Chuma Okeke drafted #16 by the Orlando Magic

[VFX]

I hope chuma will be the next kawhi because NAW is balling the heck out of his life in this SL ,he's LEGIT.
I know we are waiting on fultz but man he's a stud.

If Summer League is any indication of the kind of player NAW can be during the regular season... this FO will have failed at making an easy decision in exchange for draft bias.

I don’t care if Fultz ends up having a HoF career for us. If NAW is as good as he looks, the front office is stupid for not picking him up. A plays a position of need, we signed Aminu anyway, and he’s healthy...

Agreed. People will manage a way to spin it somehow if he plays up to this level. Okeke wasn’t the BPA by draft metrics and we obviously didn’t need him for this “playoff roster” we just committed all of our cap space toward. It’s so **** ridiculous that our FO has a draft bias when this roster lacks basic talent.

[npiper17]

Okeke just looks like a typical example of trying to be too clever with a pick. Alexander-Walker, regardless of how he’s looked in SL, was in range and fit a need. I was disappointed we didn’t pick him on draft night and nothing’s changed.

[zaymon]

If Summer League is any indication of the kind of player NAW can be during the regular season... this FO will have failed at making an easy decision in exchange for draft bias.

I don’t care if Fultz ends up having a HoF career for us. If NAW is as good as he looks, the front office is stupid for not picking him up. A plays a position of need, we signed Aminu anyway, and he’s healthy...

Agreed. People will manage a way to spin it somehow if he plays up to this level. Okeke wasn’t the BPA by draft metrics and we obviously didn’t need him for this “playoff roster” we just committed all of our cap space toward. It’s so **** ridiculous that our FO has a draft bias when this roster lacks basic talent.

Okeke was bpa for advanced statistics, and he was bpa for our management. They chose injured Okeke over healthy NAW that says something. NAW wasnt a bpa and he wasnt a need. We didnt just committ to playoff roster, we did that and created a great environment to develop young talent.

[VFX]

I don’t care if Fultz ends up having a HoF career for us. If NAW is as good as he looks, the front office is stupid for not picking him up. A plays a position of need, we signed Aminu anyway, and he’s healthy...

Agreed. People will manage a way to spin it somehow if he plays up to this level. Okeke wasn’t the BPA by draft metrics and we obviously didn’t need him for this “playoff roster” we just committed all of our cap space toward. It’s so **** ridiculous that our FO has a draft bias when this roster lacks basic talent.

Okeke was bpa for advanced statistics, and he was bpa for our management. They chose injured Okeke over healthy NAW that says something. NAW wasnt a bpa and he wasnt a need. We didnt just committ to playoff roster, we did that and created a great environment to develop young talent.

Injured Okeke wasn’t on anyone’s big board and he would be fighting for minutes if he were even healthy. That’s why he was surprise pick to everyone not named Weltman and Hammond. NAW did fill a need and the minutes are available to him even after their offseason signings. Yes they just committed on “running it back” with the same roster with a questionable back court. What are you even talking about...

Okeke could be integral to this roster in 2 years when/ if there are moves to be made. The FO sold the general public on this being a playoff team but did nothing to develop the worst part of the rotation yet this offseason. Spin it however you want, that’s absolutely what happened.

[Bensational]

The biggest frustration about passing on NAW is that WeHam continue to make no changes to our backcourt. Run it back all you want, doesn't mean you can't be investing in some potential studs still.

Drafting Chuma and signing Aminu is just making WeHam seem inflexible on their longboi obsession. Well, one of those longbois has to payoff soon as a go-to guy, or else they will have failed to separated themselves from Henny, other than implementing better structure around his guys to get the most out of them.

[yoyojw17]

Now i see why we went with Okeke.... okeke got better in the tournament.... NAW did great during regular season and shrank in the playoffs... can't have add that kind of talent next to Vuc. Happy we took chuma! lol....

[Knightro]

Let's pump the brakes on sticking NAW into the Hall of Fame, shall we?

