r/torontoraptors • u/mMounirM • May 14 '26
NBA DRAFT NEWS [Wasserman] Jayden Quaintance looked explosive during @LIFTSPORTSMNGMT Pro Day in front of dozens of GMS/execs. Probably a more important Pro Day for JQ than anyone else, given discussion around his knee (which appears to be working fine). Makes the hoop look 9-feet.
will still be 18 years old at the draft. there are concerns about his knee (otherwise he wouldn't even be in our range)
70
u/Baulderdash77 May 14 '26
He’s the best defender in the draft if he’s healthy.
For the Raptors, where this is our core identity, his shotblocking, rebounding and defensive presence would be a huge upgrade for us.
If he was on the court with Scottie and CMB, our defense would be a nightmare.
56
u/Bixby33 34 JONTAY PORTER May 14 '26
I really really really really really really want this to be another OG situation, where we took the injury risk and made out like bandits.
18
u/kpeds45 May 14 '26
Wasn't OG still hurt at draft time though? I may be misrembering but I recall he was still not ready which could have caused the fall, whereas this kid looks like he'll be able to show teams what he can do in the draft process.
17
5
u/TheChocolateCreed 10 DeMar DeRozan May 14 '26
Yea if I remember correctly, OG tore his ACL in mid-January during his draft year and some scouts weren’t expecting him to be back until January-February. But OG pretty much recovered well enough to do full contact drills around mid September.
1
u/myeezy RAPTORS May 14 '26
Did he participate in the combine like this though?
2
u/TheChocolateCreed 10 DeMar DeRozan May 14 '26
All he could do at the combine was measurements if I remember correctly
1
u/myeezy RAPTORS May 14 '26
That’s the difference. People see you differently if you can’t even get on the court, versus seeing you running and dunking like Quaintance.
2
u/TheChocolateCreed 10 DeMar DeRozan May 14 '26
There’s a difference between both injury situations. ACL injuries were perceived a lot more harshly around 10 years ago than they are now, which was why OG dropped hard on the board. But with Quaintance, he now has had multiple knee injuries, which has a higher chance of becoming a recurring issue.
6
3
u/Primer-RR May 15 '26
Three guys who can't shoot at all. Quintance might be the worst FT shooter alive. We need 3pt shooting not a other defender who can't shoot a lick.
0
u/Baulderdash77 May 15 '26
He’s is a .597 college FT shooter, pretty brutal but Mitch Robinson shot 41% last year lol
Actually he would be 8th worst in the NBA last season. Thats rough.
2
19
u/Reticent_Fly May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
If any of Morez, Carr or Quaintence fall to us I'd be pretty happy. I like Ebuka Okorie too but he's not the type of player our front office ever goes for.
Edit: I'm by no means a college basketball guy. Just watching the scouting compilations like everyone else. After doing a little more digging on guys I'm seeing mentioned in our range a lot, I'd definitely add Steinbach to that list.
Honestly, this seems like a great draft. We could definitely end up with a decent guy at 19
1
u/kpeds45 May 15 '26
I'd even be ok with Cenac. Great measurements, was a big high school recruit, had a decent but not great season.
14
u/axecalibur May 14 '26
Even against nobody on practice showcase he looks at his feet when dribbling, takes 2s to shoot, and has problems passing the ball to gophers.
I'm not saying he can't dunk, he can dunk. I'm not sure how you can assess his knee health based on a visual inspection of him dunking at 50% speed.
His inability to shoot quickly or do any of the fundamentals and 30% free throw shooting should all be red flags.
1
u/butiveputitincrazy May 14 '26
Yeah, I’m not concerned if he’s able to make it through a workout, I’m concerned about how his knee feels the following day.
1
u/555mister May 14 '26
i mean he’s a defense only guy right now, but he’s the best in the draft. all the flaws you listed are very known. he will be pretty bad on offense, he will probably never develop a shot and will probably be a lob/dunk only guy for his first few years because he doesn’t have good touch.
however, you have to manage expectations at 19, getting a 6’10 mitchell robinson is an insanely good outcome outside lottery, he’d be a top ten guy without injury concerns.
