23. Toronto Raptors (via LA Clippers)- Jonathan Jeanne- C- Nancy (International)
The Toronto Raptors are at a crossroads with their team. The frustration of another playoff exit has Toronto wanting to make changes. Kyle Lowry is headed to free agency along with Serge Ibaka, P.J. Tucker, and Patrick Patterson. This Raptors squad could look very different come opening night next season.
I expect the Raptors to select a big man with this pick. With every season, it appears more evident that the team does not want Jonas Valanciunas playing more than 28 minutes a night. That leaves plenty of minutes at the five, and they have three players who logged minutes at power forward headed to free agency.
Why Jonathan Jeanne?
Jonathan Jeanne continues a Raptors trend of picking international players in the draft. Three of their last four first round selections were born outside the United States.
Jeanne is still very young and frail to fit in the NBA. He probably follows a similar mold to Bruno Caboclo if Toronto takes a chance on him. There is a lot of talent in Jeanne, but it is probably at least a few years away from showing itself on the NBA court.