most sense for the Raptors at their slots is here. I’ll get to the bigs later in the week.)

Tristan da Silva | Colorado | 23 years old
6-foot-8 | 217 pounds | senior
16.0 points per game | 5.1 rebounds per game | 39.5 3-point percentage

The Colorado forward is an older prospect. That might make him on the safe end of the spectrum, and lacking in home run potential. Then again, this is the 19th pick of a weak draft — there is unlikely to be much of that upside hanging around.

The best version of da Silva is a super-charged glue guy. Think Nicolas Batum, someone who can do a little bit of everything, taking very little away. He isn’t the passer that Batum is, but he brings a similar size that could allow him to start guarding bigger players as he gets stronger. He is a good shooter, and you need a bunch of those in any setting.

He is not a great athlete. He will not be hanging out above the rim a lot, and that won’t change over time. There are other ways to get by in the NBA, but he will have to adjust to the league quickly without explosiveness to fall back on.

Raptors fit: Every team needs shooters with size. The Raptors, building around Scottie Barnes (and RJ Barrett’s driving) need that. Ideally, da Silva would be a better defender, but he should be able to hang thanks to his size, if not pop as a shutdown option.

Da Silva is smart and experienced. Raised in Germany, he should have more familiarity with the holistic offensive sets Darko Rajaković wants to run. If the Raptors want a wing who has a chance to crack the rotation immediately, I think Da Silva is the best bet for players who could realistically be available at 19.

Bobi Klintman | Cairns (Australia) | 21
6-10 | 225 lbs.
9.7 PPG | 4.8 RPG | 0.7 assists per game

Klintman played at Wake Forest in 2022-23 before going pro in Australia last season. He’s from Sweden with a Senegalese father. He didn’t prove he’s as disruptive as his size indicates in his lone year in the NCAA, but that would be the hope with Klintman.

Klintman is very skilled. He comes with a shot made for catch-and-shoot opportunities and some decent playmaking. He likely didn’t control the ball much in a professional league (I can’t say I caught any NBL games), but he flashed those skills in high school and college.

He is a fluid athlete if not an explosive one. That plus his size should create a good defender, if not a very good one. Admittedly, he hasn’t shown he can be that yet, which requires analyzing.

Raptors fit: Big and lanky? Check. International background? Check. Can’t shoot? Not check! Raptors fans should be very familiar with the type of prospect Klintman is, and know those guys can go either way (see Bruno Caboclo and Pascal Siakam).

The Raptors have diversified their portfolio over the last few years. Still, Klintman is skilled and experienced enough that his learning curve should not be as steep as previous Raptors “projects.” If his secondary playmaking is for real, he is the best upside swing the Raptors could take with either of their picks.

Baylor Scheierman | Creighton | 23
6-6 | 202 lbs. | senior (fifth year)
18.5 PPG | 9.0 RPG | 3.9 APG

Scheierman spent his first three collegiate years at South Dakota State (go Jackrabbits!) before transferring to Creighton. He had a few bonkers years at the lesser-known school, with 3-point percentages in the mid-40s. Those came down to the high 30s when he transferred to a superior conference.

Given his age, he should be strong enough to deal with NBA defenders. That doesn’t mean he will nail things early on, but he won’t need to transform his body mid-season.

He isn’t very athletic. That is a concern, especially on defence. He doesn’t have da Silva’s size, so he could be a little compromised on that end.

Raptors fit: Another shooter who has decent size. The offensive fit makes sense, and the Raptors could have a need if either Gary Trent Jr. or Bruce Brown departs. The bonus of having older rookies is the potential for immediate contribution.

I worry about adding a player with major defensive questions. Immanuel Quickley is small. Gradey Dick is slight, and it will take him a while to get to neutral defensively. Barrett has not proven he can be above-average defensively. Without a centre of the future, it’s tough to envision adding more questionable defenders to the mix.

Johnny Furphy | Kansas | 19
6-9 | 200 lbs. | freshman
9.0 PPG | 4.9 RPG | 35.2 3P%

Furphy is Australian. Again, he is not a player who spends much time above the rim — that’s a theme, as most of those guys get picked earlier — but he is big enough to alleviate some of the associated concerns.

He plays with a ton of effort, mostly showing up in transition. He had to fight for a rotation spot in Kansas, and the main way he could do that was by doing the not-so-little things. He has good shooting mechanics, which should result in his percentage being better than he showed with the Jayhawks.

He will be a target defensively early in his career, which could require some time in the G League. Like most freshmen, he’ll need to fill out significantly to get to a passable level defensively, but there is a lot of refinement necessary in that area, too.

Raptors fit: Commonwealth, represent! Make the whole plane out of Kansas freshmen! The surface-level stuff works, for sure.

If Furphy’s shot comes through, he will have a spot on any NBA team. There is so much to finetune with Furphy’s game, though. If the Raptors took him, it would signal they are willing to be patient. He is unlikely to play meaningful minutes on a competitive team this year.

