Raptors Have Spoken to Arizona Guard Nico Mannion
The Toronto Raptors are entering a 2020 NBA Draft with some serious question marks in their backcourt. Between Fred VanVleet's impending free agency, Terence Davis II's arrest last month, and the fact that Kyle Lowry is 34 years old and heading into the final year of his contract, the Raptors would be wise to take a serious look at some of the guards projected to go toward the end of the first round on Wednesday.
So far they've spoken to Tyrell Terry, Isaiah Joe, Devon Dotson, and Nate Darling among others, and on Monday, Arizona guard Nico Mannion revealed he's another guard who has been interviewed by the Raptors during the pre-draft process.
"It went really well," Mannion said of his interview. "It was all positive things."
Coming out of high school, the 6-foot-3 Mannion was widely considered one of the top guards in the 2020 class. He was a consensus five-star prospect and the top point guard in 2020 ahead of Tre Mann and LaMelo Ball, according to 247Sports. In his freshman season at Arizona, however, Mannion didn't quite live up to expectations. He averaged 14 points on just 39.2% shooting and 32.7% 3-point shooting 5.3 assists.
It's those shooting numbers that Mannion knows he's going to have to improve if he's going to be successful at the next level.
"I think the biggest thing for me was putting on size and shooting the ball consistently," Mannion said. "[I've] put on about 12 pounds, I'm about 190 now. Tweaked a couple of things on my shot and I think I'm shooting better than ever have right now."
If he can find that shooting stroke, Mannion makes sense for the Raptors at No. 29. He is a skilled passer and a true point guard who should be able to facilitate on a second unit right away.
"I make the game easier for guys," he said. "I think I kind of fit that mold of those guards that can make plays and play unselfishly."
The question will be if he can develop his defensive skills to be a lead guard and if he has enough shooting skill to play off-ball in Toronto's two guard offence.
If VanVleet does return to Toronto next season, Mannion would certainly benefit from a little more time to develop in the Raptors' system behind two of the league's savviest guards.
"I can see myself fitting in there just because they've got [Kyle] Lowry and [Fred] VanVleet, they play two small guards, both those guys are veterans, so they're people I think I could learn from and get a lot of wisdom from at the guard position."
He's currently projected to be a second round pick by Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo, who has him going 39th overall to the New Orleans Pelicans.
