Allen Graves arrives for the first round of the NBA basketball draft Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

By The Canadian Press

Toronto Raptors select forward Allen Graves 19th overall in NBA Draft

Jun 23, 2026 | 7:22 PM

Vision 6’9″ 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 that were athletic forwards approximately six feet, nine inches in height like Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, and most recently Collin Murray-Boyles.

“Big wings, they love big wings, and big guards, so I fit right in,” said Graves in 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 coming 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 only NCAA season, earning him the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year award and Sixth Man of the Year award.

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The 19-year-old power forward from Ponchatoula, La., said that he could add to Toronto’s possession game and that he believed he could fit right in alongside established defenders like Barnes and Murray-Boyles.

“I definitely knew that my type of player was something that they like to draft,” said Graves. “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 watching the coaching staff, whether it was head coach (Darko Rajakovic), whether it was assistants, they were all invested in each and every player, they actually take the time to get to know them and get to really build a personal relationship with them.”

Former Raptors team president Masai Ujiri, now president of the Dallas Mavericks, coined the expression “vision 6’9” during his tenure. Current Toronto general manager Bobby Webster said it’s a philosophy that persists within the organization to this day.

“It’s always been best available two-way players, right? I think that’s always been our philosophy,” said Webster on the same conference call. “I think two-way, historically in the NBA, you had to be, you know, top 10 on offence, top 10 on defence, or probably top five on offence, top 10 on defence to win a title, and so that’s sort of been 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 that Toronto would still like to address its depth at guard and centre, but that there are several options open to his front office to fulfil those needs.

“The draft is one, free agency is another, and trades,” said Webster. “So now we’ll turn our attention, obviously, to Day 2 of the draft, but then get to trades and free agency.”

Webster said that 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 cleared the table for other deals to be made around the NBA.

“At a certain point we want to be opportunistic in the trade market,” said Webster. “We’ll look to do that over the course of the summer and even into the trade deadline next season.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press