Jaylon Tyson | California | 21
6-6 | 218 lbs. | junior
19.6 PPG | 6.8 RPG | 3.5 APG

Tyson is a strong dude. He played for three schools in three years, starting with Texas and Texas Tech. He got a lot of his offence through bullying, but he is a little more explosive above the rim than the guys mentioned so far.

He played on the ball more than off of it at Cal, and that will presumably have to change in the NBA. His shooting numbers aren’t good enough that you can assume he will be able to fit in where he gets in. Most on-ball creators in the NBA are more dynamic than Tyson is. He turned the ball over almost as much as he recorded assists.

He isn’t reliable off the ball on defense. That tends to get better with time, but he won’t be starting from a strong place.

Raptors fit: I don’t see it. His basic outline is similar to Ochai Agbaji, who is under contract for two more years. I don’t see the point of adding such a similar player unless you believe either a) he can carry a higher usage than most players picked this low typically do; or b) his shot is more bankable than his mechanics suggest. He made 37.8 percent of his 3s over his past two years, so it is not out of the question that he can bring that success to the NBA.

Kyshawn George | Miami (Fla.) | 20
6-8 | 205 lbs. | freshman
7.6 PPG | 3.0 RPG | 40.8 3P%

George split time between coming off the bench and starting for a wayward Miami team this year. George grew up in Switzerland, routinely playing on age-group teams much older than he was, despite having a late growth spurt. He spent one year in the French second division before coming to the United States.

George is largely an offensive product, and that is mostly based on his shot. However, he has flashed skills as a passer that give him more upside than his disappointing season in the NCAA suggests. He was a plus for Miami’s defence this year.

He isn’t a great athlete, and that puts a cap on how much potential he has to exceed his projection as a nice role player. He had the efficiency of a smaller guard on shots at the rim in the halfcourt, which is worrisome. Could be a quirky fan favourite, or a ground-bound disappointment.

Raptors fit: The shooting should play. I keep bemoaning the lack of athleticism available in this range, but it’s especially frustrating for George, whose size is ideal. At least he has good defensive fundamentals and some versatility on that end.

Because of the shooting and passing, I would like George and 19th and love him at 31st.

Pacôme Dadiet | Ratiofarm Ulm (Germany) | 18
6-9 | 210 lbs.
6.5 PPG | 2.2 RPG | 49.2 FG%

Dadiet is one of the measurement darlings of this class. He doesn’t have a huge wingspan, but he should have great defensive versatility once he fills out.

Since he has been playing in European pro leagues with adults, it is hard to make much of his stats. He was reasonably efficient, shooting 35 percent from 3, with that number notably higher on catch-and-shoot attempts. He has good instincts off the ball, too, giving him the potential to be a good well-rounded player.

He is not there defensively right now, and would likely need some time in the G League to figure that out, even despite his time in the pros in Europe. He got bullied in Germany, so that would continue in the NBA.

Raptors fit: There was a time when a player like Dadiet would scream Raptors, and I’m not ruling that out. Particularly if the Raptors want to stash a player in Europe for a year, drafting Dadiet with the 31st pick would make sense.

Without — say it with me now — special athleticism, Dadiet classifies as a project. That isn’t surprising for a player who doesn’t turn 19 until later this summer, but it is a reality any team has to deal with. He would surprise me at 19, and less so at 31. His offensive potential fits in well with Rajaković’s vision.

Ryan Dunn | Virginia | 21
6-6 | 210 lbs. | sophomore
8.1 PPG | 6.9 RPG | 2.3 blocks per game

Dunn is considered the best defender in this class. It is early to say he will be able to guard any player in the NBA, but it is safe to guess he will be able to guard any non-big. He has a 7-1.5 wingspan, meaning he can come over as a weak-side defender in addition to locking up a ballhandler.

As complete a player as he is on defense, he is the opposite offensively. He made just 12 of his 51 3s at Virginia, shot 52.5 percent from the free-throw line and had more turnovers than assists. Other than cutting and hanging out in the dunker spot, he has no natural role in the NBA on that end. Getting up to, say, Bruce Brown’s offensive utility would be a huge win.

Whoever drafts him will have to work with him on altering his jumper.

Raptors fit: I’m not rational about Dunn. I love watching players this good in one specific way try to build their games to the point that they can stay on the floor. I want the Raptors to take him with the 31st pick very badly.

I’m not sure they should. The Raptors have added shooting over the last year, but not so much shooting that they don’t have to worry about spacing. The hope with a second-round pick is he becomes a rotation player, so I think somebody this good on one end is worth the gamble at 31. The Raptors are probably a bottom-five team in terms of perimeter defense, and letting Dunn try to win a role while improving elsewhere would be a blast to watch.

(Top photo: Geoff Burke / USA Today)