Even when he’s not an active participant, Sagaba Konate is hard to miss. At 6-foot-8 and 260 pounds, he cuts an imposing figure. As a Toronto Raptors practice at Las Vegas Summer League opens to media late on a sweaty July afternoon, it’s Konate shooting free throws on an adjacent net that draws the most attention, not the dozen players — some of them semi-established NBA names — still participating in the actual practice.



Unlike the others, Konate was able to make no impression in Vegas beyond these occasional, momentary visuals. Signed by the Raptors almost immediately after going undrafted in June, Konate has been subject to an interesting first pro offseason devoid of actual 5-on-5 play as the Raptors’ medical staff looks to rebuild the health of his troublesome right knee.



It’s that same right knee that may have contributed to Konate being available to the Raptors in the first place. Now 22, Konate entered the draft a year...