TORONTO - Nearly eight years ago, the Raptors took a low-risk chance on an intriguing prospect out of Texas when they used a second-round draft pick to select the position-less P. Masahiro Tanaka Jersey .J. Tucker. Tucker, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound bull, had the build of a power forward trapped in the frame of a shooting guard. By all accounts he was a misfit, destined to end up in the leagues scrapheap with the vast majority of its second-rounders. During his rookie season, Tucker played 21 games for Toronto, bouncing back and forth from the D-League before he was waived by the team less than a year into his NBA journey. After playing in six countries over the next five years, Tucker returned to the league and put up career-highs as a 28-year-old starting for the Phoenix Suns last season. The league has changed and, as a result, so has the need for players that are able to easily adapt. Enter Iowa State senior and Toronto-native Melvin Ejim, who is hoping to hear his named called sometime during the second round in this months draft. Like Tucker and many talented prospects before him, Ejim has been labeled a "tweener" - a hybrid player stuck in between positions as a result of size, strength or skill set. For a long time, the term carried a negative connotation in NBA circles. Who will he defend? How does he fit in? Now its become the norm. Tweeners, combo guards, stretch fours. As teams continue to challenge the defence with smaller, quicker lineups, the NBA is evolving into a league void of prototypical positions. On Thursday, the Miami Heat will begin their pursuit of a third consecutive title led by LeBron James, perhaps the most unique basketball player weve ever seen, capable of playing and guarding four or five positions on the floor at a high level. Last week, Oklahoma City was eliminated in the Western Conference Finals with three point guards on the court together down the stretch of Game 6. The team that ousted them and Miamis opponent in the Finals, the Spurs possess the versatility to match up with almost any style of play, thanks in large part to their versatile wings - Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Boris Diaw. Ultimately, what position you play is less important than the underlying question - can you play? At 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, Ejim is confident that theres a place for him and his well-rounded game on an NBA team. "I think it depends on how you look at the word tweener," he said following Wednesday mornings pre-draft workout in the Raptors practice facility at the Air Canada Centre. "If you see it as a valuable thing, then I think that I bring a lot of stuff. I think that Im a small forward and I bring versatility to be able to defend bigger guys, I have a strong body that can do a lot of things defensively. Then offensively [Im] versatile, can shoot the ball and play inside and out. And if you dont consider those good things, then I guess tweeners a bad thing." Ejim, the Big 12 Conference player of the year, has fully embraced his basketball identity. "Its better than being called a glue guy," he said of the tweener label. "Ive yet to see anyone say, yo, youre a tweener, we dont really do tweeners over here," Ejim joked. "And honestly, its not even about being a tweener, its about being a player. If youre somebody that can go out and play basketball on different levels and play at different positions, then youre valuable, youre a good player." Following Tuesdays auditions, a pair of combo guards, Jordan Clarkson and Nick Johnson - also expected to go in the second round - echoed a similar sentiment. Versatility will also be a valuable commodity when the Raptors make their first-round selection at pick no. 20. UCLAs Kyle Anderson is a point guard in a 6-foot-9 body, athletic Clemson product K.J. McDaniels can defend multiple positions, while NC States T.J. Warren projects as a versatile and unconventional scorer. All three wing players are expected to workout in Toronto later this week. "Its almost a positive in todays game," said Dan Tolzman, director of scouting for the Raptors. "You want the flexibility that if a team goes big against you, you have the ability to just shift guys over a spot and keep your best players out there. I think the same goes the other way. If guys go small, youd like to have perimeter players that can bang down low and can rebound hard when youre in a small ball game. I think its just the progression of the game." Working out alongside fellow Canadian Khem Birch, a Montreal-native out of UNLV, Ejim impressed the Raptors, not only with his versatility and commitment to defence but with his approach, maturity and professionalism. "He came in [wearing] slacks and a nice button-down shirt," Tolzman said of Ejim. "He looked like he was coming to an interview and I think that clearly it resonates with us because this is a professional job interview for these guys." With a couple second-round picks at 37 and 59, the Raptors could consider selecting the hometown product, who would be a welcomed addition within Dwane Caseys system. Although his skill set continues to fly under the radar in a talented, wing-heavy draft class, its not hard to envision him catching on with a team and working his way into a rotation, not unlike Tucker in Phoenix. "His niche in my opinion will be as a defensive player," Tolzman said. "Hes a strong defender and I think the level of intensity he plays with bodes well for guys that focus on defence because when they give their all, they impact the game somehow, even if their shots not there." Cory Gearrin Jersey . -- The court fight over NFL concussions should heat up soon as a judge in Philadelphia weighs the fairness of the proposed $765 million settlement. Didi Gregorius Jersey . The stakes were higher, the competition more fierce and the atmosphere was that of a playoff game - something the young, upstart Raptors have five weeks to better prepare themselves for or the result will be eerily similar. https://www.cheapyankees.com/1011g-dellin-betances-jersey-yankees.html . -- D. J. Williams finally has his packing strategy down.Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez faces a selection headache of the best kind on Sunday, with two in-form strikers vying for a starting berth at Leeds. Newcastle head to Elland Road looking to extend a seven-match winning run in the Sky Bet Championship, but face a Leeds side with their own lofty aspirations, having climbed into the top six before the international break. Leeds vs Newcastle November 20, 2016, 1:00pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass The form of both sides strikers has been key, with Dwight Gayle the divisions top scorer with 11 goals, while Chris Wood has found the net eight times. However, Aleksandar Mitrovic has been making a case to be the Magpies first-choice marksman with seven goals from his last six starts for club and country, including breaking the hearts of Wales fans in earning Serbia a 1-1 draw last Thursday.Benitez will now have to decide whether to go with Mitrovic again, having started the 22-year-old last time out against Cardiff, recall the well-rested Gayle or, for the first time, start with both. Mitrovic scored for Serbia against Wales to take his tally to seven goals in his last six starts Sky Bet put the question to Sky Sports EFL pundits Peter Beagrie and David Prutton in their Facebook Live match preview. Joe Torre Yankees Jersey. ..Beagrie said: Dwight Gayle for me has got to start. Hes going to be fresh, he does everything that you hate as a big centre-half, he makes great runs and theyve got the players around him to pick out those runs.I would also think he could play with a foil and Mitrovic would benefit from not having to run the channels. Mitrovic will also be helpful to come back and help defend set-pieces. Gayle has scored 11 goals so far this season Prutton said: I think the sort of liveliness that Gayle has up against the two big centre-halves, Pontus Jansson and Kyle Bartley, will cause all sorts of problems. Thats unless we get a reducer from one of the central defenders early on!I think Benitez will go with Mohamed Diame and Ayoze Perez around him and then continue to look to use Mitrovic as an impact substitute.What do you think Newcastle should do? Vote in our poll below. Also See: Pruttons predictions How good are Newcastle? Monk: Newcastle the toughest test Perez wins EFL Goal of the Month ' ' '