Mock Draft: Raptors Select Arkansas' Moses Moody

At this point in Masai Ujiri's tenure, it's become pretty clear that the Toronto Raptors have a type.

They're a team built with undersized and defensively stout guards and defence-first, switchable wings. Those versatile wings are the kind of player Raptors coach Nick Nurse has become fond of because it allows him to play more positionless basketball where his shooting guards, small forwards, and power forwards can all switch on any given play.

Therefore, it shouldn't matter too much if Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Gary Trent Jr. are all part of Toronto's core moving forward because there's always room for another versatile forward.

So it shouldn't be too concerning that NBC's latest 2021 NBA mock draft has the Raptors going after another one of those long forwards in this year's draft, according to James Ham.

The Toronto Raptors select Moses Moody from the University of Arkansas

Arkansas' 6-foot-6 Moses Moody fits the Raptors as another switchable forward who can essentially play any wing position. He averaged 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in his lone season with the Razorbacks while shooting 35.8% from behind the arc. 

The knock on Moody, however, has been his scoring inside the arc. He shot just 42.7% from the field and just 32.7% in his four NCAA tournament games this year. 

"While a bad run in the NCAA tournament shouldn’t impact Moody unfairly, it did bring to light some of the primary concerns scouts have held surrounding his athletic toolbox and overall readiness for the NBA," Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo wrote of Moody. "Granted, he’s 18, so some of this is to be expected, but Moody’s efficiency can vary wildly from game to game as a player who’s heavily reliant on shooting jumpers to be effective. He has a good frame and looks the part, but he lacks the explosiveness and struggles to finish regularly in traffic. There’s appealing upside here and Moody had a solid freshman year on the whole. But his range looks more likely to be late-lottery and onward than top 10 at this point."

Much like Scottie Barnes who Bleacher Report has tabbed for the Raptors in their latest mock draft, Moody probably needs a little more scoring upside to really interest Toronto. If the Raptors continue to win their fair share of games, this mid-lottery type of player might be the kind of draft pick Toronto comes away with when July rolls around.

Further Reading

Khem Birch Realizes Childhood Dream to Play for the Raptors

Raptors' Strange Season Continues with Rain Delayed Loss to the Knicks

Malachi Flynn is answering Nick Nurse's call for more offensive aggression