The 6’9″ vision was back, at least for one night.
The Toronto Raptors selected forward Allen Graves 19th overall in the first round of the NBA Draft on Tuesday night. The six-foot-nine forward is the latest in a long line of Raptors draft picks who were athletic forwards around six feet, nine inches in height like Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes and most recently Collin Murray-Boyles.
“Big arms, they want big arms and big guards, so I fit in,” Graves said on a video call with reporters from Brooklyn, N.Y., where the draft was held. “I know the culture there is great, just from my visit, being there.
“Just knowing that I’m walking into a winning program that’s going in the right direction is an amazing, amazing feeling.”
Graves averaged 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Santa Clara Broncos last season. He also had 1.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in his lone NCAA season, earning him West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year honors.
Similar videos
The 19-year-old forward from Ponchatoula, La., said he could add to Toronto’s possession game and that he believed he could fit in with established defenders like Barnes and Murray-Boyles.
Get the latest national news
Get the latest Canadian news in your inbox as it happens, so you never miss a trending story.
“I definitely knew my type of player was something they liked to draft,” Graves said. “My visit (to Toronto) was amazing, it was one of my best visits.
“Being around the culture, being around the Raptors, seeing all the players that were there working out and just seeing the coaching staff, whether it’s the head coach (Darko Rajakovic), whether it’s the assistants, they’re all invested in each player, they actually take the time to get to know them and really build a personal relationship with them.
Former Raptors team president Masai Ujiri, now president of the Dallas Mavericks, coined the phrase “6’9 vision” during his tenure. Current Toronto general manager Bobby Webster said that’s a philosophy that continues within the organization to this day.
“It’s always been the best two-way players available, right? I think that’s always been our philosophy,” Webster said on the same conference call. “I think two-way, historically in the NBA, you had to be, you know, top 10 offensively, top 10 defensively, or maybe top five offensively, top 10 defensively to win a title, and so it’s kind of the big North Star that drives a lot of it.”
The second round of the draft goes Wednesday night and the Raptors hold the 50th overall pick.
Webster said Toronto would still like to address its depth at guard and center, but that it has several options open for its front office to fill those needs.
“The draft is one, free agency is another and trades,” Webster said. “So now we’re going to turn our attention, obviously, to Day 2 of the draft, but then we’re going to get to trades and free agency.”
Webster said Monday’s trade that sent two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and veteran Bobby Portis from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and three first-round picks left the table open for other NBA deals.
“At some point we want to be opportunistic in the trade market,” Webster said. “We’ll look to do that over the summer and even at the trade deadline next season.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 23, 2026.
&copies 2026 The Canadian Press
