Mock Draft: Raptors Add Versatile High-Upside Center With 19th Pick

The Toronto Raptors are projected to take Indiana's Kel'el Ware with the No. 19 pick in the latest 2024 NBA mock draft

Feb 10, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers center Kel'el Ware (1) moves to shoot the ball while Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) defends in the first half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

There are few prospects in this year's draft class like Kel'el Ware

The 20-year-old center measured just a hair under 7 feet at the NBA draft combine, with a 7-foot-4.5 wingspan, and a 9-foot-4.5 standing reach, the third tallest of anyone measured. Normally players with that profile are stiff and immobile, but not Ware. The Indiana sophomore ranked 10th in standing vertical leap and was the second-best center in the agility drills down in Chicago.

As if that wasn't impressive enough, Ware shot 53.3% on the off-the-dribble three-point drill only furthering the belief that Ware is a legitimate first-round pick kind of prospect. He's pegged at No. 19 to the Toronto Raptors in FanNation's latest mock draft and it's not hard to see why Toronto would be interested.

Ware had a breakout season this past year for Indiana, averaging 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 42.5% from behind the arc after transferring from Oregon. He's a physically imposing center with special athletic abilities and what appears to be a very good three-point stroke.

But there are questions about Ware who remains a work-in-progress.

He shot just 27.3% from three-point range as a freshman and was a 63.4% free-throw shooter this past year. Those numbers raise some doubts about how much of a floor-spacer Ware can really be at the next level.

As a playmaker, Ware needs a ton of work too. It's not necessarily a crucial skill to have as a center, but the Raptors seem to be an organization that wants bigs who can pass a little and in that sense Ware doesn't really fit. He averaged more turnovers than assists this past year and hasn't proven to be a very good decision maker when it comes to moving the ball.

When Ware is engaged, it's not hard to see why he's a tantalizing draft prospect. He can dominate games with a huge impact at both ends of the court and projects to be a valuable pick-and-roll partner who should be able to pop behind the three-point line if his shooting stroke is real.

For Toronto, that's enough to be very intriguing.

The organization has made it clear it wants to add a young center to the fold this offseason and Ware fits that profile. He might be a little too valuable to be a third-string center behind Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk, but it wouldn't be shocking if Toronto moved one of its veteran bigs at some point in the next couple of seasons.