If Pat Kelsey was the person most responsible for Louisville’s 19-win improvement last season, Chucky Hepburn was probably second. The former Wisconsin guard averaged 16.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.4 steals a game, as he led the Cardinals to a second-place finish in the ACC and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2019.
Now, Hepburn is getting his chance to make an impact in the NBA, joining the Toronto Raptors as an undrafted free agent. Hepburn didn’t find his way into the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday night, but was one of the first players to latch onto an NBA franchise as the draft finally came to its conclusion.
Louisville's Chucky Hepburn – the ACC Defensive Player of the Year – has agreed to a two-way NBA contract with the Toronto Raptors, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2025
Chucky Hepburn joining Toronto Raptors as undrafted free agent
The Raptors revealed their draft philosophy with their two draft picks, adding toughness, physicality, and defensive intensity with Collin Murray-Bowles from South Carolina at No. 9 overall on Wednesday and Alijah Martin with pick No. 39. Hepburn, as the 2024-25 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, will fit seamlessly with that incoming group of rookies, but first he’ll have to make an impression with the team during the Summer League.
Hepburn is a ferocious point of attack defender, not only leading the ACC in steals and taking home the league’s ultimate defensive hardware, but posting a steal percentage that was 97th percentile across all of college basketball.
Listed at 6-foot-2, Hepburn does not fit with the ideal length and size that Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri typically values, but if Hepburn had more prototypical NBA size, then he would not have fallen out of the second round for Ujiri to sign him to a two-way contract.
Though he may be ready to make an impact defensively, Hepburn does not work his way onto the Raptors roster this season, he will have an opportunity to work on his offensive game with Raptors 905, Toronto’s G-League affiliate.
Time in the G-League could be valuable for Hepburn to improve as a shooter, after knocking down 32.8 percent of his three-point shots last season, and to adjust to the Raptors' faster-paced style. Toronto finished last season top 10 in the NBA in pace, ideally for a team constructed around Scottie Barnes, a 6-foot-7 playmaking wing who thrives in transition as a grab-and-go threat. Though Louisville played a wide-open motion-heavy offensive system under Kelsey, the Cardinals finished 151st in possessions per game, and Hepburn scored just 4.5 percent of his points in transition.