This just took a MASSIVE Turn...

Things just took a massive turn for this Toronto Raptors team as since the draft lottery all eyes were on Common Malwatch as being the Raptors top selection in this year's NBA draft. But over the past 24 hours there has been a major shift in terms of expectations, in terms of reports, and comments coming out about the Raptors pick at number nine overall. So we're gonna break down what the new updates are, what we can now expect from this Raptors team if they end up keeping this number nine overall selection, and why Noah Essinge, who's a guy that is very back-and-forth by a lot of Toronto Raptors fans, is the expected selection for this Toronto Raptors team. So lots of stuff to break down folks. We are so so close to 38,000 subscribers, just 41 away. So make sure you guys hit that subscribe button if you don't want to miss a single thing happening with this Toronto Raptors team as we enter a crucial offseason during this, you know, that could change the course of Raptors history given how open the Eastern Conference is and everything that's going on. So make sure you guys hit that subscribe button. It's free. But let's dive into it because there's a lot of stuff coming out going on right now regarding Noah Essinge and the Toronto Raptors. Because again, we know Common Malwatch made a ton of videos to the expected guy, the center position, but it all kind of started when assistant GM to Masai Ujiri, Dan Tolzman, talked about the prospect of getting a center and saying, hey, we're gonna take the best player available. It's really tough for centers to come in and have an immediate impact given how long it takes for them to develop and the Raptors are trying to compete right away. So given that fact, it's not they're gonna vie away from a center, but they are going to take the best player available, the best fit. Masai Ujiri said this earlier in the offseason, but it was kind of doubled down a bit more emphatically over the past couple days from Dan Tolzman. So that led to some buzz and then along with some some quotes that came out. Noah Essinge came out and directly said that I'd say, in terms of his comparisons, his comparable players, he came out and said that I'd say guys like Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, and Kawhi Leonard, they can really do everything on the court, defense, dribble, and shooting. Again, the French wing came out and basically said that in terms of his comparables and if you're not putting the pieces together, right, if you're not rubbing the tea leaves, those are all either current or former Toronto Raptors. Scottie Barnes and then NBA champion Pascal Siakam, NBA champion Kawhi Leonard, you know, two of the very dynamic players in Raptors history. So it's where the that list of names is thrown out there, especially Scottie Barnes, right from the jump. And then on top of it, there's this report that came out that makes things very, very interesting. Essentially, news came out that Essinge's pre-draft officially started on Sunday when he departed from the front, departed home following game three of the German League playoffs, landing in Toronto for a secret private workout before flying to New York City. So this is very, very interesting, especially in combination with these comments as this is the only team that Essinge had worked out with. So there is a lot of speculation after this stuff that's going on here right now that Essinge was given a promise by the Toronto Raptors in regards to him making comments like this about him being that number nine overall selection. And then on top of it, because I've been covering, I've been showing screenshots of all the drafts that I could put together pretty well all these videos over the past week. And each and every single time it's common malwatch, common malwatch, common malwatch coming to the Toronto Raptors. However, if you look at the mock drafts today, with the exception of NBA draft, with the exception of Tankathon, they have taken a major shift. So this one firstly came from Doug Smith, who, of course, is, you know, an insider for the Toronto Raptors. And, you know, we covered the team for a long time. He has Essinge at number nine overall selection being selected over common malwatch. So it's not even malwatch getting picked before us. It is Essinge being the selection. And he came out and said, the big need is a backup center, but they can be found elsewhere. As personnel guru Dan Tolzman said this week. So I wouldn't it wouldn't be very Raptory long, young, developing North American player fit. You know, right now with the Toronto Pictures, of course, you know, non-North American player base. I can't read right now, but he said that Noah Essinge is a guy that's fit. You know, another mock draft has malwatch going before us to the Brooklyn Dets and then Essinge landing with the Toronto Raptors, the number nine overall selection. So that's coming from CBS Sports. And then also from Sports Illustrated, we have this list coming out with Essinge landing at the Toronto Raptors. So I've not seen, you know, a list of mock drafts that have changed such drastically over the past 24 hours because they've all read common malwatch for a very, very long time. They have been, you know, they've been straight up coming out and saying, hey, malwatch is that guy to be expected with the Toronto Raptors. And that just shifted really, really fast. Now, what do we think of this? Because Noah Essinge is a very interesting basketball player. So 6'9", 6'10", you know, the heights and all that range vary in terms of, you know, international prospects. But Essinge is a guy who's very young. He has a long wingspan. And we look