With the 31st pick, the Raptors select Jonathan Mogbo

[PhilBlackson]

A number of people I have spoken to are all in agreement and I think it's been apparent for a while

that Mogbo is essentially a non-broken version of Precious Achiuwa in many regards.

He's Precious with faster processing + passing ability.

Does he rip down defensive boards and attempt to go coast to coast?

it comes with the higher IQ and passing, he has the confidence to lead a rush in transition

The comparison I think is Precious with a touch of Scottie lol

He can actual handle the ball and not dribble it off his foot like the real Precious but has some of that explosiveness around the rim but the transition play and a SOME touch of the passing instincts Scottie has.

[Rapsfan07]

I gotta be honest - I'm not a huge fan of the pick. I'm rather sick and tired of the Raptors drafting projects instead of just picking the guy who can come in and do what you're looking for him to do.

Unless this was simply to please Scottie, I have to give it a C. Simpson, Mitchell, Crawford & Igodaro were still on the board.

That said, I do wish the kid well and I hope that Bobby and Masai know what they're doing with this pick.

[grant101]

Here's a good rundown of some of the skills that make Mogbo such an interesting prospect. Some really interesting charts and factoids (e.g. he's got a longer standing reach than Bam)

https://theswishtheory.com/2024-nba-draft-articles/2024/06/breaking-convention-reed-sheppard-jonathan-mogbo-and-identifying-stable-production/

[ForeverTFC]

Watch on YouTube

Raps took this dude over Kolek, Smith, and Filipowski

Just gotta hope they saw something special in the workouts. It's not impossible he's gotten better working with coaches prepping for his role in the NBA.

How are Kolek and Smith no-brainer better prospects? Kolek is small and Smith is soft and has difficulty processing the game.

I thought Flipowski should be the pick (we’ll see why they passed I guess) but even then, several draft guys had Mogbo above him on their big board.

[mtcan]

I gotta be honest - I'm not a huge fan of the pick. I'm rather sick and tired of the Raptors drafting projects instead of just picking the guy who can come in and do what you're looking for him to do.

Unless this was simply to please Scottie, I have to give it a C. Simpson, Mitchell, Crawford & Igodaro were still on the board.

That said, I do wish the kid well and I hope that Bobby and Masai know what they're doing with this pick.

None of these 2nd round picks from 31 to 58 are sure things. Even the guys who you think can come in and do what you're looking for him to do...also not a sure thing.

Most second round picks don't end up sticking in the league by end of their contracts anyways...so taking a swing with a 2nd round pick with the hope that they develop...this is when you do it.

[Yallbecrazy]

Gonna regret passing on filipowski, this bench needed someone like him, would have been a perfect fit.

go read up on what's going on with filipkowski.

Does that make him a bad teammate? I don't see the correlation.

[PushDaRock]

I gotta be honest - I'm not a huge fan of the pick. I'm rather sick and tired of the Raptors drafting projects instead of just picking the guy who can come in and do what you're looking for him to do.

Unless this was simply to please Scottie, I have to give it a C. Simpson, Mitchell, Crawford & Igodaro were still on the board.

That said, I do wish the kid well and I hope that Bobby and Masai know what they're doing with this pick.

What are we looking for them to come in and do exactly?

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Gonna regret passing on filipowski, this bench needed someone like him, would have been a perfect fit.

go read up on what's going on with filipkowski.

Does that make him a bad teammate? I don't see the correlation.

sounds like another GG Jackson situation where everyone got duped and a potentially elite basketball player fell to the 2nd round

negative wingspan is less of a problem in big men than it is with wings and guards

flip was the offensive hub of a top D1 offense at 20 years old after having missed development in the offseason for 2-3 months

[Anatomize]

I like that we're grabbing players with defense/intensity/intangibles, and most importantly a motor. It's something we've been missing, an actual identity.

In the highlights I'm watching he has some really nice high post passing.

[grant101]

Gonna regret passing on filipowski, this bench needed someone like him, would have been a perfect fit.

go read up on what's going on with filipkowski.

Does that make him a bad teammate? I don't see the correlation.

Nobody on this board knows what he's like as a teammate, worker or person. It might have been a factor in his 'drop', it might not have. That said, there are plenty of basketball/fit reasons why you might prefer many of the other players that went before him.

Frankly, I don't think he scales particularly well as a role player (which most non-lotto players have to do), and I'm not convinced he's skilled enough to be a focal point on offence in the league... at least not proficient enough at it to have to build your team around masking his defensive shortcomings. I can see why he dropped.

