Welcome back to this year’s NBA Draft preview series. To see other prospects, be sure to check out the other previews here.

I never wanted to trade OG Anunoby. I believed that he fit perfectly within Scottie’s timeline and he would’ve easily been worth his next contract. I felt that as soon as the Raptors traded him, they would’ve immediately started looking for another player exactly like him. Lo and behold; he’s cemented himself in basketball history with the Knicks, and the Raptors find themselves scrambling to replace his consistent production on both ends of the floor.

Allen Graves is definitely no OG Anunoby, but at where the Raptors are picking in the draft, he could easily help solve some of the weaknesses the team has had since OG’s departure.

Allen Graves

The Good (3&D, Connective Support)

Allen Graves is the analytical darling of the 2026 draft class. He’s a bit of an interesting story. Despite playing off the bench for mid-major Santa Clara, he became a consensus first-round pick thanks to his all-around game that checked a lot of advanced statistical boxes.

I’d like to get ahead of the “well he came off the bench so how good can he be?” narrative as well. Despite only starting 4 games for Santa Clara this past season (in part due to the surplus of forwards and wings on the team), Graves was 4th on the team in minutes per game.

Build-wise, Graves is already NBA ready. He’s strong, but there’s still room for him to get stronger to the point where he’ll just be a brick wall.

Graves is an efficient play finisher, having made more than 41% of his threes this season. He has no hesitation firing off pick-and-pops or as a trailer in transition. Though low on volume, he flashes signs of a 50/40/90 type of offensive output at his absolute potential peak.

Graves has excellent hands and a ridiculous motor. His steal and block numbers are striking for a player without elite athleticism and speak to his feel and anticipation. Between Graves’ block, steal and defensive rebounding percentages, he had a defensive usage rate of 30%. The steal (4.9% – 100th percentile!!!) and block (5% – 86th percentile) rates show just how impactful Graves was on the defensive end of the floor. Graves is an elite offensive rebounder, and tends to fight his way into good positioning to grab boards. He fights for loose balls and manages to get in the way of passing lanes constantly, getting his hands in position to poke for steals while also rarely fouling.

Graves projects as one of the better connective passers in the class. Capable of finding cutting players with simple passes from either hand. He doesn’t get flashy or creative with his passes, but he makes the right read more often than not and was Santa Clara’s best passer overall. He won’t be running an offence, but he keeps the ball moving and keeps his teammates engaged without turning the ball over.

Last but not least, he plays with a maturity to his game that is increasingly rare for other players his age.

The Bad (Speed, Competition Level)

Graves plays at his own pace. This can be a good thing, but he’s definitely one of the slowest and unathletic players in the class. He tested rather poorly at the combine, and despite his size only put up 12 dunks on the season. Faster players will likely be able to pick him apart in the NBA until he adjusts to pro-level game speed. His defensive instincts and positioning IQ can take him far enough to be serviceable, but for a player with his analytical output, that would be a disappointing outcome.

Footspeed aside, Graves’ shot is also rather slow and this will need to be a pretty immediate area of improvement for him if he wants to be an impactful shooter in the NBA, or else he’ll be pretty easy for opposing defenders to close out on. The shooting is encouraging, but the volume also has to increase if he’s to play his role effectively.

His production at the rim is encouraging, though his efficiency is definitely an area he’ll have to improve in the NBA. The touch is there, he just needs more reps.

Graves is not a shot creator or ball handler. Difficult to project him into anything other than a supporting offensive role.

The competition level is concerning. Graves has a small sample of good performances against decent college competition, but playing in a mid-major is enough to turn off some front offices. Without a tested resume, Graves is coming into the league relatively unproven.

The Fit

The college profiles of Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja’Kobe Walter, Gradey Dick, and Scottie Barnes suggest the Raptors scouts are shifting towards more analytics-friendly prospects in recent years, and Graves would continue that trend.

On the defensive end, Graves can immediately slot in as yet another productive defensive forward for the Raptors. I really feel like his cohesion with CMB would work well, with CMB being tasked with guarding faster players and with Graves lurking on the backline ready to pick off a passing lane or help defend the rim.

On the offensive end, Graves will help provide some much needed spacing and playmaking in the front court. The Raptors badly need more shooting depth, and Graves would provide more room for players like Scottie and Ingram to operate, while also serving as a ball-mover in Darko’s system.

Also like… man the Raptors just really badly need more 3&D players.

Conclusion

The pitch on Graves is simple: a young blueprint for an ideal 3&D player who already checks off some very encouraging analytical boxes. Is there a star here? Unlikely, but Graves does all the little things well and could easily provide instant value for a team looking to start contending in the near future. He will need to prove that his game can keep up against stronger competition, which is why he’ll be a mid-to-late first rounder instead of a lottery pick, but that’s one of the less-risky gambles to take at this point in the draft.

Allen Graves statistical profile provided by draftballr.com

Consensus NBA Draft Range: 17-28

Brendan’s Ranking: 20th

Floor Projection: Provides 3&D value in a rotation role, but struggles to adjust to NBA competition and game doesn’t evolve much from where it currently is.

Ceiling Projection: Starter, high-level contributor for any serious contending team due to his valuable, intangible skillset. Increased strength and improved IQ results in one of the league’s best defenders.