Adebayo?
Onyeka Okongwu
College: USC
Position: C/PF
Age: 19
Height: 6-foot-9
Weight: 245 pounds
Draft Range: 3 to 12
Why: Big time defender. Very good rim protector, offers timely help, impressive mobility when defending pick-and-rolls and plays with a consistent motor. Solid rebounder; sets mean screens. Avoids needless fouls well. Extremely efficient on both ends. Offensively, has a good touch and shows a lot promise in the post, as a passer and even as a ball-handler. Shoots 72% from the line and his stroke looks good so he has a chance to expand his range. Runs hard both ways.
Why Not: Not the optimal size for a center. He's 6-foot-9, not overly long and has relatively slender shoulders. He's sturdy but not notably strong yet; sometimes gets pushed around. Not an outside shooting threat right now. A little undisciplined at times in terms of leaving his feet too often. Might be able to play PF down the road if his skills (and range) improve but only a center as it is.
Spurs Fit: At the very least, the Spurs would give him Poeltl's minutes. It's possible he could start next to Aldridge but that's a bit of a longshot.
Spurs Comparison - Ceiling: Rich Man's Tiago Splitter
Spurs Comparison - Floor: Smaller Jakob Poeltl
Statistics
Highlight Video
Interview
He could be the guy for the Spurs. But how to get him . . .
Okongwu is the prototype new NBA big man – mobile, athletic, runs the floor, great man-to-man defender, rim-protector, catlike offensive moves around the basket, great potential as a shooter. In short, possible star.
Underrated because he is young, played college ball in SoCal like you-know-who (so nobody cares about him nationally), keeps his head down and just performs. He gets lost in the shuffle of SoCal college basketball where even if you win March Madness (7 years in a row and 10 years out of 12) nobody really much cares. You can’t even get anyone to build you a modern gym to play in. Too much to do out here (or so they say).
Okongwu was California Mr. Basketball. Twice. Guess who else won California Mr. Basketball and was kind of overlooked on the national stage?
As far as similarities to that looming presence, Okongwu has also had family tragedy – his older brother died from severe brain trauma after a skateboarding accident. But his family is the opposite of dysfunctional. His parents are Nigerian immigrants and he’s a good student. (By contrast, if you’re Mr. Basketball in California and you end up at San Diego State, you’re not a good student.) Heck, as a Nigerian kid with good grades, he could be from Houston (way more than Compton).
Okongwu is the type of player who could be a better pro player than college player. Because his athleticism, size, and physicality are off the charts. His jumper needs work but his form is good – he shoots 72% from the line, a nice platform for Chip to start with.
Bottom line, Okongwu looks like the type of player who will be better with the Spurs than with another outfit – a player who can be created from raw potential the way the Spurs created Kawhi.
Doubtful that the Spurs will have a shot at him but it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re thinking about how to try.
Really like this kid but can’t see him dropping.
I wonder if he'll grow another inch or 2 since he's only 19.
They could offer Murray, Poeltl (not technically, but agree in principle to not match an offer sheet) and 11 for 7 and Kennard.
Would allow them to consolidate, streamline, re-start the clock and fill a specific need.
Murray and Poeltl could easily cost at or near $25 million annually for the next 4 years. They're already 24 and 25 and limited offensively. Throw in a White extension and the annual total soars past $40 million for players who are probably near their ceilings, aren't stars and likely won't all be easy to move should one emerge at their position in the future.
Need an uncle check
I'm not sure if Okongwu is who I'd target but, I'd be willing to do Murray and 11 for 7 and Kennard. Kennard is a better fit with his outside shooting and there's another year before he gets paid. I could definitely see Detroit doing something along those lines.
Watching him a bit more...
I'm getting Tristan Thompson vibes, but a bigger version of him. In today's NBA that may or may not be a star. I don't know. The body language, to me, is very similar if you watch both back to back. A bigger Tristan Thompson is pretty lethal, given how "small" the actual Tristan plays even though he is a big. They both like to make hook shots and both have solid footwork in the post. Maybe OO is a little quicker? They both also like to fight for offensive rebounds.
Last edited by Dejounte; 09-20-2020 at 07:01 PM.
Between the two potential top 10 droppers Toppin and OO, I'd rather take OO. Simply because I believe defense dictates the ceiling of your team and I fear with Toppin, it's just too hard to ignore his flaws on that end. While OO may be more of a clean up / rim running big on offense, it's easier to find line-up combinations to make it work than it is to cover someone who can't protect the rim or stay in front of a man, which apparently Toppin struggles to do.
But if you're trading up, GET HALLIBURTON.
Last edited by Dejounte; 09-20-2020 at 07:28 PM.
If he falls to 11 that's value, giving up assets to move up 3 spots to get him is just overpay.
Yeah, I'd probably target Hayes at 7. Haliburton and Okongwu are higher floor, but he's higher ceiling and would fill a more pressing long term need.
So, I've been watching a bit of him. He seems to project as a versatile defensive center who lacks in several offensive areas. A more athletic Poeltl if you will.
Although I would be more than fine with that type of player, one has to wonder just how valuable are they in today's NBA. Clint Capela (not a perfect comparisson, I know, but similar in the sense that he is a defense first center whose only offensive contribution comes from being a pick and roll player, got traded away for being unplayable when it really matters). Other defensive centers whose only offensive contribution is the pick and roll I can think of are Gobert, McGee, Poeltl and probably a couple more I'm forgetting. Most go from average to good players, the only border line all-star is Gobbert but only because he's a freak of nature physically, and even then, when it's clutch time, his importance diminished.
What I'm trying to say is that these type of players have a clear ceiling attached to them. With that in mind, is it really worth it to spend a lottery pick on them?
I feel the same way. You can get a player of similar impact elsewhere and cheaper. Spend the lottery pick on someone who has the potential to be a difference maker.
This thread was really buried
So thats three reported in person meetings out of ten.
Pat, Onyeka, Deni
Hard to see him falling down to 11 but some one is bound too. I like him, personally, though not my first or second choice.
It looks fairly obvious that we are trading up in this draft..
Would love to know whether my guy MoSpur02 has heard something about this possibility...
Yes there’s a possibility. Especially with a Derozan deal possibly adding to their pick trove
There’s a chance, but haven’t heard anything solid.
Adding to or improving our standing in the draft? I would think the latter.
Leverage, and we might just have some this time around. Would be damn exciting to draft up in that rare air draft al ude tbh.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)