The Toronto Raptors surprised plenty of people on draft night when they took Allen Graves out of Santa Clara with the No. 19 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
At the time, plenty of fans were wondering why Toronto went with another forward while players like Labaron Philon and Cameron Carr were still available. That skepticism has faded fast after Graves turned heads in Las Vegas at NBA Summer League, where he’s already given the Raptors plenty of reasons to believe in the pick.
Through the early going, Graves has flashed the full package Toronto seemed to see in him. He’s handled the ball well, created for others, attacked the glass, forced turnovers, and shown real instincts as a defender with steals and blocks.
He’s also scored going downhill and knocked down shots from outside. In his debut, he put up 22 points and 13 rebounds, hit 3-of-8 from three, and finished with five stocks.
Still, there’s one part of his game that deserves more attention: the speed of his jumper.
Graves can make shots. That part isn’t really in doubt.
The concern is how long it takes him to get the ball loaded and released when the level of competition jumps. In college and in summer league, the shot has gone in.
But NBA defenders are a different animal - faster, longer, and far quicker to close out.
That’s where the problem could start. Graves’ motion gives away a little too much before the ball leaves his hands, and that kind of tell can get exposed once NBA coaches and defenses lock in on it.
The issue isn’t whether he can shoot. It’s whether he’ll be able to get that shot off often enough against real NBA pressure.
Kyle Anderson is the clearest example. He’s a career 36.4 percent three-point shooter, so the shot is respectable. But because it takes him so long to get it up, he only averages 1.1 threes per game, which doesn’t give much value from a forward in today’s NBA.
Graves does have a good release and a solid flick. The fix is about speeding up the load-up, not rebuilding everything from scratch. That’s why starting him in the G League could make sense if Toronto wants to help him tighten that part of his game.
The Raptors have seen the G League try to work on young shooters before, most recently with Gradey Dick, and that approach backfired when they tried to change too much. Graves doesn’t need that kind of overhaul. He needs a smoother, more effortless motion so he isn’t stuck living on wide-open looks and trail threes.
For all the buzz he’s generated, Graves still looks like a potential elite role player and connective piece for Toronto. But if he’s going to reach that ceiling, the speed of his jumper is the next hurdle he has to clear.
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