Chuma Okeke drafted #16 by the Orlando Magic

[basketballRob]

By the way, when is a 6-7 230lb pf ever a top ten pick?

I was going to say Barkley but he was only like 6'5". Maybe Zion Williamson.

[spinedoc]

I guess my big problem is people just downing the kid or making it more about him than the front office's philosophies. .

Never the kids fault. Its all on management. That's why I say this job is not hard, because its really not.

[SOUL]

Is the full press conference up anywhere?

[spinedoc]

By the way, when is a 6-7 230lb pf ever a top ten pick?

I was going to say Barkley but he was only like 6'5". Maybe Zion Williamson.

250 and 280 respectively.

[bigdogdylan5]

I can totally understand where the disappointment comes from the standpoint of his draft slot at 16. It seems very possible that Okeke would've been available later on and that we could've collected some current or future draft assets if we moved down. But let's take a look at what trades did go down... Were there any other teams interested in trading up to our range? In order to move down, you have to have a partner willing to move up.

So let's see... MIN and PHX swapped 6 and 11 early on... but then no trades until pick 20 (Damn you Sixers for nabbing my pet cat).

On top of that.. guys like Nassir Little, Keldon Johnson and Kevin Porter who were high on Magic fans' minds weren't taken until pick 25, 29, 30!

The only other name commonly spoken of was NAW who got taken one pick later by the Hornets who are infamous for muffing up their picks (MKG, Zeller, Vonleh, Kaminsky, Monk... NAW next?). Even though NAW was a top prediction for many of us and a guy many got to favor, I think we can all agree that there was a certain feeling of mediocrity/blah there if he was the pick. He would've been safe, but not many consider him to have star potential. When a player is being described as having a high floor, but low ceiling, it's not time to be crying about missing out on such a player. Is this truly the guy you thought would be our upgrade over Fournier in due time? Maybe the Magic have their sights set higher than that. The Magic brought NAW in for workouts and met with him many times, took him out to eat, etc etc. He actually said he hung out in Orlando for weeks and hung out at the facility during other players workouts. Pretty sure the Magic knew who they were passing on when they decided not to draft NAW.

17 Nickeil Alexander-Walker
18 Goga Bitadze
19 Luka Šamanić
20 Matisse Thybulle
21 Brandon Clarke
22 Grant Williams
23 Darius Bazley
24 Ty Jerome
25 Nassir Little
26 Dylan Windler
27 Mfiondu Kabengele
28 Jordan Poole
29 Keldon Johnson
30 Kevin Porter Jr.

I myself was high on Porter because I think his upside is high, but I also admitted there was a high bust factor in him too. He can be a ball stopper, take questionable shots and his BBIQ and motor on defense were also items of concern. Seeing him fall to 30 is a bit of a confirmation that maybe I was too high on him.

My pet cat Thybulle being the target of the next trade up following the MIN/PHX swap was a bit of a sting however. Sixers got a guy who will be able to fill Redick's shoes and upgrade their defense and athleticism to boot.

But let's get back to Okeke. If he was taken in the 25-30 range where other Magic targets were taken would there be the same upset? Yeah, I'm sure there would still be some, but maybe the rage wouldn't be so bad. But then comes to question, would he have really been there?

Okeke was getting a lot of love during the tournament leading up to his injury and there was legit lottery talk for him. I still believe that he was only there at 16 because of his injury. Auburn very well could've won the tournament with him and he might've stolen away some of the hype that DeAndre Hunter earned for himself after Virginia's win.

Depsite the injury, Okeke was still on the radar of teams picking right behind us in Round 1. I did a little quick digging up and found a whole bunch of links.. You know the Magic must have done their homework.

Pick 18 - Pacers:

Jontay Porter, Chuma Okeke are risks worth taking for the Pacers

Chuma Okeke’s main selling point is preternatural feel for the game, one of the traits I value most in a prospect. Almost every good, playoff worthy non-superstar is smart and makes good decisions. Okeke is smart, a good decision maker and a legitimate playmaker off of the ball on defense.

Likely 6’7 with a near 7’0 wingspan, Okeke uses his length, size and feel to dominate as a team defender. This dominance is reflected on the stat sheet, where his absurd 5.5 block percentage and 3.7 steal percentage stand out. Along with Zion Williamson and Matisse Thybulle, he’s one of three players this season to reach those marks in a college season and one of 23 to do it since 2008.

https://8points9seconds.com/2019/05/31/chuma-okeke-makes-sense-pacers-long-term/

If the Pacers go big in free agency, the depth Okeke might provide is essential to the Pacers being more than a first round participant in the playoffs.

