Raptors select Jonathan Mogbo 31st overall in second round of NBA Draft
The Toronto Raptors have drafted forward Jonathan Mogbo from the University of San Francisco 31st overall for the first pick on Day 2 of the 2024 NBA Draft.
Mogbo, a 22-year-old from West Palm Beach, Florida, is a physical rim runner with some intriguing guard skills for a guy his size.
Standing at 6-foot-6.25 without shoes and a ridiculous 7-foot-2 wingspan, Mogbo mostly suited up as a small-ball centre for the Dons and did it to great effect, averaging 14.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
He played as something of a point forward in college, functioning as a player akin to Ben Simmons running the offence and finishing most of his looks at the rim. He’s a smart playmaker on drives, capable of making plays off the dribble and handling the ball like a guard.
However, much like Simmons, he also doesn’t possess much of a jump shot and gets most of his points down-low and on drives. His mechanics also don’t indicate that he’ll be able to properly develop a shot. But he was still an efficient scorer, finishing with a 63.6 field goal percentage and shot 69.2 per cent from the charity stripe.
His defence was also impressive at the collegiate level, functioning as a capable switcher able to guard guys 2-through-4 because of his size, length and impressive foot-speed. He notched 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game in his senior season.
He spent his first two years of college playing at Independence Community College in Kansas and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College before finishing his career with two years at San Francisco.
A native of West Palm Beach, he’s good friends with fellow Floridian Scottie Barnes, who the Raptors inked to a rookie max extension earlier this week.
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