Most Glaring Roster Hole the Raptors Must Address in the NBA Draft

The Toronto Raptors are far from a perfect product, and they need to address some of their needs in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Raptors have two picks to work with, including No. 19 overall in the first round. Given how the Raptors have attacked the draft in the past couple of years, the team will select someone who could have a chance to make an impact right away. If the Raptors were targeting for need, they are likely going to be looking at centre depth.

Raptors Need Centre Depth Behind Jakob Poeltl

Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl during warm up before game three of the first round. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Raptors should not only target big men with their first pick. If a centre happens to be the best player available when they are on the clock, so be it, but they should not be looking for the best available centre. There are still several other needs they could address that could help in their current draft spot.

There are a lot of skills the Raptors could target, including three-point shooting and transition speed, but Toronto's front office should be zeroing in on the top big men in this year's class.

Poeltl turns 31 just before the start of the season in October. It was clear during the season that injuries could become an issue. Poeltl was dealing with a back issue for most of the first half of the season, and he did not reach full health until after the All-Star break.

During the playoffs, when Poeltl was underperforming, the Raptors did not have much of an answer other than Collin Murray-Boyles.

Murray-Boyles is more naturally a forward, so moving him to the centre spot limits the team, especially when it comes to rebounding size. Sandro Mamukelashvili also contributed to the depth, but there is a good chance he may have played his final game with the Raptors. Mamukelashvili has a player option in his contract for the upcoming season, but he is expected to decline it, with potential to make more money from other teams in free agency this summer.

Therefore, the Raptors need a big man now more than ever. Getting one in the draft will be the likeliest way forward for them, but if they don't find someone they feel comfortable with, free agency will have much more of a focused target.

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