In my previous mock draft I had Jonah Bolden at pick 29, higher than all of the other most notable mock drafts. Since then Bolden has risen to a legit first round prospect. I do believe that if Bolden didn’t leave UCLA to play overseas two season ago he would have been a lottery pick. He possesses all of the physical tools needed to succeed as a big man in today’s NBA.
With Bolden’s rise being so late in the draft process it obviously is a gamble to take him this high but the Toronto Raptors are accustomed to selecting players out of the blue. The most notable ‘random’ pick was selecting Bruno Caboclo 20th in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Since Jakob Poeltl is looking like a bust selecting another big man is definitely plausible. Bolden offers the Raptors will elite size, a 7-4 wingspan, a smooth shooting touch, as well as extremely thunderous dunks, he’s always a threat for a put-back dunk.