With the 57th pick, the Raptors select Ulrich Chomche

[Johnny Bball]

The kid is still so long away from learning how to play the game properly. Give him some time next year he will be the same age as some College freshmen so thats about where I view his development

For a high school senior playing in the pros, he's coming along nicely.

I'm optimistic on him.

Yeah I view him as a 2026 draft choice...lol.

905 again next year for sure....then see if he can be a Raptor in 2026/27.

Just think, in 2 years he will the same age as Gradey is this year. And hey, in 5.5 years he will be Branden Carlsons age....lol. Lots of development time ahead.

This is the problem with 2 years away. He's an RFA next year. If it turns out he can play, he gets paid like he can play.

[pilkoids]

I dont know why but i expected his athleticism jump out more and it hasnt at all

[aminiaturebuddha]

I dont know why but i expected his athleticism jump out more and it hasnt at all

He's just back from an MCL tear.

And still, take a look at the weakside block he had the other day. There aren't many guys his size who can cover that amount of ground that quickly.

[LoveMyRaps]

2 years from being 2 years

Disagree. I think he's 1 year from being 1 year away.

[ArthurVandelay]

For a high school senior playing in the pros, he's coming along nicely.

I'm optimistic on him.

Yeah I view him as a 2026 draft choice...lol.

905 again next year for sure....then see if he can be a Raptor in 2026/27.

Just think, in 2 years he will the same age as Gradey is this year. And hey, in 5.5 years he will be Branden Carlsons age....lol. Lots of development time ahead.

This is the problem with 2 years away. He's an RFA next year. If it turns out he can play, he gets paid like he can play.

Lots of young guys getting paid minimum who have the potential to play.

I suspect a he’ll sign a Battle-like deal by the end of next season. He’ll be on a minimum for at least 3 seasons and then enter RFA.

It will be summer of 2029 before he’s getting paid.

[mtcan]

For a high school senior playing in the pros, he's coming along nicely.

I'm optimistic on him.

Yeah I view him as a 2026 draft choice...lol.

905 again next year for sure....then see if he can be a Raptor in 2026/27.

Just think, in 2 years he will the same age as Gradey is this year. And hey, in 5.5 years he will be Branden Carlsons age....lol. Lots of development time ahead.

This is the problem with 2 years away. He's an RFA next year. If it turns out he can play, he gets paid like he can play.

He is on a 2 way…so no RFA yet. They have this year on a 2 way then will have to decide if they want to let him go or give him a standard contract…which could be what Battle got….and that is when the clock starts on RFA, etc.

[Tripod]

Yeah I view him as a 2026 draft choice...lol.

905 again next year for sure....then see if he can be a Raptor in 2026/27.

Just think, in 2 years he will the same age as Gradey is this year. And hey, in 5.5 years he will be Branden Carlsons age....lol. Lots of development time ahead.

This is the problem with 2 years away. He's an RFA next year. If it turns out he can play, he gets paid like he can play.

He is on a 2 way…so no RFA yet. They have this year on a 2 way then will have to decide if they want to let him go or give him a standard contract…which could be what Battle got….and that is when the clock starts on RFA, etc.

Plus listening to him, you can tell they have talked with him about the whole process and how he fits in the future.

He isn't going anywhere

[lolwut]

I dont know why but i expected his athleticism jump out more and it hasnt at all

He's just back from an MCL tear.

And still, take a look at the weakside block he had the other day. There aren't many guys his size who can cover that amount of ground that quickly.

He's not an Amare Stoudemire high flying kind of athlete. It's more about how fluidly he moves at his size, and how he's able to switch out onto the perimeter and cover a huge amount of ground quickly.

That, and how quickly he's able to elevate to contest shots with a first and second jump.

[raincityraptors]

So proud of the impact he's making on the team. They actually look better when he's on the court!

[LoveMyRaps]

Read on Twitter

Masai is the GOAT.

[disoblige]

Seems like young Ibaka. No shooting, great defense and mobility. A good pick by Masai.

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

Chomche was great vs the Nuggets

[Vampirate]

He still has the highest ceiling on this team, still is our best answer at center long term......and still could be out of the league in 2 years, your guess is still as good as mine on the guy.

[Prestige]

Is it really worth spending years developing guys who may not pan out? I thought we learned our lesson with Bruno. Chomche may turn out to be a great pick, but I normally prefer to draft guys who won’t take 5 years to turn into a rotation player.

