The Raptors weren’t done just yet at the NBA Draft.
With the 57th pick, Toronto selected Ulrich Chomche from the NBA Academy Africa following a trade to acquire the pick from the Memphis Grizzlies via the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It was the Raptors’ third pick of the day after selecting Jonathan Mogbo 31st and Jamal Shead 45th. It was their fourth-overall pick of the two-day process following their first-round selection of Ja’Kobe Walter 19th on Wednesday.
Chomche is the first-ever player to be drafted straight out of the NBA Academy Africa, a development program founded in 2017 to give African players a route toward professional basketball. They play out of Sally, Senegal.
The 18-year-old centre is a native of Bafang, Cameroon. He stands at 6-foot-10.25 with an impressive 7-foot-4 wingspan. He’s also the youngest player in the draft.
He averaged 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in three Basketball Africa League qualifier games last season. He also showed a willingness to stretch the floor and play as a more modern big, hitting 38.1 per cent of his 7.0 3-point attempts per game.
Chomche is a gifted athlete, using his long frame and impressive leaping ability to protect the rim and block shots. However, he’s still a raw product who relies more upon his athleticism than defensive IQ at this point in his development.
Because of his athletic abilities, he’s a capable switcher and can use that length to defend multiple positions and jump passing lanes.
On offence, he’s a strong roller capable of getting up for lobs off pick-and-roll actions and runs the floor well in transition before finishing strong on fastbreaks. He has also shown some flashes of developing passing abilities on short actions.