2024 NBA Draft Review: Raptors front office makes most of relatively weak draft
Building around Barnes continues to take shape
In a draft where ranges varied widely for most players involved and plenty of uncertainty has loomed, the Raptors opted for as much relative certainty as possible.
Ja’Kobe Walter was selected with the 19th pick in the draft — a pick acquired by Toronto in the Pascal Siakam trade to Indiana. Beyond being a player who is expected to net out as at least a solid rotation piece, the addition of a 6-foot-4 shooter with defensive upside also puts the Raptors in a less precarious position in negotiations with Gary Trent Jr.
* Note: For CBS, I took the average of six different analysts that they had rank players.
With both Gradey Dick and Walter in tow, as well as the more defensively inclined Ochai Agbaji, the shooting guard position next season looks increasingly a patience and development position. What Trent Jr. is worth to the Raptors doesn’t fundamentally change, but there is now an increased ability to pivot.
In addition to Walter, and in case you were missing Vision 6’9”, Toronto also selected 6-foot-6 wing Jonathan Mogbo (pronounced Moe-bo) 31st overall on the first Day 2 of the NBA draft. Pretty much every site lists him at 6-foot-8 but the Raptors official press release listed him at 6-foot-6 and so I went with that. While Walter had no expectations coming in that he would be selected by the Raptors, Scottie Barnes was with Mogbo when he was selected. The pair grew up together in West Palm Beach, Florida and one can only hope that aids his transition to the Raptors.
The advantage of time before the second round of the draft appeared to pay dividends in the form of a trade, Toronto trading Jalen McDaniels to Sacramento for Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, the 45th pick which became point guard Jamal Shead, and a 2025 second-round pick via Portland.
That’s a good move on the margins. Mitchell will compete for backup point guard minutes, Vezenkov could be a good floor spacing option in secondary units that feature Jakob Poeltl or even Barnes at the five, and Shead looks like a good defence-first option for the Raptors 905. That this seems like a big win speaks volumes of how weak the depth looks after the minimal return secured for the departures of Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet.
One final draft move was also made, acquiring the 57th pick and using it on 18-year-old Ulrich Chomche courtesy a trade with Minnesota. Chomche played in the BAL (Basketball Africa League) and is from NBA Academy Africa. He’s 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and figures to be a long-term project.
Upon completion of the draft, it was also reported that Toronto agreed to an Exhibit-10 deal with forward Quincy Guerrier from Illinois, per Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype.
WALTER OFFENSIVE OVERVIEW
In watching film and reading up on as much as I could since the pick was announced, the idea of him operating as a shooter on the Raptors roster is intriguing. He can shoot on the catch whether it be stepping straight into them or off movement, and has healthy range on his stroke as well. Time will tell where he’s at with shooting off the dribble at the NBA level.
The hype about his shooting mechanics seems real with a high release point on a quick, simple, and clean trigger. He definitely seems to have a scorer’s mindset, befitting his name. Among the criticisms that popped up, a lack of playmaking and vision seems the most consistent.
There has also been criticism that he’s not great at his own shot creation, but there seems to be a decent enough handle at age 19 to suggest there is room to grow here. I also saw enough plays of him attacking a closeout to show there is more than just jump shooting on the offensive end.
“I just hope to show more of my shot creation, I think a lot of people forget that I can score the ball very well,” Walter said when asked about something he can showcase at the NBA level.
WALTER DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW
There certainly seems to be a defensive motor and that’s a good starting point. While he has a sold 6-foot-10 wingspan, I remain skeptical of his ability to defend big wing players and that has been a gaping hole for Toronto since the departure of OG Anunoby.
Barrett has struggled, Agbaji also has times where he’s flat out undersized, and Trent Jr. presents a similar issue if he returns as well. This problem was unlikely to be immediately addressed with this draft anyway and so this is just more about setting the expectations appropriately on what Walter might be on this end of the floor.
It is exciting to note that Walter’s competitive spirit was noted across the board and you like to see people rave about something like that not only at such a young age but as someone who the Raptors would like to develop as quickly as possible.
“I consider myself a competitor, a scorer, and a two-way player,” Walter said when asked to describe his game. “Somebody that’ll sacrifice their body on the defensive end and do whatever it takes to win.”
MOGBO OVERVIEW
The 22-year-old likes to operate in and around the basket and most of what you’ll see in highlight reels are dunks of dump passes or alley-oops. You will also see a willingness to attack space when he’s left open on the outside, using it as a runway to explode towards the basket.
The kid’s athleticism pops off the screen and so it was no surprise to hear GM Bobby Webster talk about how Mogbo feels like a very “Raptors-y” pick. His shooting is a non-factor at this point in his career but what is tantalizing about him is his passing feel. Mogbo can recognize a good cut or moments where the defence has tilted and can be caught off guard and was put in position to operate with the ball in his hands from the perimeter because of it.
Mogbo is someone who can defend big wings on the perimeter and he’s been a great rebounder through his young career as well. It’s hard to envision him defending bigs at this level and so he’ll really have to become a big wing/power forward defensive specialist to make his case for a roster spot.
It’s become so important for these types of players to be able to shoot, though, and that already appears to be the biggest obstacle to real NBA minutes.
I’m not going to spend too much time on Shead in this post as he will certainly be biding his time with the 905 and currently looks a long way away from any NBA time due to the complete lack of a jumper. He’s hard nosed and great defensively, but currently figures to have a best case scenario of becoming Davion Mitchell.
Overall, this should go down as a good day for the Raptors, all things considered. This draft class is considered one of the weakest in recent memory and so it certainly worked out that the owed pick to San Antonio conveyed this year. The Spurs selected Rob Dillingham and traded him to Minnesota for a 2031 unprotected first-rounder and a 2030 swap (Top 1 protected).
Getting back a first-round pick in the Siakam trade allowed for the selection of Walter and then the flurry of second-round activity is a net positive on the margins.
Up next, I’ll have some thoughts on the Barnes and Quickley extensions before free agency begins, and then we get to turn our attention to Trent Jr., Bruce Brown Jr. and more!