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2017 FanSided NBA Network Mock Draft: Let the experts decide

By Staff

March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) during the first half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) during the first half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 27, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Jonah Bolden (43) tries to get possession of the ball against the Stanford Cardinal in the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Jonah Bolden (43) tries to get possession of the ball against the Stanford Cardinal in the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jonah Bolden

Forward, Crvena zvezda

The Raptors are in desperate need of deep shooting threats. DeMar DeRozan is an All-Star shooting guard, but a complete outlier in terms of how he gets his buckets. There’s no important NBA scorer who relies less on the 3-ball than DeRozan. If Kyle Lowry moves on, and with Terrence Ross already in Orlando as part payment for Serge Ibaka, the Raptors will have no quality outside shooting from its starting backcourt.

I don’t know whether Jonah Bolden can even make the NBA, but Masai Ujiri has been known to roll the dice in the draft (hello, Bruno Caboclo, who’s still “two years away from being two years away”). With all of the sexy swingmen already off the board, I can see Masai taking a chance. After all, Toronto has received excellent value already from another late-in-the-draft UCLA product, Norman Powell.

Bolden may be more ready than most to play in the big league. He’s spent a year in Europe since abandoning his college career, so is less likely than most to suffer rookie jitters. An Australian, he’ll have no difficulty in adjusting to Toronto, one of the NBA’s largest and most cosmopolitan cities. Bolden is a big small forward or an undersized 4-man, but the need for the Raptors is at the 3-spot (unless P.J. Tucker returns). DeMarre Carroll has been a massive disappointment since joining as a free agent, and coach Dwane Casey would be happy to find someone else to take Carroll’s ineffectual minutes. I think Bolden is versatile, athletic and hungry, and should be an asset on the Raptors.

— Brian Boake, Raptors Rapture, @RaptorsRapture