Alexander-Walker's issues aren't skill related. He's clearly a skilled basketball player both as a shooter and passer.

That said...

Regardless of how well he played in the summer, his biggest question mark still remains how effective he can be when the athleticism of opposing defenders jumps to the very highest level.

That's my concern with NAW. He's not a good athlete by NBA standards. I'm not convinced he's going to be able to create a lot of separation or finish efficiently when the defenders get quicker, longer and more explosive.

[tiderulz]

I don’t care if Fultz ends up having a HoF career for us. If NAW is as good as he looks, the front office is stupid for not picking him up. A plays a position of need, we signed Aminu anyway, and he’s healthy...

Agreed. People will manage a way to spin it somehow if he plays up to this level. Okeke wasn’t the BPA by draft metrics and we obviously didn’t need him for this “playoff roster” we just committed all of our cap space toward. It’s so **** ridiculous that our FO has a draft bias when this roster lacks basic talent.

Okeke was bpa for advanced statistics, and he was bpa for our management. They chose injured Okeke over healthy NAW that says something. NAW wasnt a bpa and he wasnt a need. We didnt just committ to playoff roster, we did that and created a great environment to develop young talent.

I disagree. We always need shooters and playmakers. Someone that can create for themselves, handle the ball. Add to that he is a good defender and smart player, and can play SG/SF.

[tiderulz]

Let's pump the brakes on sticking NAW into the Hall of Fame, shall we?

Alexander-Walker's issues aren't skill related. He's clearly a skilled basketball player both as a shooter and passer.

That said...

Regardless of how well he played in the summer, his biggest question mark still remains how effective he can be when the athleticism of opposing defenders jumps to the very highest level.

That's my concern with NAW. He's not a good athlete by NBA standards. I'm not convinced he's going to be able to create a lot of separation or finish efficiently when the defenders get quicker, longer and more explosive.

i agree not to go too crazy over SL. but even if he has problems with separation, he can shoot, can handle the ball and is a good defender.

[VFX]

Let's pump the brakes on sticking NAW into the Hall of Fame, shall we?

Alexander-Walker's issues aren't skill related. He's clearly a skilled basketball player both as a shooter and passer.

That said...

Regardless of how well he played in the summer, his biggest question mark still remains how effective he can be when the athleticism of opposing defenders jumps to the very highest level.

That's my concern with NAW. He's not a good athlete by NBA standards. I'm not convinced he's going to be able to create a lot of separation or finish efficiently when the defenders get quicker, longer and more explosive.

Interesting timing to downplay NAW as a prospect when he’s no longer potentially wearing Orlando Magic pinstripes. Very interesting indeed.

Nobody is claiming NAW should be compared to Okeke based on SL play. His performance in SL is just fuel to the fire based on the overthinking of the pick. Especially when this FO is selling playoffs and he potentially provided the skill set that Orlando currently lacks in that part of the rotation.

[fendilim]

The biggest frustration about passing on NAW is that WeHam continue to make no changes to our backcourt. Run it back all you want, doesn't mean you can't be investing in some potential studs still.

Drafting Chuma and signing Aminu is just making WeHam seem inflexible on their longboi obsession. Well, one of those longbois has to payoff soon as a go-to guy, or else they will have failed to separated themselves from Henny, other than implementing better structure around his guys to get the most out of them.

I get that passing up on naw is a tough pill to swallow now, but to blame the longboi movement for the chuma pick over naw is wrong. Naw, physically, would have been the perfect player for the longboi movement.

[Bensational]

The biggest frustration about passing on NAW is that WeHam continue to make no changes to our backcourt. Run it back all you want, doesn't mean you can't be investing in some potential studs still.

Drafting Chuma and signing Aminu is just making WeHam seem inflexible on their longboi obsession. Well, one of those longbois has to payoff soon as a go-to guy, or else they will have failed to separated themselves from Henny, other than implementing better structure around his guys to get the hmost out of them.

