Raptors draft Jonathan Mogbo in a shocking twist: Instant reaction, analysis

The Toronto Raptors secured the best pick in the second round in the OG Anunonby trade, and the new draft format gave them an entire day to field trade offers and survey all of the available players. That was valuable time for a team with plenty of needs and a plethora of options available to them.

After they drafted Baylor wing Ja'Kobe Walter with the 19th pick, the Raptors could have gone in a number of directions with the 31st pick. Duke big Kyle Filipowski was the highest-rated player on the board and fit a need, but so did the wildly productive Tyler Kolek, the sharpshooting Tyler Smith and Cam Christie, or the raw Johnny Furphy. Thankfully, despite some bizarre statements to the contrary. the overhyped Bronny James was never in consideration.

The Raptors ignored all of those prospects and made a surprise pick. With the 31st pick in the 2024 NBA Draft the Toronto Raptors have selected San Francisco forward Jonathan Mogbo.

Jonathan Mogbo was a fascinating addition to the Toronto Raptors' young roster

Jonathan Mogbo was a late riser up draft boards, coming from outside of the drafted range to a solid second-round prospect. At 6'7" with a long 7'2" wingspan, Mogbo is a high-motor forward who attacks the glass relentlessly and will instantly help the Raptors' rebounding. He is a versatile defender who could execute a switching scheme but also can provide some weakside rim protection.

On offense he is more of a question mark, as he is a strong finisher and a savvy passer but has absolutely no shot whatsoever; he can't shoot from deep, midrange, floater range or the free-throw line. He has fought his way through the ranks of small schools to be drafted out of San Francisco in the WCC, but he still likely faces major hurdles given his lack of shooting to be an NBA player.

The value for the Raptors certainly looks questionable at this point in the process. Kyle Filipowski, who went one pick later at No. 32, was ranked 14th on our Raptors Big Board and made a lot of sense as a fit next to Scottie Barnes.

Mogob, frankly, does not. His complete lack of shooting means he almost can't play next to Barnes unless he is a significantly undersized center. He was ranked 47th on our board and was a shocking selection at 31 given the other players available and the poor fit on the Raptors specifically. He has some unique skills and he is certainly a hard worker, but the complete lack of a shot may simply kill his NBA career before it begins.

The sneaky reality of why this pick went down is that Scottie Barnes and Jonathan Mogbo were childhood friends, and the Raptors may have just used the No. 31 pick to further cement their relationship with their franchise player. If that factored in much at all, this was a massive misstep.