Before we pass the baton to the free agency (pre-agency?) talk, let’s have one last look at the 2024 NBA Draft as we wrap up this year’s Raptors Draft Watch. In contrast to last year’s draft, where the Raptors front office did the bare minimum, this time, taking advantage of the new two-day draft format, Raptors President Masai Ujiri and GM Bobby Webster really went to work with their sleeves rolled up.
After the two-day NBA draft, the Raptors pretty much overhauled the back half of their roster:
We’ll review these activities and try to grade them, as everybody does after the draft. First, let’s start with the Winners and Losers, Raptors edition.
Gary Trent Jr. is probably the biggest loser of the two-day draft event. The Raptors have drafted at his position for two straight years now. Even if the Raptors retain him, the minutes and roles will be inconsistent, just like last season. Jamal Shead has a good chance to push for backup PG minutes, which means there are fewer minutes in the backcourt.
Shooters, shooters, shooters. The pieces surrounding Scottie Barnes are starting to make sense. Davion Mitchell and Shead’s additions should push Barnes back to the backline of the defense, where he’s much more effective. Jonathan Mogbo’s addition also gives the Raptors another big body down low. Oh, and this might be the appropriate time to say “He’s Scottie’s bestie.”
During his End-of-Season Media Availability, coach Darko Rajakovic lamented that the best teams have many skilled players. It’s also not a secret that Rajakovic struggled to find lineup combinations because he didn’t have enough skilled players to plug and play. There’s also the “Jalen McDaniels demarcation line,” where your team is better/worse based on how many players you have performing better/worse than McDaniels (The Raptors’ opening night roster only had arguably six players better than McDaniels).
It sucks to see players get traded without them knowing. His reaction says it all.
Masai’s back. After two draft cycles in which they underperformed, the Raptors’ front office made a splash to shore up the roster. The “seat” cooled off for a bit.
Despite picking up his option, the Raptors couldn’t move Bruce Brown during the draft. While the front office may try their best to find him a new team, the possibility of him on the opening night roster is becoming a near certainty. The backcourt is now crowded, and the wing slots are also full, especially if you factor in which players the Raptors should prioritize giving playing time to.
Ja’Kobe Walter is a mid-lottery pick talent who slid out of the lottery due to his shaky performance at Baylor. His “highs” provided a stark contrast to his “lows,” so in a way, he was a victim of how good he could be. Walter may not be the “best fit available,” but he was the best prospect available. It’s hard to find someone with Walter’s skill set, physical tools, and upside outside of the lottery, and any time a lottery talent drops to your lap, it’s a big win. An even bigger win? If it’s a skill set that you can readily use. Considering the “shooters” that the front office tried to bring over the past few years (Svi Mykhailiuk, Jalen McDaniels, Joe Wieskamp, Matt Thomas, Will Barton, etc.), this selection felt like the grade should have been eBay-level A+++
The selection felt more like a C+ or even a C at the time, as prospects like Kyle Filipowski, Tyler Smith, Tyler Kolek, and Bobi Klintman were still on the board. However, given coach Rajakovic’s style of play and the front office going back a bit to high energy/motor DNA, this pick is a solid B, given the Raptors’ lack of depth in the big wings department. This pick could become a B+ or an A- especially if they can convert Mogbo into a big wing rather than be boxed in as a small ball C.
Anytime you beat over a dozen teams for the services of one player, that means you got something of good value. At this range, most teams would take a flyer on a wild upside pick (see our 57th) or a “break the glass in case of emergency” two-way contract player. In Shead, the Raptors get a potential backup point guard, a quality third-string point guard, and, at worse, a solid centrepiece for the Raptors 905 program for this coming year. With his game, the new prospects that will be sent down to the 905 will benefit greatly from his playmaking and leadership.
It’s the 57th pick of the draft, and at this range, many prospects/agents would rather control their destiny and go through the UDFA route. Chomche is a mystery box with an upside that can be really interesting. Thank God the Raptors have experience dealing with a mystery box (oh hey, Bruno).
Carlson is probably the best shooting big in the UDFA market, but that’s pretty much what he brings to the table. He’s not much of a rebounder, and despite being older, he will need to get physically stronger to bang with the bigs at the NBA level. He’s Joe Wieskamp trapped in a “big’s body,” and for the Raptors, that’s not a bad thing.
Jalen McDaniels’ awful first season with the Raptors rendered his value a salary filler at best. Who knew that the Raptors front office could turn his contract, along with Pascal Siakam’s TPE, into Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, and two second-round picks!
