Mocking the Mock: 5 worst and most interesting fits from ESPN’s latest NBA Mock Draft

Worst fit: Stephon Castle to the Raptors at No. 15

In terms of pure value, this is a more than fine pick. Stephon Castle — the No. 10 prospect here at FanSided — has truly impacted winning for UConn, one of the best teams in college basketball. That matters, even if concerns about the 3-point shot are real. Therein lies the problem, though. When taking team fit into account, the Toronto Raptors are a strange landing spot for Castle.

Castle is tremendous connective tissue on the wing, occupying the elusive 'combo guard' role NBA teams covet. He's a brilliant passer and a heady slasher, using subtle gear shifts and his strong 6-foot-6 frame to carve out space and finish through contact around the basket. He can also defend at a high level, with the potential to guard a few different positions. It's hard to earnestly complain about Castle at No. 15, but again, Toronto is not the right fit.

The Raptors have two cornerstone playmakers in Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, with R.J. Barrett quickly coming into his own as a prolific wing slasher. Castle's primary weakness — the one true drawback — is that he cannot hit 3s right now. He's at 30.0 percent on 1.9 attempts per game for the Huskies. NBA defenses will not respect his range until forced to. Castle gets to his spots mostly in the mid-range and painted areas. There's too much overlap between him and Toronto's core. Without getting a chance to playmake from the teeth of the defense, Castle's offensive value is hamstrung. Castle and Quickley are a great fit in a vacuum, but with Barnes running the offense and Barrett occupying similar spots on the floor, Castle's path to a significant role in Toronto is murky.

Odds are Castle is good enough to carve out a role anyway. If the Raptors can land a reliable bench piece at No. 15 in this draft, that's a win. But, Castle would look much better on a team that shoots a ton of 3s and doesn't run its offense through the likes of Scottie Barnes or R.J. Barrett.

Also of note here is who ESPN has Toronto selecting No. 6 overall — Serbian point guard Nikola Topic. While Topic is brilliant value at No. 6, he too is a downhill-oriented playmaker whose primary weakness is a lack of 3-point volume. The Raptors selecting Castle at No. 15 feels redundant at that point.