Jonathan Mogbo 2024 NBA Draft Profile

Jonathan Mogbo 2024 NBA Draft Profile

We are less than two weeks away from the 2024 NBA Draft. Today, we are continuing our series with San Francisco’s Jonathan Mogbo, a forward who played at four different schools in four years! Without further ado, let’s hop into it!

Height: 6’6.25″ (7’2″ wingspan, 9’0.25″ standing reach)

Weight: 217.2

Draft age: 22.6

Position: Wing

Mogbo was unranked out of high school playing his first two seasons in Junior College. He began at Independence Community College before transferring to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, averaging 15.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.1 blocks per game!

He subsequently transferred to Missouri State, where he started 28 of his 30 games under head coach Dana Ford. The Bears were a middling offense but had a top-5 defense in the Missouri Valley, and Mogbo was a crucial part of that. He averaged 8.0 points on 56.4 percent true shooting, though he combined to average 4.7 stocks per 75 possessions.

The final stop of his career was in San Francisco, where the offense was run through him. He averaged a team-most 14.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks on 64.8 percent true shooting. He was an All-WAC member, helping lead USF to their third straight 20-win season and an NIT tournament bid.

Let’s dive into some of his strengths and weaknesses, shall we?

Strengths:

As I said above, San Francisco ran offense through him last year. He would create a lot of offense in the elbows and out of the mid- to high-post. That’s where Mogbo popped as a playmaker.

He was an elite playmaking big and an elite passer, all things considered. He was excellent at pin-pointing cutters and playmaking above-the-break or out of the short-roll. Mogbo was very comfortable bringing the ball up and initiating offense himself instead of it being set up for him. He even showed at the combine his upside with playmaking/initiating in transition.

The 6-foot-6 wing played far bigger than his 217-pound frame suggests; he played up way more often than playing down. He’s built like a linebacker who’s incredibly springy, mobile and positionally versatile (especially if he can develop a shot). He had a 31.5″ standing vertical with a 37.5″ max vertical at the NBA Combine, which were No. 5 and 9, respectively.

He’s exceptional at 1.) getting to the rim and 2.) playing above the rim. He’s fluid and plays above the rim. Mogbo has legit upside as a screener, where he could leverage his wide frame to free up opponents while also being a big target and a hard roller on slips/dives to the rim.

Mogbo was one of the most effective rebounders in the country. If you’ve read any of my profiles already: I love players who can rebound. No rebounds, no rings!

Among players who were 6-foot-7 or shorter (min. 750 minutes), Mogbo’s 22.0 rebound percentage was the third-best mark in the country; his 29.7 defensive rebounding percentage ranked No. 5 while his 14.5 offensive rebounding percentage was No. 10, per Stathead.

Again, he plays bigger than his frame suggests. He projects to defend multiple positions; he has good length, a sturdy base and could be schematically versatile depending on the situation. I think he’s got fine hip mobility and foot speed. Plus, Mogbo has the wing span to cover up any ground lost and be disruptive in the passing lanes.

Weaknesses:

Playing four years at four different programs–two at a JUCO and none at a power program–is a concern to a degree. He’s obviously good enough to be a draftable prospect, but the clear concern would be how he fares against NBA competition and NBA athletes.

I’m not very concerned about that in the long-term–but it’s a “weakness” nonetheless. He’s athletic and I think he could eventually find a defined role as a screener, rebounder, multipositional defender and/or playmaking hub. But he needs to fall into the right situation to deploy him in that way.

Jonathan Mogbo wasn’t a shooter. He took two threes in two seasons at the D-I level and wasn’t much of a shooter in JUCO. For his collegiate career, he shot just 57.8 percent from the free-throw line, albeit improving to 69.2 percent (on 101 attempts) with USF.

That’s where his aforementioned role comes into play. He can still be a small-ball 5 and be used as a screener and playmaker. But if he’s not in the proper context that accentuates those aspects, should he remain a non-shooter, he’s in a bad spot.

I also wonder how he’ll be deployed defensively. Are teams going to switch him? Hard hedge (he’s mobile!)? Drop (slightly undersized, but has good hands). How do teams use him?

Projection: Mid-Second-Round Pick

I am curious to see if he begins in the G-League, depending on the team he goes to. But I’d take a flier on Mogbo; he’s got a skill set I like, but at some point, he’s going to need to develop a shot if he wants a sustainable NBA career. He’s shown he can adapt and improve in multiple environments while playing both ends at a high level. I like that.

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