Mock Draft: Raptors Tabbed to Take Indiana's High-Upside Big

Kel'el Ware continues to be mentioned as the No. 19 pick for the Toronto Raptors later this month.

The 6-foot-11 center has been pegged to Toronto in multiple mock drafts over the past few weeks and CBS's Colin Ward-Henninger's seems to think it's likely.

"Ware's NBA fit jumps off the page (almost literally) when you watch his film. Lob threats/rim protectors like Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford have shown that players with Ware's profile (and 7-foot-5 wingspan) can immediately contribute to winning," Ward-Henninger wrote. "That's his floor, but then you add in the fact that Ware shot 43% from 3-point range last season? This young man could be the steal of the draft, and he'll pair nicely with Toronto's young core of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley."

Ware's three-point shot is a bit of a mystery.

He shot 15-for-55 as a freshman at Oregon and 17-for-40 at Indiana. For his career, he's been a 66% free-throw shooter and it's fair to wonder how real his shooting actually is.

That said, Ware has shown a willingness to step outside and take jump shots and it's entirely possible his shooting skills develop at the next level. Toronto had tried to work on that with Christian Koloko who had been a non-shooter in college, but a health issue forced the Raptors to move on from the former Arizona big man.

Regardless of Ware's shooting ability, the 20-year-old has the athleticism and size to be an impact big. He averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game for the Hoosiers this past year and has shown an impressive ability to catch lobs out of the pick-and-roll.

Ware is a good rim protector who should get better with development. He struggles to defend in space on the perimeter and will likely be limited to playing in drop coverage against quicker guards in the pick-and-roll.

Toronto doesn't have an immediate need for a big with Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk both under contract moving forward. The organization has, however, made it clear it would like to bring in a younger big man to pair with Barnes, Quickley, and Barrett moving forward. Ware fits that description as the type of big man who'll likely need some time in the G League next year to work on his decision-making and shooting skills.

The Raptors have always insisted their goal is to take the best player available when their draft pick rolls around and if Ware is sitting on the board at No. 19, it might be tough to pass up a prospect with the kind of upside Ware may have.