I think increasing the age limit to 20 and getting sophomore NCAA and older Euro players as rookies would be better for viewing entertainment.

[MEDIC]

Is it really worth spending years developing guys who may not pan out? I thought we learned our lesson with Bruno. Chomche may turn out to be a great pick, but I normally prefer to draft guys who won’t take 5 years to turn into a rotation player.

I think increasing the age limit to 20 and getting sophomore NCAA and older Euro players as rookies would be better for viewing entertainment.

I agree with you about the 5 year thing for the most part.

. After next season, the team will know if Chomche is a legit player........or not. So, really it's only 2 years. To me it looks like he is going to eventually be a rotation player. He'll be a full time roster player by the end of the season if he stays healthy.

He was picked at the end of the 2nd round so taking a swing at a project isn't really that big of a deal. Bruno was picked in the 1st round, so you can't really compare the situations.

I agree with you about the age thing. It would make the NBA product better.

[DreamTeam09]

Is it really worth spending years developing guys who may not pan out? I thought we learned our lesson with Bruno. Chomche may turn out to be a great pick, but I normally prefer to draft guys who won’t take 5 years to turn into a rotation player.

I think increasing the age limit to 20 and getting sophomore NCAA and older Euro players as rookies would be better for viewing entertainment.

That is literally one of the points of a 2way contract, to develop a player without the need to give up a potential roster spot. Even if it wasn't Chomche, it would be another player who needs to be developed regardless (Alijah Martin types), or you get an older player with minimal experience who you hope pans out. (AJ Lawson types)

[Vampirate]

Is it really worth spending years developing guys who may not pan out? I thought we learned our lesson with Bruno. Chomche may turn out to be a great pick, but I normally prefer to draft guys who won’t take 5 years to turn into a rotation player.

I think increasing the age limit to 20 and getting sophomore NCAA and older Euro players as rookies would be better for viewing entertainment.

Chomche is a 6"11 player who moves like a guard. Bruno is not 6"11, he's 6"9, big difference.

If you have a chance to get a franchise player, even if that player has a small chance of reaching that theoretical potential you take him imo.

At the very least I think he'll be a back up C because he gets so many blocks because of the way he moves without the ball.

But hey, I could be wrong.

[deck]

Is it really worth spending years developing guys who may not pan out? I thought we learned our lesson with Bruno. Chomche may turn out to be a great pick, but I normally prefer to draft guys who won’t take 5 years to turn into a rotation player.

I think increasing the age limit to 20 and getting sophomore NCAA and older Euro players as rookies would be better for viewing entertainment.

Yes, it is absolutely worth it. It cost us virtually nothing and any player we draft at 57 has a very high chance of not panning out anyway. It's very advantageous for us that Chomche was so close to not being eligible. We can stash him in the 905 for another year, and it will effectively be like drafting a college sophomore next year.

I would far rather give minutes to a 21 year old Chomche than run the platoon of 10 day centres we have been rolling out over the past 3 years.

[kalel123]

Is it really worth spending years developing guys who may not pan out? I thought we learned our lesson with Bruno. Chomche may turn out to be a great pick, but I normally prefer to draft guys who won’t take 5 years to turn into a rotation player.

I think increasing the age limit to 20 and getting sophomore NCAA and older Euro players as rookies would be better for viewing entertainment.

It's 57th pick and he's on a 2-way. What have we got to lose?

Problem with Bruno was that he was a first round pick and that comes with certain expectations, pressures, and timeline that he obviously failed to meet. None of that exists for a guy picked with one of the last picks of the draft. So both sides can take whatever time they need for him to develop and if he doesn't pan out, not much of a loss. Bruno was one of the worst mistakes Ujiri made while in Toronto.

[CazOnReal]

The 5 57th overall picks prior to Chomche were...
-Trace Jackson-Davis
-Jabari Walker
-Balsa Koprivica
-Reggie Perry
-Jordan Bone

Aside from TJD, none of these guys are in the league - or at least not in a relevant capacity i.e. Jabari was essentially there just to tank for the 76ers. Hell, Balsa hasn't even played for a team in the NBA.

If you get a rotation-level player out of that $1 million dollars the pick cost? You won that exchange, quite handily. Better yet that it's at a position of need.