Also, it may be recency bias, but his flame out in Dukes finally game left a sour taste. He got visibly frustrated being so targeted on defence and it seemed to really affect his defence

[RoteSchroder]

I gotta be honest - I'm not a huge fan of the pick. I'm rather sick and tired of the Raptors drafting projects instead of just picking the guy who can come in and do what you're looking for him to do.

Unless this was simply to please Scottie, I have to give it a C. Simpson, Mitchell, Crawford & Igodaro were still on the board.

That said, I do wish the kid well and I hope that Bobby and Masai know what they're doing with this pick.

I feel like Oso was in the same boat as Mogbo, but weaker with worse finishing ability and worse athleticism. Pre-draft I projected Mogbo to potentially be a SF/PF, whereas Oso seemed to be strictly a PF. I don’t think u want either as C. I also felt like Mogbo had better shooting potential.

The worry for me with Mogbo is his college competition level and he’s slightly lacking in 1 on 1 defense of perimeter players. His scoring game needs work too, but we could use him as a Batum type of offensive role player if his shot develops.

[Morse Code]

Key word: WING

He's not a wing IMO any more than a guy like Faried or Draymond

Sent from my LG-H873 using RealGM mobile app

I’ve always felt the position you guard defines the position you play

If he can guard nba wings, I’ll call him a wing

Fairies is a poor comparison imo

I agree you are what you defend. I personally think he's a PF who needs a C that can shoot beside him. Like a Kelly Olynyk for example. They are a great fit together as backup 4/5

Sent from my LG-H873 using RealGM mobile app

[Thaddy]

Here's a good rundown of some of the skills that make Mogbo such an interesting prospect. Some really interesting charts and factoids (e.g. he's got a longer standing reach than Bam)

https://theswishtheory.com/2024-nba-draft-articles/2024/06/breaking-convention-reed-sheppard-jonathan-mogbo-and-identifying-stable-production/

Summary:

Mogbo's defensive analytics paint a clear picture of his strengths and areas for improvement. Among the group of bigs analyzed, Mogbo recorded one of the lowest block rates, indicating that shot-blocking is not his primary contribution on defense. However, this is offset by his exceptionally high steal rate, the highest in the group. This discrepancy points to Mogbo's effectiveness off the ball, where he uses his length and anticipation skills to disrupt passing lanes and create deflections. His ability to force turnovers through steals rather than blocks underscores his versatility and value as a defender, showing that he can significantly impact the game without being a traditional rim protector.

[Chandan]

Watch on YouTube

Raps took this dude over Kolek, Smith, and Filipowski

Just gotta hope they saw something special in the workouts. It's not impossible he's gotten better working with coaches prepping for his role in the NBA.

Yikes thats a pretty bad showing against bad competition.

[Thaddy]

Watch on YouTube

Raps took this dude over Kolek, Smith, and Filipowski

Just gotta hope they saw something special in the workouts. It's not impossible he's gotten better working with coaches prepping for his role in the NBA.

Yikes thats a pretty bad showing against bad competition.

The shooting in his workouts had to be impressive. He's probably going to be our best summer league rookie, especially if he has the freedom and ability to hit mid range shots.

[Appostis]

Any possible way this guy works as a SF?

[Psubs]

I've seen his highlights and i really like his athleticism and feel for the game, really good passer. But I've also seen clips of him shooting in workouts, and I don't believe in that shot at all. Hopefully he develops that shot or else he's just going to be another Banton.

He seems like Precious Achiuwa with passing ability.

[Psubs]

Any possible way this guy works as a SF?

Maybe like JYD was a SF/PF. I guess he'll be able to guard jumbo wings.

[Duffman100]

Any concern with him playing inferior competition? Did he?

When I was watching his highlights, it looks like he's going up against lessee schools

[Brinbe]

I think a pick like this suggests that they've learned their lesson a bit from some of the prospects they've brought aboard during this past season, namely like a Nwora, that could score a bit but was a horrible defender.

Mogbo gives them a much-better base to work from in terms of athleticism/motor/intangibles/defensive effort/rebounding ability considering what his likely future role will be as a hustle frontcourt partner to a stretch big. There's optionality there and we have enough shooters on-board in Kelly O/Vez and even Barnes there that he's not gonna be a total bust on offense.

The key is gonna be his ability to at least make a mid-range shot if left open and hope that in time that he can graduate to knocking down corner 3s at the very least.