Toronto Raptors: 5 options for pick No. 23 in 2017 NBA Draft
By Nate Wolf
5. Wesley Iwundu, SG, Kansas State
Every year, one or two teams take a player in the first round of the draft who perhaps wasn’t expected to be drafted at all. Iwundu may be one of those guys.
DraftExpress ranks the Kansas State wing as the 53rd best player in this year’s draft, a full 30 slots below where the Raptors will pick. Still, not all draft experts agree with the DX orthodoxy. Jonathan Tjarks and Danny Chau of The Ringer both rank him as a top 20 player, and their mock draft has him going at No. 31 to the Atlanta Hawks.
Iwundu projects as a 3-and-D player with a bit of playmaking IQ, and you simply cannot have too many of those players in a league where spacing and defensive versatility are paramount. Add in that passing verve that the Raptors notoriously lack, and you get a player worth reaching for.
Defensively, Iwundu’s adjustment to the NBA should be relatively painless. He’s 6’7” wing with a 7’1” wingspan, with great quickness and hands, according to The Ringer’s Draft Guide. And although he weighs just 193 pounds, “Iwundu has the tools to defend guards and wings, and can occasionally switch on to some small-ball power forwards,” per DraftExpress.
Offensively, Iwundu may have more trouble. He averaged 4.4 assists per 40 minutes for the Wildcats last season, but didn’t score at an extremely impressive rate. At 22 years old, and without elite offensive production at the college level, Iwundu lacks star upside.
But truthfully, his offensive success in the NBA depends almost solely on three-point shooting. Iwundu shot 37.6 percent from deep last season, but did so on just 85 attempts. Knockdown shooting teamed with strong defense is a one-way ticket to a long and productive NBA career, and both skills are necessary to play next to DeMar DeRozan.
If the shooting translates, Iwundu could probably get into the Raptors’ rotation right now as a DeMarre Carroll stand-in. If it doesn’t, Iwundu still knows how to play the game on both ends; he just might not get as many minutes to show it.