I get that passing up on naw is a tough pill to swallow now, but to blame the longboi movement for the chuma pick over naw is wrong. Naw, physically, would have been the perfect player for the longboi movement.

It would seem he wasn't long enough, especially if Clifford is describing Gordon, Isaac and Chuma as guys who could potentially play the 2. Feels like WeHam would love a team that was all 6'8+, with 7ft wingspans, and they're just hoping one will have the skill to be a playmaker.

I'm not down on Chuma. Like all of our prospects, I still hope for the best.

[Bensational]

Let's pump the brakes on sticking NAW into the Hall of Fame, shall we?

Alexander-Walker's issues aren't skill related. He's clearly a skilled basketball player both as a shooter and passer.

That said...

Regardless of how well he played in the summer, his biggest question mark still remains how effective he can be when the athleticism of opposing defenders jumps to the very highest level.

That's my concern with NAW. He's not a good athlete by NBA standards. I'm not convinced he's going to be able to create a lot of separation or finish efficiently when the defenders get quicker, longer and more explosive.

Athleticism is overrated. Similar to searching for freak physical profiles. They give you advantages, but skill will always define how much of an advantage that is.

Durant has good athleticism, but it's his skill for his profile which separates him. Kawhi, too. Giannis is a guy who's more athleticism and profile than skill, still.

Doncic and Harden aren't elite athletes, but their skill allows them to get shots off at will, still.

Plenty of ways for a player to emerge. Feels arbitrary to be critiquing NAW on those flaws now when he's having success.

Right now I'd say NAW isn't far off matching Fournier - and that's his floor. Why wouldn't anyone be happy about having that on the team?

[Skin]

The amount of hand wringing is insane. Nobody was calling him a star before the draft yet people are acting like we missed out on a star now. Can't be mad at WeHam unless you quote a post of yours before the draft saying he has star potential. I can respect that.

The most notable characteristics folks mentioned were his playmaking, shooting, but lack of upside. The SL is a great place for a player with a high floor to excel. But the NBA will not be as kind if his upside and potential is limited. ...and again, that wasn't a point strongly emphasized before the draft. So if you said it before the draft and still believe it now, enjoy your limelight for the time being and get your credit.

Okeke will be a fine NBA player and everyone should cool their jets. NAW doesn't get time behind Fournier and Ross for at least 3 years. The only thing that intrigues me now that I never gave consideration to in the past was if he was able to play PG fulltime. Another thing nobody talked about before the draft.

[dsg2021]

The same fact-forgetting that happens after every ORL move in every ORL thread.

There was a very clear 1 or 2 sources saying Okeke was going to be taken very, very soon after ORL, and that many NBA teams loved the Okeke pick.

Private NBA teams’ big boards are still better than the media’s consensus big board.

I wanted NAW too, and like 95% of the past ORL draft picks, it was someone unexpected instead. Stop being surprised or offended by it, and judge Okeke when he’s back healthy instead.

I applaud ORL for getting such an awesome college player, and one who stepped up in the tournament. I would rather have players who step up in the playoffs, not down.

[fendilim]

The biggest frustration about passing on NAW is that WeHam continue to make no changes to our backcourt. Run it back all you want, doesn't mean you can't be investing in some potential studs still.

Drafting Chuma and signing Aminu is just making WeHam seem inflexible on their longboi obsession. Well, one of those longbois has to payoff soon as a go-to guy, or else they will have failed to separated themselves from Henny, other than implementing better structure around his guys to get the hmost out of them.

I get that passing up on naw is a tough pill to swallow now, but to blame the longboi movement for the chuma pick over naw is wrong. Naw, physically, would have been the perfect player for the longboi movement.

It would seem he wasn't long enough, especially if Clifford is describing Gordon, Isaac and Chuma as guys who could potentially play the 2. Feels like WeHam would love a team that was all 6'8+, with 7ft wingspans, and they're just hoping one will have the skill to be a playmaker.

