Raptors Add Versatile Wing With 31st Pick in NBA Draft

The Toronto Raptors have selected Jonathan Mogbo with the 31st pick in the NBA draft Thursday afternoon

Missouri States Jonathan Mogbo drives to the basket as the Bears take on the Murray State Racers at Great Southern Bank Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. Tmsu Basketball00186 / Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader /

The Toronto Raptors are finally filling some holes.

The organization came into the offseason looking for a backup point guard, a backup center, and a defense-first wing with some length. The losses of Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Dennis Schröder over the past year left Toronto thin in the backcourt and wings.

On Thursday, Toronto began the process of changing that.

The Raptors swung a deal to add defense-first point guard Davion Mitchell in a multi-player deal with the Sacramento Kings just moments before the second round of the NBA draft began and then used the 31st pick to add Jonathan Mogbo, a 6-foot-6.25 forward out of San Francisco.

Mogbo was a late bloomer who spent two seasons at junior college before landing a DI offer with Missouri State in 2022. After one year with the Bears, Mogbo transferred to San Francisco where he had a breakout season with the Dons, averaging 14.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 63.6% from the floor.

The West Palm Beach native grew up with Scottie Barnes and will join Toronto with a similar profile. He was essentially a non-shooter in college who attempted just two three-pointers last season and converted just 69.2% of his free throws. That said, he has impressive playmaking skills for his size and offers Toronto the kind of tough on-ball defense the organization was desperately looking for late last season.

Mogbo is going to need some work moving forward and will likely see plenty of time in the G League next season as he looks to expand his offensive game with an outside shot. It may take time for Mogbo to expand his game, but the 22-year-old has upside as a multi-skilled wing defender for the Raptors moving forward.

Extra Pick

The Raptors pulled off a tidy bit of business just before the second round Thursday afternoon, acquiring the 45th pick from the Sacramento Kings in a deal that saw Toronto send Jalen McDaniels to the Kings for Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, and Portland's 2025 second-round according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Sean Cunningham of FOX40.

Toronto has previously said the organization didn't want to add three rookie to the roster next season and it's possible the Raptors choose a draft-and-stash player later in the second round.