2026 NBA Draft Needs: Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are stuck. Their roster is chock-full of talented defenders and scorers, but their team is a tier below contender status, and most of their money is tied up in their starters. They don’t have the bargain contracts that a team needs to maximize the supporting cast around their stars. In this draft, the Raptors need to get a quality contributor: a prospect who can be a tertiary piece, commit to a specific role, and be part of a winning formula.

State of the Team:

Competing: Above-average, needing juice

Positional Strengths and Weaknesses:

Guards:

The Raptors’ guard corps is Immanuel Quickley, Jamal Shead, and Ja’Kobe Walter.

Immanuel Quickley is a great point guard for the Raptors. He passes, scores, and defends with great effort. He’s a tier below All-Star level, and his contract is somewhat pricey, but he’s a good foundation. Jamal Shead’s second season showed noticeable improvement as a floor general. He was a Sixth Man of the Year candidate this past year, and if his efficiency improves, he could push Quickley for his job. Ja’Kobe Walter’s second season in the league saw him improve his shot efficiency and cut his turnovers in half. He’s a good scoring backup shooting guard.

Wings/Forwards:

The Raptors’ wing and forward corps is Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Collin Murray-Boyles, Gradey Dick, and Jamison Battle.

Scottie Barnes is a complete forward. He led the team in assists, scores masterfully, and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. If he had a more reliable threeball, he would be a yearly MVP candidate. Brandon Ingram is the lengthy mid-range hunter and yearly All-Star candidate the team can turn to in crunch time. RJ Barrett has scored tremendously over his six seasons in the NBA, but has struggled to do it efficiently. He seems to be finding his groove as the third or fourth option in Toronto, but could still be a trade piece given his large contract.

Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles was a bulldozing, hard-nosed defender. He doesn’t have a jumpshot, but he could win Sixth Man of the Year next year if he keeps being the switch-onto-everything defensive menace he was as a rookie. Gradey Dick had a massive regression his third season. His once-threatening threeball vanished and his minutes were cut in half. He’s entering a contract year, so the hope is the 22-year-old will turn it around. Jamison Battle is a low-volume, high-efficiency bench shooter.

Bigs:

The Raptors’ big corps is Jakob Poeltl and Sandro Mamukelashvili.

Jakob Poeltl is a big concern for the Raptors. After a career year with the Raptors, he signed a large long-term extension with four more years left, counting this coming season. Poeltl is an ultra-efficient inside-the-paint scorer and brick-wall defender. However, this past season he was wracked with injuries and his mobility regressed heavily. He’s turning 31 this coming season, and the Raptors need him to recover and return to form, or else they will need to make major changes to the roster.

Sandro “Mamu” Mamukelashvili has been a backup stretch four, but took on major minutes at center with the Raptors due to Poeltl’s health. He can shoot the ball unlike Poeltl, but he isn’t the defender or post technician Poeltl is. Collin Murray-Boyles can run small-ball center at times, but Mamukelashvili will need to make major improvements at 6-foot-9 and 27 years old if Poeltl regresses.

Draft Needs:

The Raptors are cash-strapped and need contributions from their draft selections if they are going to contend with the current roster makeup. They also need Poeltl to be healthy. Seven-footers who lose their mobility struggle to stay in the league. Additionally, they need more insulation against injuries. They were fortunate that the majority of their starters stayed healthy, but they lack a deep bench to keep their starters fresh in a deep playoff run. In this draft, they need depth and immediate contributors.

Hannes Steinbach (Center/Big, Washington)

Hannes Steinbach fits the Raptors’ need for a center. At 6-foot-10, 248 pounds, with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Steinbach played power forward in college, but adding weight could unlock him as a center. At 20 years old, Steinbach is a below-the-rim big man with elite rebounding and a proven offensive game. The Raptors have the defensive talent to cover for his average rim protection, and his offense has good potential upside.

Steinbach is a smooth mover and, while not an athletic Adonis, he closes out to the perimeter well. He has strength and isn’t afraid to throw it around on offense and defense, but his slow-loading vertical abilities limit his impact in the skies to only rebounding. Which, for the record, led Division One basketball with 11.8 rebounds per game, 4.2 of them on the offensive glass. He needs time to utilize his 35.5-inch max vertical, but he knows when and how to use it. His defense stands out, and despite his slow vertical, he averaged 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.

Steinbach’s offense is crafty and helped him average 18.5 points on 63.6% true shooting. He scored on volume with efficiency. The Raptors have a problem with a lack of three-point shooting, which Steinbach could help address. He scored well on low volume, hitting 34% on 1.8 attempts from beyond the arc. If he can truly develop his shot further, then the Raptors could have that much-needed “stretchability” out of their center that Poeltl cannot provide. Steinbach provides a more dependable and versatile offensive piece off the bench immediately. His defensive weaknesses are mitigated by Barnes and Murray-Boyles. In a couple of years, the Raptors could move off Poeltl with Steinbach focusing on becoming a true big man. If Poeltl recovers, Steinbach’s a top backup and heir apparent.

Labaron Philon Jr. (PG/Guard, Alabama)

Labaron Philon Jr. is hard to project at the next level. At 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, with a 6-foot-6 wingspan, Philon is the ultimate boom-or-bust prospect. He led an excellent Alabama team to the Sweet 16, only to be eliminated by the eventual champions, Michigan. His stat line looks truly elite, averaging 22 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 2.5 turnovers, on a 62.6% true shooting percentage. However, his athleticism and size mean he needs more time in the oven before he can play real minutes in the NBA.

Philon is all finesse. His entire game revolves around his top-shelf handling and high-level processing. He breaks down defenders with well-polished hesitations, crossovers, and bursts of speed. However, he’s quick, not speedy. He doesn’t have the speed, burst, or hangtime to generate separation at the NBA level. His handling and ability to read the small wrinkles in defenses is how he has to score at the next level. In college, his handling is one in a million; in the NBA, it’s one in a thousand. He needs to add functional muscle onto his frame to absorb the contact of the stickier, stronger NBA defenders. Maintaining his existing speed while embracing contact could make him an All-Star.

On defense, he has active hands and shows the right intensity, but his size and weight show up again. He will be attacked with pick-and-rolls and matchup hunting often. If he doesn’t add strength to handle the physicality of the NBA, he can get washed out and become potentially unplayable. However, in a couple years, with the proper conditioning and strength training, he can become a pesky point-of-attack defender who has a good feel for when to interrupt a dribble with a jab.

The Raptors already have plenty of high-floor guards, and while they are competing now, they need to prepare for the future. Barnes is still a young player, and they will be competing for years to come if he continues to improve. They need a true co-star of the future, or else they may end up like the Bucks and need to trade their franchise cornerstone while he’s in his prime. Philon has the threeball shooting the Raptors need, hitting 39.9% on 6.2 attempts per game. He will just need time to hone his handle even further, add muscle, and develop his passing chops. But in a couple of years, when Quickley is entering the last year of his deal, the Raptors will have a replacement ready who can take the NBA by storm and have the world asking why it took so long for him to be selected in the draft.