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5 players Toronto Raptors could pick at No. 9 in 2025 NBA Draft

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
May 13 2025, 5:20 pm
5 players Toronto Raptors could pick at No. 9 in 2025 NBA Draft
Kevin Sousa/Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors’ future got a little bit clearer on Monday night, finding out their fate in the annual NBA Draft Lottery.

After months of fans wondering where exactly Toronto would land in this June’s draft, the Raptors got the news that they’d be selecting ninth overall next month.

Given that Toronto entered the lottery with the seventh-worst record in the league, it’s officially classified as a fall, though it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end of the world.

In three previous drafts, Toronto selected Tracy McGrady, DeMar DeRozan, and Jakob Poeltl at ninth overall. All of these players went on to have long and successful NBA careers.

One of the easiest ways to get a pulse on what draft analysts around the NBA are thinking is to check out mock drafts. This can give you a sense of how those who follow the whole league may view Toronto’s outlook with the ninth pick.

Here are five different players that were linked to Toronto in mock drafts that were released after the lottery results:

1. Tre Johnson, G, Texas

Guard Tre Johnson out of Texas was linked to Toronto by SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donell, who noted that the SEC’s leading scorer “plays with a fiery udemeanor and a competitive edge that should be appealing to teams, but heā€™s still learning how to make the right reads on the floor.”

A five-star recruit, SEC Freshman of the Year, and a McDonald’s high school All-American, Johnson is looking to add top-10 NBA pick to his lengthy accolade list.

2. Derik Queen, F, Maryland,

If the NBA Draft were solely based on how cool the biggest moment of your season was, Derik Queen might be the first overall pick.

Queen went viral for a last-second buzzer-beater in the NCAA Tournament to send Maryland to the Sweet Sixteen, knocking off Colorado State in one of the best games of the year.

He was linked to Toronto per USA Today’s Bryan Kalbrosky, who noted that was second behind only projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg in Wins Above Replacement Player (WARP) among freshmen this season,Ā per CBB Analytics.

3. Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois

Toronto was linked to the Lithuanian-born guard, as per Sports Illustrated’s staff, who had previously played in the pro ranks with Barcelona in the top Spanish league.

“Jakucionis fits perfectly into the modern-day big guard archetype that scouts fall in love with as basketball becomes less position-based,” his NBADraft.net profile reads.Ā 

4. Collin Murray-Boyles, PF/C, South Carolina

A 6-7 forward out of South Carolina, Murray-Boyles was selected by ESPN in their mock draft released Tuesday.

“Though undersized for his position, his toughness, play finishing, passing and defensive chops are attractive,” ESPN’s Jeremy Woo wrote. “The three-point shot not yet a regular part of his arsenal but a key swing skill in his development. There is plug-and-play appeal in the things he already does well.”

5. Noa Essengue, PF, Ratiopharm Ulm

A French-born player currently playing professionally in Germany, Bleacher Report‘s Zack Buckley picked Essengue for Toronto in his mock draft.

“The easy baskets off rim runs, cuts and offensive rebounds have been consistent all season. But he’s looking more comfortable converting off self-created drives and knocking down rhythm threes,” Buckley wrote.

Essengue is the lone player currently based in Europe on this list, which gives him more professional experience than many of his counterparts, but also offers up less of a talent pool made up of his peers to compare him to.

Player comparison

The following stats, via Tankathon.com, are all per/36 numbers, to better account for possible differences in playing time.

Johnson Queen Jakucionis Murray-Broyles Essengue
Age 19 20 19 20 18
Points 20.7 19.6 16.9 19.8 18.8
Rebounds 3.2 10.6 6.4 9.7 8.0
Assists 2.8 2.2 5.3 2.8 1.7
Blocks 0.3 1.3 0.3 1.6 0.8
Steals 1.0 1.3 1.0 1.7 2.1
Turnovers 1.9 2.8 4.2 2.9 1.5
Fouls 2.2 2.5 3.0 3.0 4.0

The NBA Draft is set for June 25 and 26 in New York.

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