The Toronto Raptors drafted Jonathan Mogbo out of the University of San Francisco at No. 31 in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Mogbo averaged 14.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game on 63.6 percent shooting from the field in his lone season at San Francisco after transferring from Missouri State.
When trying to get to the NBA, players exert a ton of time, effort and energy to make those dreams come true. That is no different for Mogbo, especially coming out of San Francisco, which is not a power school.
As he reflected on where he is now, Mogbo said that he told his mom that he would play against Stephen Curry one day, via TSN’s Josh Lewenberg:
“I would always tell my mom, I’m going to play against Steph Curry one day. She’s like, ‘You’ve gotta put in the work to play against him.’ So, that [was] the challenge.”
Now, Mogbo is going to live out that dream, but he cannot let up if he wants to hang around in Toronto.
In the short time since being drafted, Mogbo seems to be a player who is willing to put the work in.
When initially selected, an early notion that was thrown out there was that the 22-year-old was a Masai Ujiri pick. Meaning, that he is an athletic forward that plays with tons of energy.
Despite being slightly undersized, Mogbo is a 6’6″ forward who can play physically like a big, while being able to playmake.
As this rebuild moves along, the 2024 NBA Draft was an opportunity for Toronto to add multi-dimensional players that can help out Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
In Mogbo’s case, he could become an energizer bunny off the bench by rebounding and running the floor. A skillset that could be useful for the Raptors.
Jonathan Mogbo says Scottie Barnes was emotional at his draft party
Being drafted is a moment no player will ever forget.
Scottie Barnes attended Jonathan Mogbo’s draft party, where he became emotional when his friend’s name got called to join him in Toronto.
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