Raptors select rising prospect Mogbo to start NBA draft’s second round

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With little need for immediate help, the retooling Toronto Raptors went with a bit of a project with the first pick of the second day of the NBA draft.

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Jonathan Mogbo, a 6-foot-7, skilled big man with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, was taken 31st overall.

Mogbo was 5-foot-9 when he started high school, but kept growing and growing, retaining the ability to handle and pass the ball from his many years as a guard playing the sport. He is extremely limited as a shooter, but the Raptors clearly were willing to bet on that coming around. Mogbo excels in transition with the ball and averaged 14.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.1 blocks for San Francisco.

It surely didn’t hurt Mogbo’s case that he’s good friends with Raptors franchise player Scottie Barnes, who was at his draft party Thursday. The duo first became teammates playing AAU ball when they were in fourth grade. Both hail from West Palm Beach, Fla., though Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said the franchise didn’t realize how close Barnes and Mogbo are until they’d already started scouting him.

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“I went watch him in March in the West Coast Conference tournament. And I come back and I actually didn’t know what their relationship was like. I kind of made a comment to Scottie and I could tell that he had a relationship with him,” Webster said. “But I think if you listen to around the league, a lot of guys grew up playing with each other. And I think those relationships are fun to see from afar. But you can probably imagine, the basketball has to work and you have to like him as a player and all of that. And so I think that just by doing that, It creates a basis for that relationship to be fun. I’m sure they enjoyed (being friends and now teammates again). But he has to fit as a basketball player first.”

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Work ethic is not a question with Mogbo, who didn’t receive a single Division 1 offer upon leaving high school. As noted in a good San Francisco Chronicle piece, Mogbo played for five schools in five states post-high school. From community college in Kansas, to junior college in Oklahoma, to the NCAA at Missouri State and San Francicso. As ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony put it earlier in the season: “Jonathan Mogbo at San Francisco is the most unique story in college basketball, a 5-9, 125-pound (guard) entering high school with zero DI offers upon graduating. Now 6’8, 225, he’s lighting up NBA draft models averaging 21 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.6 blocks per-40.”

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When watching highlights of Mogbo you see a definite Raptors “type.” A long, athletic big man that isn’t afraid to push ahead, there are flashes of ex-Raptors Pascal Siakam and Precious Achiuwa in his still developing game. Mogbo only attempted two three-pointers in two years in the NCAA though, which is about where Siakam and Achiuwa were as outside shooters entering the NBA. This isn’t to say Mogbo is the next Siakam or Achiuwa, he will carve his own path, but for a team emphasizing player development under head coach Darko Rajakovic, Mogbo seems to have found a good home.

“Probably feels like a bit more of a Raptors pick,” Webster confirmed. “Kind of an athletic wing who can do a little bit of everything. There’s probably some development curve for him shooting-wise. But I think physically (he has an) NBA body, 6-7, 6-8, 220 pounds, can really run, really jump. So that felt like us sort of the makings of a two-way Raptor wing. And so obviously there’s a pretty meaningful runway for him to get there. But I think his journey and for those who don’t know, it’s a six-foot kid out of high school and kind of grows into it, doesn’t have a ton of exposure, two junior colleges, kind of ends up in University of San Francisco. It feels a bit more like some guys we’ve drafted over the years.”

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Mogbo is the first San Francisco player drafted into the NBA since 1982.

“Our entire USF basketball family is so proud of Jonathan being selected by the Toronto Raptors in the 2024 NBA Draft,”  head coach Chris Gerlufsen said in a release. “Getting drafted is a testament to all his hard work and dedication during his time here on the Hilltop. He is a prime example of taking full advantage of his opportunities. We can’t wait to root him on at the next level.”

Toronto also held the 45th pick Thursday after making a deal with the Sacramento Kings prior to the start of Round 2 and went with Jamal Shead, a Houston Cougars point guard who was the national defensive player of the year and the Big 12 conference player of the year (first-round pick Ja’Kobe Walter was the Big 12’s freshman of the year).

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Shead is seen as a strong floor general who runs an offence expertly despite not being a strong shooter. His defensive resume speaks for itself. Houston and Baylor met in February, with Walter scoring a game-high 23 points and Shead going for 12 points and 10 assists, along with a potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer that was waved off, resulting in overtime.

Finally, Toronto made a deal to acquire the 57th selection and opted for ultra-raw big man Ulrich Chomche. Chomche is the youngest player in the draft, has a gargantuan 7-foot-4 wingspan and becomes the first product of the NBA Academy Africa drafted. The Cameroonian centre is likely years away from being able to contribute at the NBA level, but unlike when Bruno Caboclo was drafted years ago, Toronto now has a G League team and an established developmental system. Expect him to sign a two-way contract and to spend plenty of time Raptors 905.

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