At the macro level, the Raptors’ front office deserves props for restocking their cupboard. Their outgoing roster shows only four players born in this century, including Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett. After that, Immanuel Quickley and Gary Trent Jr. are the only ones one may consider a “good young talent.”
With several holes in the roster, the Raptors’ most pressing need is talent—specifically, young talent. Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo, and Davion Mitchell’s additions restock the cupboard with much better talent than the bargain finds that the front office usually gets from various “garage sales.”
There’s also a change of drafting philosophy—perhaps the Raptors’ front office should have done this much earlier: finding talent that would fit their core. Maybe they would have used one of their 2021 2nd-round picks on someone like Aaron Wiggins instead. For two straight drafts now, the Raptors selected a perimeter threat. While there’s an overlap in Gradey Dick and Walter’s position, you could never have enough shooting around Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.
The front office also corrected a couple of mistakes that they (the front office and coaching staff) made. For one, the Jalen McDaniels signing was a bust, and they were able to ship him out right away. In the past, Masai had been stubborn in his decisions, often accepting his mistakes too late and losing trade value.
Masai and Bobby likely noticed how much “effort” issues this team had, especially on the defensive end, making last season even more unbearable to watch. Guess what they did? They picked up four guys capable of bringing energy, effort, and tenacity on the defensive end: Davion Mitchell, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, and Jonathan Mogbo. Hopefully, their mentality would “infect” the remaining core players.
The same front office also backed off what they’ve harped on for almost a year—that this draft is a bad one and that they don’t want to have too many rookies. They probably looked at the outgoing roster and made the correct call in deciding that picking up 3 prospects from the 19-45 range could be a considerable upgrade.
Davion Mitchell is probably a “second draft” look, and along with Sasha Vezenkov, could be used as a trade chip (salary matching at worst) moving forward.
Finally, let’s not forget that the Raptors entered the draft as a “loser” as they coughed up their lottery pick to the San Antonio Spurs. With the front office carefully maneuvering their way around this new two-day draft format and reshaping their roster, I can’t help but look at all of these things and not give them an A+ for this masterclass.
Overall Grade: A+
“I like what the Raptors did in this draft. Walter is a 3-and-D wing who should benefit from going to a situation where he develops his all-around game. Mogbo is a friend of Raptors star Scottie Barnes and Shead is pound-for-pound one of the best defenders in this class.”
CBS 2024 NBA Draft team grades.
“Getting him [Walter] at No. 19 feels like just about the right range… The same goes for Jonathan Mogbo at No. 31… he’s [Shead] one of the better table-setters in this draft.”
Bleacher Report – Grading Every NBA Team’s 2024 NBA Draft Performance.
“Funny enough, the player who the Raptors took at No. 45 is actually quite similar to Mitchell in Shead, although I actually like betting on Shead a bit more at this stage.”
The Athletic – NBA Draft grades for every team.
“If Walter is closer to the 41% 3-point shooter he was over Baylor’s first 13 games as a freshman, his combination of offensive skill, fluid athleticism, elite length, and defensive upside make him an excellent value pick for a Raptors squad building around offensive hub Scottie Barnes.”
NBA Draft Grades: Instant analysis of every pick.
“The Raptors needed more shooting and they got that in Walter, an athletic 19-year-old wing with a ton of upside as a shot-creator and 3-point marksman. Toronto took a physical approach in the second round, landing a beastly playmaking forward in Mogbo”
NBA Draft grades 2024: All 30 teams ranked from best to worst.
“It’s just been too long since the Raptors had a Cameroonian big man on the roster, you know? With Toronto in need of big man depth in this rebuild, the team is looking waaaaay down the line for the rim protector of its dreams.”
The Ringer’s 2024 NBA Draft Guide.
“Shead is the best guard defender in this class. He plays with a wildly high motor on every possession, making multiple efforts and showing tremendous toughness despite his lack of size.”
Instant grades on every 2024 NBA Draft pick – 1st round.
Instant grades on every 2024 NBA Draft pick – 2nd round.
“The Raptors had lots of bites at the draft apple, making four selections – one at No. 19 Ja’Kobe Walter and three in the second round, including intriguing NBA Academy Africa prospect Ulrich Chomche.”
2024 NBA draft grades for all 30 teams.
“Mogbo was one of my favorite sleepers in this year’s draft. His ability to play up positionally at barely 6-foot-6 barefoot using athleticism and effort is somewhat reminiscent of former Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa.”
2024 NBA draft grades: Winners, losers, picks for all 30 teams.