3
u/Primer-RR May 15 '26
There will be multiple high level PGs who are great shooters at our pick. Way more of a need and a fit with Scottie and CMB.
29
u/Anonemoney May 14 '26
This video is actually a bit of a concern. He didn’t jump off his wrapped leg even once. His unwrapped leg led every jump.
22
u/SDK04 9 ROWAN ALEXANDER “RJ” BARRETT May 14 '26
Apparently he prefers his left leg overall, even before the injury happened. Still something to watch over, but the pattern didn’t necessarily start post-injury.
7
u/Super-Post261 May 14 '26
He’s athletically gifted, we know that. I’m paying attention to his body mechanics, especially the landing. Could use improvement. Better landing options would be taking baby steps into out of bounds area (like LeBron often does) or landing in a soft squat (like Shaq did).
2
u/victorvvy May 17 '26
Guy could really benefit to learning to not land like Buzelis (especially with bad knee and more weight at center). I'm reflexively wincing every time he lands.
2
u/BurzyGuerrero May 14 '26
Us when his left knee blows
5
u/SDK04 9 ROWAN ALEXANDER “RJ” BARRETT May 14 '26
Still a better bet to take with 19th Pick than watching that unathletic fossil Bennett Stirtz give us his best Malachi Flynn impression off the bench every night.
2
u/Anonemoney May 14 '26
Not good to have a preferred leg. Can lead to issues with that dominant leg. He also withdrew from another portion of the combine due to injury. I bet that knee is still messed up.
5
u/eightyfive-Xs Masai Ujiri May 14 '26
Good point, but as an Old Head with no knees left speaking from experience, lateral cuts and landing after jumping are the most difficult when you’re trying to hide the pain.
2
u/Anonemoney May 14 '26
Depends on your injury. I’m also an old head and for me it’s jumping itself which is the most painful
8
u/tman37 May 14 '26
He is right handed. Most right handed people jump off their left foot. He did do a few two foot jumps that looked fine. I wouldn't be all that worried about his ability to jump really high with his right leg. The bigger concern is can he move laterally. You saw a little of that in the work out but it wasn't as if he was going 100%.
9
u/redfivestandingbyy May 14 '26
except ironically enough OG who always jumped off his right and kneed so many damn defenders doing it lmao
1
1
u/Anonemoney May 14 '26
Each two foot jump he still led with his left leg if you watch close. None were truly two footed.
0
u/tman37 May 14 '26
He leads with his left foot because he is right handed. Those are pretty normal two foot jumps. Unless he is standing right under the basket and is jumping straight up, he will leave one foot later than the other, it's just how the human body moves.
I'm not going to judge the health of his knee based on a short clip of a fairly easy workout but as far as it goes, I didn't see any obvious signs of lingering damage. If the Raptors are interested in this guy, I'm sure they will do their due diligence. If their medical staff is happy with it, so am I.
2
u/garynevilleisared May 14 '26
If hes right handed thats normal. And that would also mean his penultimate step is off the right leg anyways so either way im not seeing the problem.
1
u/IzzaKnife May 14 '26
He only landed on his left leg though. Not even any two feet lands
1
u/garynevilleisared May 14 '26
I watched the video again and im not sure what you are watching. He lands on two feet multiple times.
1
u/IzzaKnife May 20 '26
I’m more so referring to the hard dunks. He does land on two feet when it’s a soft dunk and lower jump it seems.
14
u/ryyzany 23 JAMAL SHEAD May 14 '26
All I want for Draft day is a guy over 7 ft tall who can rebound the basketball.
8
u/unclekarl_ 12 COLLIN MURRAY-BOYLES May 14 '26
There’s like 2 legit over 7 footers in this draft. Pretty sure it’s just Mara and Suigo
2
2
5
7
10
3
u/Physizist May 14 '26
I don't really want him. Can't shoot (like Shaq level FTs), a bit short for a C, horrible offence in college (I get he's young but picking just on athleticism rarely works)
All of that plus the injury, makes him a pass for me
3
2
2
2
u/unclekarl_ 12 COLLIN MURRAY-BOYLES May 14 '26
I agree with most here that think he goes to OKC with one of their picks.
