19 Prospects Who Could Be Raptors' No. 19 Pick

The Toronto Raptors are a team that can go in multiple directions with the number 19 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Raptors have needs in both the backcourt and frontcourt as they walk the fine line of deciding whether they are a team that needs to take an experienced college player to help join the roster or add more of a developmental project.

Here's a look at 19 players they could take with the No. 19 overall pick, divided into three groups based on players who could go as high as the lottery, prospects who are mocked around the No. 19 spot and raw pieces that might not see their name taken in the first round.

Lottery Picks Who Could Fall

Michigan center Aday Mara celebrates a play against Saint Louis with guard Elliot Cadeau | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Labaron Philon Jr., Bennett Stirtz, Cameron Carr, Hannes Steinbach, Aday Mara

The Raptors could get lucky if one of these five players drops. There is a good chance that the scouting department has these five players toward the top of their big board. There is an even better chance that they will all be taken by the time the Raptors pick at No. 19.

Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. is viewed as one of the better point guard prospects in the draft, especially after playing two seasons at Alabama. Philon might be the best player available if he were to still be unpicked, so the Raptors should consider taking him if he is there at 19, even if he doesn't fill the biggest need.

Bennett Stirtz has been a common player in mock drafts for the Raptors, but he is also gaining a lot of steam going into the final two weeks of the pre-draft process. He could be the team's next big 3-point specialist, so the Raptors should also consider him if he's available.

The dream pick for the Raptors out of this group should be Michigan centre Aday Mara. The 7-3 big man could serve as a future starting center, but given how important that position has become in the last couple of years, his draft stock has risen in the last couple of weeks, making him unlikely to be there when the Raptors are on the clock.

Cameron Carr and Hannes Steinbach would be good fallback options, but like the other people in this tier, they are likely lottery picks.

On Target Players

Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie reacts in the second half at Spectrum Center. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Ebuka Okorie, Christian Anderson, Braylon Mullins, Allen Graves, Dailyn Swain, Morez Johnson Jr., Karim Lopez, Koa Peat, Chris Cenac Jr., Jayden Quaintance

There is a very good chance the Raptors' next pick is in this group of players if they were to stay with the No. 19 pick.

If the Raptors wanted a point guard, Stanford's Ebuka Okorie and Texas Tech's Christian Anderson both make sense. Each of them has a lot of potential to be a starting point guard at the next level and could help the Raptors' backcourt depth instantly.

If the team was looking for a shooter, Braylon Mullins from UConn and Santa Clara's Allen Graves are both strong options. Graves is more of a raw prospect, but both are long-term projects that the Raptors can develop in the G League and the back of the NBA bench.

Dailyn Swain from Texas is more NBA-ready and has seen a vast improvement on his 3-point shot, going from 15 per cent in his freshman season at Xavier to 34 per cent during his junior year in Austin.

The Raptors are more likely to target the frontcourt in this draft, especially with the expected departure of Sandro Mamukelashvili in free agency. This leads the pick to be either Morez Johnson Jr., Karim Lopez, Koa Peat, Chris Cenac Jr. or Jayden Quaintance.

If the Raptors wanted to target experience, Johnson is their likely pick, given that he played two years in college. Peat, Cenac, and Quaintance did not play as much at the collegiate level but showcased a lot of potential.

Cenac is also from the University of Houston, which is where Jamal Shead played his college ball. That could lead to a clue of where the Raptors might have their heads at, proving that they value what that program teaches.

Lopez is the most intriguing of these options given his upbringing through the G League and NBL. He likely has the highest ceiling out of this group, but he might not be the player the Raptors are looking for since he has a similar profile to Scottie Barnes and the team is looking to complement him rather than select someone who could replace him off the bench.

Reaches

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas drives against High Point Panthers guard Scotty Washington. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Tyler Tanner, Meleek Thomas, Thomas Haugh, Patrick Ngongba II

There is a good chance each of these four players will be on the board when the Raptors select their player. Grades from experts might trend towards the C to F range if any of these guys are the pick.

These players are talented, but they might still be available if the Raptors were to trade towards the back of the first round or possibly even the early second round.

Tyler Tanner from Vanderbilt is someone who averaged nearly 20 points per game this past season, with five assists. At 6'0", his size for the NBA is his biggest question mark. Given that the team already has Shead, it's unlikely the Raptors will want two very small guards in their rotation.

Meleek Thomas is an interesting prospect for the Raptors, as he has a lot of upside and could be a 15-20 points-per-game player in the NBA. He averaged over 15 points per game in his freshman season at Arkansas and made over 41 per cent of his three-point shots. He is trending towards the end of the first round and early second round.

Thomas wouldn't be a bad pick from a talent perspective, but given where his value is, the Raptors would be reaching for him at No. 19.

Thomas Haugh and Patrick Ngongba II make sense as centre prospects for the team, but only if they were to trade back. Both have upside as rim-protecting big men in the NBA, but a trade back to acquire an additional pick or two would be the best way to extract the most value than to just either one of them at No. 19.

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