I'm not down on Chuma. Like all of our prospects, I still hope for the best.

Thats true that they like long guys, but its not like NAw, as a PG or SG would actually be short. Heck, he may actually be one of the best physically gifted PG coming into the draft for the past 5 years.

Okeke pick got me dumbfounded, tbh, but im starting to warm up on the guy. Seeing NAW dominate SL, who I really wish we picked prior to the draft, does not help though.

However, I`m fine with picking Okeke over NAW regardless because I don`t think NAW would be a major contributor next year, same goes for Okeke. And if they think Chuma has the highest upside of all the available players, then why not? From the looks of it, Chuma`s can also create plays for his own as well, just not as flashy as NAW.

I think we share the same sentiment with the biggest failure right now is WeHam seem to be putting all eggs on the Fultz` basket at the point. I think passing up on NAW would have easily been covered in Free Agency, but nooo...

[tiderulz]

The same fact-forgetting that happens after every ORL move in every ORL thread.

There was a very clear 1 or 2 sources saying Okeke was going to be taken very, very soon after ORL, and that many NBA teams loved the Okeke pick.

Private NBA teams’ big boards are still better than the media’s consensus big board.

I wanted NAW too, and like 95% of the past ORL draft picks, it was someone unexpected instead. Stop being surprised or offended by it, and judge Okeke when he’s back healthy instead.

I applaud ORL for getting such an awesome college player, and one who stepped up in the tournament. I would rather have players who step up in the playoffs, not down.

who said that? what GM said that? oh, anonymous source mentioned from our GM? sounds like people trying to justify their pick

[Knightro]

Nobody is claiming NAW should be compared to Okeke based on SL play. His performance in SL is just fuel to the fire based on the overthinking of the pick. Especially when this FO is selling playoffs and he potentially provided the skill set that Orlando currently lacks in that part of the rotation.

Few things...

I like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. I think he’s a good, solid player and I would have been perfectly happy had the Magic drafted him. I personally had him and Okeke in the same tier (along with Ty Jerome) and would have been happy with any of them really. My concerns about NAW's game overall would have existed whether Orlando drafted him or not. Ultimately they did not.

Despite his summer league performance, I am skeptical NAW is actually going to be able to play point guard once he’s facing NBA perimeter and interior defenders. I think he’s a more natural SG who can do some ball handling and shot creating for others, but more in a secondary role rather than a straight up PG.

So if you also agree (and maybe you don’t) that NAW is a SG and not really a traditional PG, then the question becomes - is he actually even cracking the Magic’s rotation this year? Would Alexander-Walker see minutes at SG over the 17M a year starter or the 13.5M backup?

I’m not even arguing that he *shouldn't* play over those guys if he proved worthy, I’m simply saying he most likely wouldn’t have cracked the SG rotation ahead of those two veterans with Clifford as coach. So then his only path to minutes *this year* would have been at backup PG where I personally don’t think he would have great success.

Now... as far as “this FO is selling playoffs” thing. I agree wholeheartedly, that’s what they’re doing. But that reason is why I actually go the opposite way on the Okeke pick.

The fact that the Magic are selling us all on more playoff pushes, yet took another forward in the draft who also has a torn ACL rehab and recovery to deal with leads me to believe that they genuinely think Okeke is going to be the best player down the road of the guys available.

With the playoffs in mind, the simple decision would have been to draft purely for need. The Magic could have tried to find the player who could have best stepped in and contributed THIS season. It would have been NAW if you think he can play PG or someone like Ty Jerome, but the Magic didn’t do that. They drafted a player who frankly won’t help them much this season at all. Clearly it was a BPA situation. Now if the counter-argument is “Okeke wasn’t the best player available”, that’s fair. He wasn’t for me either. I had Grant Williams higher.

That’s the other interesting thing for me. The fact is that even without the ACL rehab, Okeke probably isn’t playing a whole lot this season anyway. If we being up front about it, there’s no clear path to him cracking the rotation at all once he is healthy unless...

