NBA Draft 2020: Top 3 options for Toronto Raptors with the No. 29 pick

Possible NBA Draft target for Toronto Raptors — Zeke Nnaji

Center | Arizona | 6’11 | 247 lbs | 19 years old

Mocked to the Toronto Raptors in our recent projection of the first round, Arizona center Zeke Nnaji fits the billing of a prototypical Masai Ujiri draft pick, offering an abundance of finishing touch, shooting potential, and frontcourt mobility at 6’11, all the while being rather unpolished and notably inexperienced on the defensive end.

In a star-studded freshman class that featured five-stars and fellow one-and-dones Nico Mannion and Josh Green, it was the Minnesotan big man who wowed fans and analysts alike with his productivity on offense, winning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors through averages of 16.1 points and 8.6 rebounds on an efficient 57% shooting from the field and 76% shooting from the foul line.

Much of this productivity did decline when facing stiffer competition in conference play (his field goal percentage dropped from 70% to 50%, for example), but Nnaji nonetheless did enough to attract the attention of NBA scouts for his finishing as a rim-runner and roll-man (66.1% FG at the rim, per barttorvik.com) and a reasonable projection as a three-point shooter at the next level.

Though he only converted on 29.4% of his college three-point attempts (5/17 overall), there are positive indicators on his side that lend to future aptitude from beyond the arc. We are working with small samples by pulling stats from one college season, but Nnaji converted on 76% of his 200 free throw attempts and also hit 45.4% of his two-point jumpers (49/108), with the latter being a rather important aspect of projecting long-range shooting at the next level.

The shot looks good on film, too, specifically in its compact form and repeatable mechanics. There’s still a slight (if not as pronounced) hitch at the top of his jumper that slows down his release speed just a tad, but more reps and minor tweaks from Toronto’s development staff should be able to iron it out enough to where he’s a capable pick-and-pop and spot-up shooter in due time.

Nnaji’s defensive fit in Toronto is more of a series of if-then statements than a sure thing. Nick Nurse is famed for his schematic variability and ingenuity on defense, whether he’s throwing out zones and boxes and triangles to constrict opposing offenses, and there are specific traits that make Nnaji a theoretical fit.

The Raptors employ a stunt-heavy, sit-in-the-gaps style that deters paint touches and purposefully gives up three-pointers; because of his lateral mobility, foot speed, and moderate length (7’2 wingspan), Nnaji could conceivably disrupt actions as a helper and cover a lot of ground on closeouts.

And generally speaking, his foot speed should enable him to slide out on the perimeter and play more aggressive pick-and-roll coverages as well, but it’s unlikely that he’s going to be a legitimate contributor early on.

He’s very much a 19-year-old on the basketball court, in terms of his awareness, footwork, engagement, spatial understanding, and strength level on both ends of the floor. Whereas his foot speed can help string out ball-handlers in the pick-and-roll and quickly cover ground on recoveries, his inconsistent footwork leaves him susceptible to blow-bys and inopportune fouls when he’s chasing drivers.

He’ll always profile more as a perimeter big in terms of his floor-spacing functionality and space defense (he’s not much of a shot-blocker), but he’ll need to continue filling out his frame so that he can finish against NBA-level strength and hold up against post scorers down low. His awareness isn’t great at this juncture — visible in frustrating defensive lapses and delayed processing (i.e., passing reads) on offense — but he’s a young player with intriguing flashes.

Zeke Nnaji isn’t a prospect who should be expected to contribute as a rookie, at least not in a serious sense, but Toronto can give him ample G-League reps to expand his game and work on his physicality in the short-term. There are other developmental gambles that could be considered here, depending on availability (Jalen McDaniels, Aleksej Pokuševski), as well as underrated upperclassmen (Xavier Tillman), but Nnaji offers much of what Masai Ujiri looks for, imperfections and all.