The RaptorsHQ 2014 NBA Draft Board - Version 2.0

The NBA Draft is now only a couple weeks away.

After a period of quiet post-playoff exit, Raptors news began to float across the interweb again as Toronto held four pre-draft workout sessions over the last seven days.

In addition, there's been a ton of rumours and rumblings regarding the various participants involved in the upcoming draft process, so it's time for us here at RaptorsHQ to roll out version 2.0 of our Top 10 Draft Board.

Again, we've ranked 10 players in order of draft preference, and who hopefully will all be around when Toronto makes its selection.  Last draft board's ranking is in brackets beside this version's rankings, and we'll get into the changes between this version and the previous version but first, the list:

Off the top, you'll notice that we have Tyler Ennis now included in the discussion.  When we did our first draft board, it seemed impossible that Ennis would fall to the Raptors but now, given some of the movement on mock drafts and online discussions, it doesn't seem so insane.  Hence, his inclusion at the top of our board.

As of now, if he's there when Toronto drafts, he's our top choice for Toronto.  (Unless obviously someone like Andrew Wiggins or Aaron Gordon is sitting there.)

After Ennis, we've got another potential point guard as we've boosted Elfrid Payton all the way from sixth on our last draft board to second.  It sounds like Ennis and Payton will be battling for the distinction of being the next point guard chosen after Marcus Smart and Dante Exum.

We're still big fans of Mr. Payne, so he only drops one spot, and for the record, I don't think he, or either of the two guards we have ranked before him, will be available when Toronto selects.

Then things get interesting.

Of the other players we've been keeping an eye on, there just haven't been many that have really jumped out so far. We've got Cleanthony Early next as of the group, I think he's got the best shot at being a consistent NBA starter. He doesn't have LaVine upside, or Hood's shooting stroke, but at worst I think he becomes a Courtney Lee/Josh Howard type, not too shabby for the 20th overall pick.

After Early, we've got the other new addition to the board, Clint Capela.  I don't know much about Capela in all honesty but the more footage I watch and the more I read about him, he reminds me a bit of Amir Johnson.  He's just an uber-athletic big man with great physical tools.  He's extremely raw, and it sounds like he's going to take some moulding, but he could be a major factor on D and around the rim, an area that teams can never have too much help in.

Rodney Hood drops for third on our list to sixth, not necessarily because he blew a workout or vicious rumours have emerged, but more that Payton, Capela and Ennis have leapfrogged him at the present.  I'm still a big fan as he possesses one sure-fire NBA skill (shooting) unlike some of the others on this list, and I'm hoping Toronto brings him in soon for a workout.

We've kept LaVine at 7 although more and more, it's hard to escape the Zach hype-machine.  His uber-athletic abilities have been on display in various workout videos, and the fact that he's got basketball skills to go along with said hops, have him rising on various mock drafts.  We're still not sold, (and I get the feeling he'll be selected before Toronto is on the clock), so we're keeping him here for now.

The last three spots are inhabited by a trio of swingmen, one of whom (KJ McDaniels) recently worked out for the Dinos. TJ Warren had our top spot for Version 1.0 of our board but we've soured on him a bit of late and he finds himself dropping from first to eighth.  Warren's advanced metrics haven't looked so hot and he reportedly hasn't shot the ball very well in workouts either.  The more I read, the more I wonder if he's more Hakim Warrick than Caron Butler.

As for Robinson and McDaniels, they've switched spots, but really these last three are pretty close together in our minds.

And while we haven't talked second-round options much yet, a few names that are more and more intriguing to us include Jordan Adams, Jarnell Stokes, Lamar Patterson and Canadian Khem Birch.