Admittedly this is a bit of a long-game play, but it sure feels like with the Aminu/Okeke acquisitions, that the end goal is to trade Aaron Gordon away for the best PG/SG that they can get assuming Fultz does in fact bust.

The questions then becomes...

Can Aminu and eventually Okeke replicate Gordon’s production at 50% of the price?

and

Can the Magic acquire a guard better than Alexander-Walker for Aaron Gordon?

We’ll see if the answer is yes to both questions. If it is, then the pick makes more sense.

[tiderulz]

Nobody is claiming NAW should be compared to Okeke based on SL play. His performance in SL is just fuel to the fire based on the overthinking of the pick. Especially when this FO is selling playoffs and he potentially provided the skill set that Orlando currently lacks in that part of the rotation.

Few things...

I like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. I think he’s a good, solid player and I would have been perfectly happy had the Magic drafted him. I personally had him and Okeke in the same tier (along with Ty Jerome) and would have been happy with any of them really. My concerns about NAW's game overall would have existed whether Orlando drafted him or not. Ultimately they did not.

Despite his summer league performance, I am skeptical NAW is actually going to be able to play point guard once he’s facing NBA perimeter and interior defenders. I think he’s a more natural SG who can do some ball handling and shot creating for others, but more in a secondary role rather than a straight up PG.

So if you also agree (and maybe you don’t) that NAW is a SG and not really a traditional PG, then the question becomes - is he actually even cracking the Magic’s rotation this year? Would Alexander-Walker see minutes at SG over the 17M a year starter or the 13.5M backup?

I’m not even arguing that he *shouldn't* play over those guys if he proved worthy, I’m simply saying he most likely wouldn’t have cracked the SG rotation ahead of those two veterans with Clifford as coach. So then his only path to minutes *this year* would have been at backup PG where I personally don’t think he would have great success.

Now... as far as “this FO is selling playoffs” thing. I agree wholeheartedly, that’s what they’re doing. But that reason is why I actually go the opposite way on the Okeke pick.

The fact that the Magic are selling us all on more playoff pushes, yet took another forward in the draft who also has a torn ACL rehab and recovery to deal with leads me to believe that they genuinely think Okeke is going to be the best player down the road of the guys available.

With the playoffs in mind, the simple decision would have been to draft purely for need. The Magic could have tried to find the player who could have best stepped in and contributed THIS season. It would have been NAW if you think he can play PG or someone like Ty Jerome, but the Magic didn’t do that. They drafted a player who frankly won’t help them much this season at all. Clearly it was a BPA situation. Now if the counter-argument is “Okeke wasn’t the best player available”, that’s fair. He wasn’t for me either. I had Grant Williams higher.

That’s the other interesting thing for me. The fact is that even without the ACL rehab, Okeke probably isn’t playing a whole lot this season anyway. If we being up front about it, there’s no clear path to him cracking the rotation at all once he is healthy unless...

Admittedly this is a bit of a long-game play, but it sure feels like with the Aminu/Okeke acquisitions, that the end goal is to trade Aaron Gordon away for the best PG/SG that they can get assuming Fultz does in fact bust.

The questions then becomes...

Can Aminu and eventually Okeke replicate Gordon’s production at 50% of the price?

and

Can the Magic acquire a guard better than Alexander-Walker for Aaron Gordon?

We’ll see if the answer is yes to both questions. If it is, then the pick makes more sense.

I agree with you that NAW isnt a PG. and he only played part time PG at Tech due to injuries. But he can play SG/SF. as to your comment about playing over the $17mil starter, i dont think Clifford cares. He will play who he needs to win, thats why Birch played over our #6 draft pick Bamba, because he out played him. He could find minutes as a ball handler with the 2nd unit, or SF behind AG/Isaac (whoever is the "SF") if Ross is playing SG. As for Okeke being the "best player down the road" I'm sure they thought that with Thon Maker. There are still questions about Bamba too. We see players all the time bust out after being drafted for athletic ability or physical attributes rather than skill. And its not like NAW isnt a 2-way player too, he is very good on defense.

