Masai Ujiri is back.
The 2024 NBA Draft was one of the most important drafts in recent years for the Toronto Raptors. President Masai Ujiri and GM Bobby Webster alongside the Raptors’ front office were due to make impactful moves to continue building and developing the young core of the Toronto Raptors, and they seemingly did just that.
After a rollercoaster 2023-24 season for the Toronto Raptors where the organization had to depart from the last two key pieces of their 2019 Championship roster, Pascal Siakam (traded to Indiana Pacers), and OG Anunoby (traded to New York Knicks), as well as finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 25-57 record, the Raptors are heading into the right direction after the draft.
The NBA draft lottery immediately put the Raptors behind the eight ball. After having the 6th worst record in the NBA the Raptors had a 45.9 % of keeping their first-round pick due to the Jakob Poeltl trade with the San Antonio Spurs. If the pick fell outside the top six the Raptors would lose the rights of the pick and it would go to the Spurs. The pick ended up being 8th overall, putting the Raptors in an awkward situation missing out on a top prospect to add to the young core. Luckily in the Pascal Siakam trade the Raptors received the Pacers’ first-round pick which was the 19th overall pick and gave the Raptors an opportunity in the first round.
Day 1: First Round
Pick 19: Ja’Kobe Walter, Guard, Baylor
Ja’Kobe Walter will be a perfect addition to the young Raptors core as he provides major upside on both ends of the court. Coming out of High School Walter was a five-star recruit and ranked the Number 1 shooting guard in the 2023 class as well as a McDonald’s All-American. During his freshman year at Baylor, he was one of the top freshmen in the country averaging 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 steals, earning himself Big 12 Freshman of the Year as well as a spot on the All-Big 12 third team.
Walter is a confident 3-point shooter which is a major part of his offensive game, averaging 6.3 3-point attempts per game while only having a 34.1 percentage he has great mechanics and will have major shooting upside. He’s an underrated microwave scorer as he finished with nine 20-plus games including a 28-point outburst in his first collegiate game. Walter can create for himself and attack the rim and he isn’t afraid of any shot or big moment as in the 2024 March Madness tournament he had 19 and 20-point performances in his two games.
On the defensive end, he has the frame and versatility to develop to become a great defender for his position. Overall he won’t be an immediate rotation player on Day 1 and will need to continue and develop to earn minutes with the team, but will be a key piece if the Raptors want to succeed in the future.
Day 2: Second Round
Trade:
Raptors Receive: Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, and 2024 Second-Round Pick (No.45).
Kings Receive: Jalen McDaniels
Moments before the Second Round of the NBA draft the Raptors made a major upside trade with the Sacramento Kings centered around former 1st Round Pick Davion Mitchell. This trade provides a bigger opportunity for Davion Mitchell. After a great rookie season his scoring categories and minutes dropped and he was mainly used for his biggest asset, his defense. Mitchell is a great on and off-ball defender on the perimeter even deemed the nickname “Off-Night”.
He will be a great backup point guard and fits well within the parameters of a solid 3 and D guard since in each of his first three seasons his three-point percentages have went up including this season having 36.1 percent from behind the arc. Mitchell is in a contract year and will have much to play for if he wants an extension with the Raptors. Sasha Vezenkov has declined to return to the NBA next season and return to the Euroleague where he played 8 years overseas.
Pick 31: Jonathan Mogbo, PF, San Francisco
Johnathan Mogbo is a high-motor 6 foot 6 forward with a unique skill set for his size that he can bring to the Raptors organization. Mogbo coming out of high school was an unranked recruit, and he decided to head the JUCO basketball route for two seasons before moving up to the Divison 1 level to play for Missouri State. In his final year, Mogbo transferred to San Francisco where he saw an expanded role for the team, and filled up the stat sheet with averages of 14.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists and earned himself All-WCC first team, and the WCC Conference Newcomer of the Year Award.
Mogbo was not nearly on any draft radars at the beginning of the season, but with his high level of play, he slowly made his way onto draft boards as a late second-round selection. Mogbo provides various tools on the court, a high ability to rebound, a great playmaker for a big with a nice touch, and a great presence scoring around the rim, with a small mid-range game.
Mogbo has the ability on the defensive end to guard one through five with his versatility and 7-2 wingspan. What Mogbo lacks is the ability to shoot the 3-ball as he only attempted two threes all of last season, he is also an undersized big as he is listed at 6 foot 6. What his skillset brings to the Raptors is similar to Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, an undersized big, but he has a high IQ for the game, is a high-level passer, along with playing great defence.
Mogbo will spend some time in the G League with the Raptors 905 to begin his career and continue to develop his game but after one to two seasons he has the upside to become a rotation big for the Raptors and back up his good friend Scottie Barnes.
Pick 45 via Sacramento: Jamal Shead, PG, Houston
The Raptors utilized this pick from the Jalen McDaniels trade to select Jamal Shead, who has been one of the more well-known college basketball players over the last three seasons as he was the heart and soul of one of the top collegiate programs in the country, Houston. Shead is a winning basketball player through and through, and a natural-born leader on the court. On the offensive side, he’s a floor general who can control the game and get his teammates the ball averaging 5.8 assists in his three seasons starting, he also limits turnovers as he only averaged 2 a game.
Shead is an efficient point guard, he’s not a shot chucker, he can control the offense and make the right decisions. On the defensive end, he’s a truly gritty defender, and he will make winning plays on the floor, and will constantly pester anyone he guards. Shead lacks size, being listed at 6 foot 1, he’s also not consistent 3-point threat. He fell in the draft thanks to a culmination of these factors along with his age as he will be turning 22 in July and NBA teams tend to avoid picking older prospects with earlier selections. But what Shead lacks he completely makes up for with his leadership, playmaking, and defense. He’ll definitely see a big role with the Raptors 905 and will see some small windows of opportunity early in his career to showcase his talents in the NBA.
Pick 57 via Memphis: Ulrich Chomche, F, NBA Academy Africa
The Raptors made a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies and selected Forward Ulrich Chomche. This pick is a true long-term project for the Raptors as Ulrich Chomche was the youngest player available in the draft at 18, he also has a very small sample size of games played. For the past two seasons Chomche has been developing with the NBA Academy in Africa. The Cameroonian only played six games, in which this season he averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Chomche is a true raw prospect that down the line has a high ceiling with major potential for the Raptors. He is well-developed on the defensive end with high vitality and great footwork, and he moves well for his size. Offensively he shows flashes of the ability to drive and attack the rim and has shown a consistent 3-point shot. This will be a true longshot for the Raptors and if Chomche develops to his full potential over the next two to three seasons in one of the best development organizations in the NBA, this pick will be an absolute steal for the Raptors.
Overall the draft moves that were made have proven that the Raptors’ front office is one of the best in the NBA and has moved the organization in the right direction, the ability to add more young pieces to its already young core will be showcased in the future when this team is ready to compete in the postseason. Over the next two seasons, we will see much more development going on as the Raptors continue to work on improving the roster and finding the right pieces in order for them to compete for a Championship in the near future