Currently, he is projected to go late in the first or even in the second round, but if you remove the ACL injury from the equation, it’s much easier to see him definitely being a first-round prospect.

Pick 19 - Spurs:

San Antonio Spurs Prospect Watch: Chuma Okeke
https://projectspurs.com/2019/06/04/san-antonio-spurs-prospect-watch-chuma-okeke/

He did a lot of the dirty work that doesn’t show up in the box score... His effort is definitely one of the best parts of his game... He could become a secret rim protector that the Spurs need .... the Spurs could see themselves getting a major steal here.

San Antonio Spurs 2019 NBA Draft Prospects: Chuma Okeke
https://airalamo.com/2019/06/06/san-antonio-spurs-2019-nba-draft-prospects-chuma-okeke/

Defensively, Okeke is a load to contend with, making his presence felt with his long frame that can disrupt passing lanes and force turnovers. Okeke also uses his defense to galvanize the offense, sprinting up the court to flush home an alley-oop or spotting up behind the three-point line to hit a dagger. The San Antonio Spurs could benefit greatly from Okeke’s services. Last season, the Spurs ranked in the bottom third of the league in blocks (21st), rebounding (21st) and steals (30). Okeke led the Tigers in all three of those categories

Pick 20 - Sixers:

2019 NBA draft profile: Despite ACL injury, Sixers should strongly consider Auburn's Chuma Okeke
https://sports.yahoo.com/2019-nba-draft-profile-despite-131611070.html

Philadelphia 76ers 2019 NBA Draft profile: Chuma Okeke
https://thesixersense.com/2019/05/26/philadelphia-76ers-2019-nba-draft-profile-chuma-okeke/

Prospect Breakdown: Chuma Okeke
https://www.libertyballers.com/2019/6/19/18679165/prospect-breakdown-chuma-okeke

NBA Draft Profile: Chuma Okeke
https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/video/nba-draft-profile-chuma-okeke

Okeke was looking at a guy out of our draft range during the March Tournament. His injury could be another blessing in disguise for the Magic who didn't get a lottery pick, but came away with a lottery talent. Injury is the only reason why he slipped and recovering from ACL is a common success in today's medical developments. Nobody is calling this a reach from a talent perspective. Only the injury perspective. Would you take Player A who is a better talent but will take time to arrive or Player B who is a lesser talent but can play today? This is the draft. Most rookies take time to go through the process anyways. Talent acquisition is priority #1. We made the playoffs and we got a lottery talent who could be "the steal of the draft". That's a great outcome to our season.

Yes to all of this! You take the best talent you believe is available end of story. Patience with all these players is the key. I never want to give up on one of these guys to early I.E oladipo or Vuc which is what if fans had our way would have done last summer. Everyone wants to move off Fournier and I think we should give him one more year. Our biggest asset right now is our coaching staff so bringing in high motor coachable guys I don’t see how that can go wrong

[basketballRob]

By the way, when is a 6-7 230lb pf ever a top ten pick?

I was going to say Barkley but he was only like 6'5". Maybe Zion Williamson.

250 and 280 respectively.

Jabari Parker

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[VFX]

I mean it's the same people being negative to the draft picks though. Every year just go back and see the threads and see who is angry/arguing with people. It's the same.

I'm surprised MagicMatic is so against it. If anything, this sort of lines up with the timeline of what you want the team to do (if it anticipates one of Vuc, Ross, or both), I think next season may be a step back year with Fultz getting a lot of playing time, Bamba as well, and then Chuma being redshirted or brought along very slowly and then searching for that guard prospect we so desperately need.

I guess the only reason is if you see NAW as some transcendent pick that we needed to take. I personally see him as like a Courtney Lee, E'Twaun Moore type. Aka I'm not tripping about it.

I’m not against the pick though... I think the pick is pretty solid actually for a 3-D wing at #16 that could be a really good role player and possible rotational guy. I’m even happy with the timeline as you’ve stated.

That being said, the back court is the worst in the league with proficient players on the board that were heralded as “bpa”. Healthy, with opportunity available, and ready to contribute that add to the extreme lack of playmaking. That is really my only gripe. They’d take an injured guy that might not play this season as a decent backup, rather than address the glaring issues at hand on rookie scale deals.. that’s the sticking point.

We should stop putting any expectations on a Fultz whatsoever. He’s a complete non factor in any decisions until we see him actually contributing.

I guess I'm just looking at it from a standpoint of if a team isn't enamored with the guard options available, I'm glad they took someone who they thought would be the best pick for our team. On the other hand, I agree that it may not matter all of these guys that have great, translatable skills and great defense if we can't find someone to give the ball to them and make simple plays and stretch the floor/create their own shot at the guard spot.