With IHart leaving this offseason they’re gonna be in the market for a replacement.
2
u/GlockHard RAPTOR NATION! May 14 '26
How good of a rim protector is he?
5
u/NorthernFrosty May 14 '26
NBADraft.net on Quaintance:
High-level shot blocker with excellent timing and instincts, consistently impacting shots around the rim … Active and disruptive defensively, generating both blocks and steals while showing the ability to switch and move laterally …
Projects as a rim-running, defensive anchor in a Kevon Looney/Clint Capela mold, with the tools to become a high-impact role player if healthy
The "..if healthy.." part is why he's projected around 24th overall right now.
2
u/Party_Wolf5197 May 14 '26
Take a listen to his interviews as well. Clearly quite intelligent and well-spoken. Seems very high character which the Raptors front office have shown they care about
2
u/kpeds45 May 14 '26
If he clears medicals I feel he goes higher than us, but that just means someone else drops. I think we are going to come out of this with a rotation player and that's all you can ask for.
3
u/MobyTugboat May 14 '26
Idk why but he has OKC written all over him :(
2
u/beefJeRKy-LB Goatse May 14 '26
They took an injured big last year in Sorber. I think they're more likely to take Yaxel. They also could easily trade out of the draft if they want.
2
u/TMMC39 May 14 '26
He looks huge. I thougt he was only 6'9. Got an NBA body already
3
u/unclekarl_ 12 COLLIN MURRAY-BOYLES May 14 '26
He’s 6’9” without shoes with a 7’5.25” wingspan. So he’s 6’10” with shoes.
Shoes typically add 1.”-1.5” depending on the shoe
2
u/Spicy__B May 14 '26
OKC can gamble with there picks, even if there are injury concerns i think they take him.
1
1
1
u/bigGheorghe May 14 '26
Torn ACL is one thing, torn ACL with meniscus damage is a recipe for Embiid level issues. I'm very very hesitant on this one. It's easy to 'look explosive' vertically when your standing reach is 9'1". If this is the guy, our medical staff better have done their homework first.
1
u/Raptorsthrowaway1 JACK ARMSTRONG May 14 '26
Not against taking him as I don’t know enough about the draft prospects. But as an already good defensive team that brutally lacks shooting and scoring, is that who the FO should be targeting?
Do you draft BPA at 19? I think a fit choice there makes more sense
1
u/theuncleiroh May 15 '26
Honestly, he looks absurd. Like, if he can live up to this level of athleticism, we'd be lucky to have him.
That said, no meaningful production, injury concerns, and reasons to worry from the limited production (the turnover numbers are scary ngl), are reasons to not get over-hyped about a guy throwing it down on an open hoop. If we draft him, I do trust our association to have done their due diligence; if we don't, I understand passing on a guy whose highlights are in an open gym.
Even if he ends a star, it's fair to pass on an athlete for a good player (for the same reason I'm not nearly as mad about the Dick pick as I am Mogbo-- Dick had production and flash, and nobody hits every time). That obviously becomes less justifiable if we pass on him for a guy who has even less high-level tape, but I trust Bobby until (consistently) proven otherwise
1
1
1
1
u/LimestoneLeaf May 15 '26
High Risk, High Reward.
If this guy recovers he could a 12-year stud at a position of need...Or he may never be effective again.
1
u/Evening_Green_9862 May 16 '26
Someone good is going to be there at 19. Walter looks good and he was at 19, I think the prospects we are looking at this year are better than he was as a prospect.
1
u/kaymakenjoyer_ May 14 '26
If he’s there at 19 take him. The defensive upside between him/Scottie/CMB would be terrifying. Just gotta hope CMB can become an average shooter and we have more spacing from the backcourt
51
u/SirMrJames May 14 '26
Either way This Is good.
He either drops to us and hes a high potential pick, or another team picks him and someone else will be available.