I'm not going to grab a pitch fork and a torch, just seems like they have an idea of players that they want must meet a specific physical profile and are not addressing a severe need of playmakers at PG/SG either thru the draft or free agency (right now. we'll see if a trade is incoming this season). too many eggs in the basket of Fultz recovering. And even if you believe Fultz recovers, why not get more playmakers? That way you arent relying too much on 1 person.

[zaymon]

Nobody is claiming NAW should be compared to Okeke based on SL play. His performance in SL is just fuel to the fire based on the overthinking of the pick. Especially when this FO is selling playoffs and he potentially provided the skill set that Orlando currently lacks in that part of the rotation.

Few things...

I like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. I think he’s a good, solid player and I would have been perfectly happy had the Magic drafted him. I personally had him and Okeke in the same tier (along with Ty Jerome) and would have been happy with any of them really. My concerns about NAW's game overall would have existed whether Orlando drafted him or not. Ultimately they did not.

Despite his summer league performance, I am skeptical NAW is actually going to be able to play point guard once he’s facing NBA perimeter and interior defenders. I think he’s a more natural SG who can do some ball handling and shot creating for others, but more in a secondary role rather than a straight up PG.

So if you also agree (and maybe you don’t) that NAW is a SG and not really a traditional PG, then the question becomes - is he actually even cracking the Magic’s rotation this year? Would Alexander-Walker see minutes at SG over the 17M a year starter or the 13.5M backup?

I’m not even arguing that he *shouldn't* play over those guys if he proved worthy, I’m simply saying he most likely wouldn’t have cracked the SG rotation ahead of those two veterans with Clifford as coach. So then his only path to minutes *this year* would have been at backup PG where I personally don’t think he would have great success.

Now... as far as “this FO is selling playoffs” thing. I agree wholeheartedly, that’s what they’re doing. But that reason is why I actually go the opposite way on the Okeke pick.

The fact that the Magic are selling us all on more playoff pushes, yet took another forward in the draft who also has a torn ACL rehab and recovery to deal with leads me to believe that they genuinely think Okeke is going to be the best player down the road of the guys available.

With the playoffs in mind, the simple decision would have been to draft purely for need. The Magic could have tried to find the player who could have best stepped in and contributed THIS season. It would have been NAW if you think he can play PG or someone like Ty Jerome, but the Magic didn’t do that. They drafted a player who frankly won’t help them much this season at all. Clearly it was a BPA situation. Now if the counter-argument is “Okeke wasn’t the best player available”, that’s fair. He wasn’t for me either. I had Grant Williams higher.

That’s the other interesting thing for me. The fact is that even without the ACL rehab, Okeke probably isn’t playing a whole lot this season anyway. If we being up front about it, there’s no clear path to him cracking the rotation at all once he is healthy unless...

Admittedly this is a bit of a long-game play, but it sure feels like with the Aminu/Okeke acquisitions, that the end goal is to trade Aaron Gordon away for the best PG/SG that they can get assuming Fultz does in fact bust.

The questions then becomes...

Can Aminu and eventually Okeke replicate Gordon’s production at 50% of the price?

and

Can the Magic acquire a guard better than Alexander-Walker for Aaron Gordon?

We’ll see if the answer is yes to both questions. If it is, then the pick makes more sense.

Best answer there is regarding our draft pick and possible future strategy. I would add that if Fultz is really healthy we have no place for NAW in our rotation. Players better equipped to play backup pg went relatively cheap in free agency (Jones, Satoransky). Okeke was our biggest need- shooting and passing from forward spot. If NAW surpasses expectations and develops shooting of the dribble he is longer but weaker physically Fournier which all here love. If Okeke develops off the dribble shooting... well that will be interesting.