That’s A Rap #145: Raising the floor with #4

Things are looking exceptionally bright in Raptors land!

With the US-Canada border starting to re-open and the Canadian government allowing the Montreal Canadiens (and their opponents) to cross the border, hopes are rising for the Raptors to open next season at Scotiabank Arena. Inside the Arena, front office executives were given a much-needed jolt when Lady Luck smiled down on the Raptors in the draft lottery. The Raptors jumped from #7 to #4 in the draft, ensuring Toronto has a chance to select one of Evan Mobley, Jalen Green, or Jalen Suggs — all of whom fit a Raptors need and raise the team’s ceiling!

Suffice to say, we were excited to record the latest episode of That’s A Rap! Have a listen and chime in below with your thoughts on what Toronto should do at number 4.

In This Episode:

2:45 — Raps soar to #4

The #FadeForCade campaign fell 1 number short of complete success, but the Raptors will be more than happy to draft any of the next three prospects, whose games have elicited shades of NBA stars: Mobley (Chris Bosh), Green (Zach Lavine), and Suggs (Brandon Roy). Toronto could also act as gatekeepers to the teams below them with multiple picks — Orlando (#5 and #8), OKC (#6 and #16), and Golden State (#7 and #14) could each make compelling offers if the Raptors feel they can get two of “their guys” instead of one.

26:05 — Crickets from MLSE

The domino effect of picking 4th is what this means for Masai Ujiri and Kyle Lowry’s futures. With (possibly) a high-end guard being drafted, is it more likely that Lowry has played his last game as a Raptor? Or does this increase the likelihood he stays and mentors? Do Bobby Webster’s recent comments that Ujiri’s role in the draft will remain the same mean that Masai’s long-awaited contract extension will finally happen?

34:18 — Bow vs Shimmy

Trae Young has embraced the role of villain throughout the playoffs. Whether it’s bowing in front of the Madison Square Garden or doing a shimmy in Milwaukee before draining a three, Young has backed up his arrogance by producing classic performances night in and night out. After Atlanta pulled off their 3rd consecutive Game 1 road win, could the Hawks do the improbable and reach the NBA Finals?

46:07 — Hack-A-Ben

This was not a good week for Ben Simmons. He drew the ire of Philadelphia fans at home and the rest of NBA Twitter with his poor playoff performance this season. He attempted three field goals in the fourth quarter... for all seven East Semi games combined! The Hawks purposely sent him to the line and he responded by shooting an NBA record-low 33%. Two years ago, he was guarding Kawhi Leonard for “the shot”. This year, he was benched in crunch time for multiple games, including Game 7. Where does he go from here and what do you think about him in Toronto?