I agree on Fultz, I don't have any expectations on him. I do think he will play more than people are expecting though. At least as of recent reports. I watched some highlights last night and he really is shifty with the ball and feeds the open man well which is exactly what we need. But I can't in good faith go all in on him developing into our future PG until I see him out there for a while.

But yeah, I'm perfectly fine with seeing the guard options in next year's draft. And if we get a solid vet guard somehow in free agency, that just lessens the need for an available playmaking guard.

Yeah, my initial reaction of displeasure with this draft was just the FO’s inability to solve the glaring roster issues, with the available prospects that were arguably BPA, at the expense of nothing but selection and rookie scale deals. It doesn’t really have to do with Okeke as a player or as a Forward.

I see WeHam trying to further emphasize agenda to take risks on projects/ dark horse picks moreso than attempting to address anything substantial. They get a pass because of Giannis, but that formula doesn’t work as often as you’d hope. On top of that, the roster is mainly Hennigan guys. They aren’t putting themselves in a good situation to acquire talent and haven’t even really put their stamp on this roster. How they’ve gotten this far without that criticism is beyond me.

[basketballRob]

By the way, when is a 6-7 230lb pf ever a top ten pick?

I was going to say Barkley but he was only like 6'5". Maybe Zion Williamson.

250 and 280 respectively.

Aaron Gordon but he weighed 220.

[jayrehme]

i laughed.

I fail to see the humor. His measurements and description coming in sound very similar to Draymond Green.

See Everyone’s laughing at you. go sit in the corner with the one other twit that agrees with you and discuss bad line ups together.

More like a few posters ridiculing something that doesn't follow their narrative, and then immature posters finding useless responses funny.

[spinedoc]

I was going to say Barkley but he was only like 6'5". Maybe Zion Williamson.

250 and 280 respectively.

Jabari Parker

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Okay, good one. Kind of like unicorns though huh?

[NotACat]

Looking at his defensive clips, and his horizontal footwork is tremendous. I hope we work with him to get lean and run a lineup of Fultz, Chuma, AG, Isaac, Bamba

[OrlandO]

Read on Twitter

[yoyojw17]

Cool hearing that Fultz was one of the guys that reached out to Chuma last night to welcome him to the team. It's nice to know that even though he hasn't been here long, he's still stepping up and being a representative for the team and making sure the new guy is welcomed.

Funny thing is... this entire family/loyalty thing seems like something that they all share.... Fultz, Isaac, Bamba and now okeke.

[basketballRob]

Was he on crutches? I missed nearly the whole thing because I was waiting on Facebook live which ended up not working.

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[MoMM]

Chuma and Fultz are the first two hires on Orlando Magic E-Sports Team.

[MoMM]

Was he on crutches? I missed nearly the whole thing because I was waiting on Facebook live which ended up not working.

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He wasn't invited to Green Room, IIRC.

[basketballRob]

Was he on crutches? I missed nearly the whole thing because I was waiting on Facebook live which ended up not working.

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He wasn't invited to Green Room, IIRC.

I'm talking about the press conference at 3.

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[tiderulz]

By the way, when is a 6-7 230lb pf ever a top ten pick?

I was going to say Barkley but he was only like 6'5". Maybe Zion Williamson.

Not a good comparison, but Anthony Bennett.

Measuring 6-7 in shoes at the Nike Hoop Summit eight months ago (and at the 2011 LeBron James Skills Academy), Bennett is somewhat undersized for a power forward, but makes up for that with his 7-1 wingspan, strong 239 pound frame, and excellent athleticism.

[basketballRob]

By the way, when is a 6-7 230lb pf ever a top ten pick?

I was going to say Barkley but he was only like 6'5". Maybe Zion Williamson.

Not a good comparison, but Anthony Bennett.

Measuring 6-7 in shoes at the Nike Hoop Summit eight months ago (and at the 2011 LeBron James Skills Academy), Bennett is somewhat undersized for a power forward, but makes up for that with his 7-1 wingspan, strong 239 pound frame, and excellent athleticism.

Kevin Love.

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[tiderulz]

I was going to say Barkley but he was only like 6'5". Maybe Zion Williamson.

Not a good comparison, but Anthony Bennett.

Measuring 6-7 in shoes at the Nike Hoop Summit eight months ago (and at the 2011 LeBron James Skills Academy), Bennett is somewhat undersized for a power forward, but makes up for that with his 7-1 wingspan, strong 239 pound frame, and excellent athleticism.

Kevin Love.

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Love is 6'9