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OKC Thunder draft prospect profile: Onyeka Okongwu

By Tamberlyn Richardson

Onyeka Okongwu #21 of the USC Trojans (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Onyeka Okongwu #21 of the USC Trojans (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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OKC Thunder draft profile
OKC Thunder draft profile: Onyeka Okongwu #21 of the USC Trojans blocks a shot by Cody Riley #2 of the UCLA Bruins. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

In a draft class with a dearth of quality big men Onyeka Okongwu is a rising star and out of the OKC Thunder range unless they trade up for him.

USC Freshman Onyeka Okongwu has been making a rapid ascent up certain boards as the draft nears putting him further and further out of range of the OKC Thunder.

Early in the season, Okongwu was projected to be a lottery pick but closer to the end of those 14 draft selections. As teams began to take a closer look and interview the youngster he started to ascend the mock draft ladder.

Now teams who won’t have access to James Wiseman will target Okongwu as he looks to be selected in the top five.  With an intriguing upside, the question is whether the OKC Thunder should look to move up and try to nab the big man as part of their future

Onyeka Okongwu draft prospect preview:

This class is chock full of guards so the very few big men with high ceilings are hot commodities in this draft. Part of the appeal is Okongwu is drawing comparisons to Bam Adebayo because of his ability to do so many things well.

Specifics:

  • Height: 6’9″
  • Weight:  245 pounds
  • Wingspan: 7’1”
  • Position: Power forward/Center
  • Birthdate/Age:  December 11, 2000 – will turn 20 next month
  • College: USC – freshman
  • Stat line: 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and  2.7 blocks
  • Home Town: Chino Hills California

Okongwu is already considered a two-way player and in his freshman season at USC filled up the stat sheet with impressive production. While the main category stats are great it’s his 1.2 steals and 2.7 blocks that have teams sitting up and taking notice.

Per Game Table
Season G MP FGA FG% 2PA 2P% 3PA 3P% FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK PTS
2019-20 28 30.6 10.1 .616 10.0 .621 0.1 .250 5.1 .720 3.3 5.4 8.6 1.1 1.2 2.7 16.2

Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 11/10/2020.

Current Ranking:

Note: All rankings are pulled from Big Board placement as they reflect where the authors value the talent of the prospect. Mock Drafts by the same sites and authors may be drastically different especially this season with the unusual draft process. Couple that reality with the fact this draft class is an unusual group with copious guards and differences of opinions on the talent level.

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