DeMar DeRozan wants Raptors to draft Daniel Orton

According to ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s most recent player-only mock, our brightest young star DeMar DeRozan wants the Raptors to draft Daniel Orton.

Who can blame him?

Daniel Orton is a legit NBA center and has the size, strength and defense to be a major force in the post. Many think he is aways away from being bale to start but they couldn’t be more wrong. If DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson were not on Kentucky Orton would be a top-5 lock as his NBA ready frame and defense suggest he could start right away for some of the lower-echelon teams….including the Raptors.

Here is DeMar’s pick from Chad Fords article:

13. Toronto Raptors | Daniel Orton, PF/C, Kentucky

“I saw most of [Kentucky's] games. Daniel didn’t get a lot of publicity because of all the other freshmen, but he did great when he played. I like his size and toughness. Look for him to make his mark on defense with boards and blocks.”–DeMar DeRozan, Raptors, G

“The Raptors need a big man. The problem is they need a big man now, and Orton looks about three years away at this point.”–Chad Ford

As suggested before many around the NBA feel Daniel Orton is a couple of years away from being a contributor. But when you bring the kind of defense and intangibles Orton has to a team like the Raptors who are desperately seeking those exact ingredients, he has a chance to make an immediate impact.  On a team that already had a legit 4 and 5, he would be a couple of years away from being a starter.

We would be very happy with Daniel Orton as our pick as he is being considered as high as #10 to the Pacers.

Here is our fit analysis on Daniel Orton:

Orton spent most of the season backing up potential top-3 pick DeMarcus Cousins, but has the high school pedigree to make a serious impact in the NBA. Already thought to be an NBA ready defender, Orton can start right away on a team needing a C. While Orton did not get much of a chance to play, there isn’t a scout in the NBA who doesn’t think that Orton is ready to make the leap this year, even if one more year of college would probably be best for him.

How he’d fit with the Raptors: Orton would be a true fit with the Raptors. Now while he may not be able to contribute on the offensive end much in his first couple of years, either will Whiteside or Udoh, and it seems like Orton may have the highest offensive upside of the three big man prospects linked to the Raptors thus far.  Orton would be an ideal fit beside Bosh, but would also be a nice complement to Andrea Bargnani. Once again, he would be a dramatic improvement over Andrea at the 5 and may develop into a better all-around player than Andrea, Udoh or Whiteside, though Whiteside has the highest ceiling.

Raptors Digest thoughts: The latest mocks have Orton heavily linked to the Raptors and with good reason. Orton appears to be the safest pick of all the big men potentially available at 13, and unfortunately in the latest mocks Avery Bradley is already gone. If we have to draft a big our choice would be Orton, and this is reflected on the Raptors Digest big board. However the Chris Bosh situation likely has big coming back to Toronto (all the S&T scenarios have a big coming our way) which is a reason why Orton is not ranked higher.

Would you be happy with Daniel Orton at #13?

Raju Byfield is a Senior Sports Writer for Raptors Digest.

Raju Byfield also writes for Win My Fantasy League as a Senior Sports Writer/Fantasy Sports Analyst.