at his stats. They're not extremely overwhelming in terms of how impactful he could specifically be, because the concerning stat out here is a 27% three-point shooter. Now, playing in the EuroLeague, it's a little bit different. He's a solid free throw shooter. Not phenomenal, but 71% does lead to some positives out there on that end of the court. But 11 points per game, five rebounds, 1.2 assists. And a guy that, you know, five blocks per night, one steal has a lot of defensive upside. He has a long wingspan and is one of those raw, young talents that can come out and just really come into their own in the NBA and take the league by storm. It'll probably take some time in regards to development, but definitely a player that is very, very exciting on that line. And if we take a look at his strengths and weaknesses in terms of what people are saying about him as a basketball player, he's a very interesting guy on that end of the floor as well. So basically, of course, he's elite size, athletic tools. He's a switchable, multi-positional defender. He's a high motor and rebounding effort and productive cutter and transition scorer. So you look at him out there on the basketball court, this is a solely like you are selecting this man based off his raw skill set in terms of his aggressiveness, his intensity, his long arms, his switchability and everything that can come into its own. And then you try to develop the rest. You try to really take a look at those things and you look at the NBA finals and you see how aggressive it was, how intensive was, how important it is to have those switchable two way defenders out there on the court at all times. You see all those tools and say, hey, there's not a lot of guys on planet Earth that have that upside to really be able to play at that level and be a valuable impact player at that rate. But of course, you need those basketball skills as well. You need those things to really come to their own develop on that note as well, essentially, and that's where his weaknesses come in. He's limited shot creation off the dribble. He's an inconsistent long range jump shooter. We saw that in his three point shooting percentage being around 27 percent raw playmaking and decision making. So, you know, he has to improve, you know, in those areas of the court and can be overaggressive at times, which honestly, for a young player, I don't mind. I don't mind young players being a little bit too intense, a little bit too overzealous rather than lethargic. And, you know, out there on the court where you just have to light a fire underneath them. So Essengay is a guy that, you know, I like as a draft prospect. He's the type of guy Masai Ujiri would certainly be interested in because, you know, it's boom or bust. It has the high potential and seems like a high character to, you know, playing intensity. People like him. He's talking about the Raptors. You know, besides giving him a feed of these quotes, some people are speculating in terms of Scottie, Pascal Siak, Koai Lettard. You're not even naming any French folks, which is crazy. You know, it's all the, I guess Pascal speaks French, but I digress. It's seems like a likable dude. Seems like a guy that does have some high upside. But if the Raptors are trying to win now, if they are trying to get back into the mix next season, Essengay, I don't think has the highest potential to be an impact player just when you're removed. Now, I could be completely wrong. He could be an impactful, you know, three and D guy right away if he improves that jump shot, but is definitely a player that has more of those project type of prospects rather than you're surefire ready to go right from the jump. And that's probably the best thing the Toronto Raptors to have is their philosophy. You know, this team was what the 12th seed, the 13th seed, wherever we were last season. And as optimistic as I am and how open the Eastern conference is next season, we have to be realistic. We don't want to rush the rebuild and take a guy we don't think is going to have the best long-term upside and, you know, sacrifice this number nine overall selection. Now, given the fact that he has been sporadically placed all across the board, it seems like he's really jumped up as of late, you know, teams like the Thunder have expressed interest in SNK in terms of different reports and stuff. This is a guy that you probably have to take the number nine overall selection, but it's a little bit of a risk, especially for a guy that, you know, weeks ago probably wasn't expected at all to really jump into the top 10. It's a, you know, a classic Masai prospect. And even though, even though, and yeah, I got, I got graphics popping up here like this, but even though Masai has had some misses in the past, some people are comparing this to the Bruno Caboclo selection and stuff. I still look at this draft selection. I trust Masai Ujiri in regards to whatever he does in the NBA draft. You know, there have been some questions about contract extensions. There has been some questions about, you know, certain trades at times for Masai, but yeah, NBA draft. Masai is still, you know, a scout at heart. He's still probably the best talent finder, talent evaluator in the NBA draft across the entire league. And I think last season is a representation of that. So, you know, if the Toronto Raptors keep the number nine overall pick, expect Noah Eseguay to be that selection. But of course, don't be surprised if, you know, did things take another turn over the next eight hours and we'll be here to cover it all. So make sure you guys hit that subscribe button. You guys best stick as far as subscribe to the channel. Anyways, I'm signing out.