The Toronto Raptors gave up on Jonathan Mogbo very quickly, and now he is suiting up for another team.
Every year, public-facing NBA Draft analysts in the media have a few players they absolutely gush about. Despite some very real barriers to success in the NBA, some unique quirk about how they play absolutely captivates those scouting him. In 2024, that player from San Francisco's Jonathan Mogbo.
Mogbo, a 6'9" undersized big man, did a lot of enticing things. He could pass; he was a springy athlete; he rebounded; he had an extremely high motor. He became "Draft Twitter's" darling both before and after the draft.
The Raptors fell in love with Jonathan Mogbo
The Raptors love long athletes, so it is no surprise that they fell in love and took him with the 31st overall pick. Or, even if they were not in love with the player profile, the fact that he was best friends with Scottie Barnes didn't hurt.
What many overlooked with Mogbo was that he had no pathway to becoming a viable offensive player in the NBA. He attacked the glass, sure, and he could pass, but there was no reason he would ever have the ball otherwise. He had zero jumpshot, no post game, and only mediocre touch around the basket.
On a team where shooting was already an issue, and multiple players needed to operate in the paint, there was no place for Mogbo to fit in. He was force-fed minutes as a rookie on an injured Raptors team, but he was inefficient, turned the ball over and cratered their offense.
His role disappeared last season as the Raptors turned the corner and became a playoff team. He averaged only 6.2 minutes per game, stopped taking 3-pointers altogether and had barely more assists than turnovers.
Toronto gave up on Mogbo
This offseason, the Raptors decided to just let Mogbo walk. They didn't pick up his team option, prioritizing other goals with his roster spot right from the jump.
The rest of the league didn't trip over themselves bidding up Mogbo as an intriguing "second draft" candidate, either. The Sacramento Kings swooped in early in free agency and signed him to a two-way contract. When you agree to go to the worst team in the league in the first 24 hours of free agency and cannot even secure a full contract, you know that your NBA outlook is grim.
Perhaps Mogbo finds his way to a workable jumpshot that allows him to be merely a below-average offensive player, in which case some of his defensive tools can begin to matter. The Kings are making such a bet on him, albeit a small one.
The Raptors were not interested. They found players in the last two drafts in Collin Murray-Boyles and Allen Graves who offer much of the same intrigue as Mogbo, but with an overall NBA game that makes sense for where the league is. Mogbo never had a chance.
Toronto gave up quickly - but they were probably right to do so. The Kings stealing him away is less a crime and more a gentle goodbye to a player who never had much of a chance in the NBA.
Jonathan Mogbo now gets his second chance to prove that he belongs. It just won't be with the Raptors.
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