Prospect Watch: Chuma Okeke could be second-round steal for Chicago

Owning the #38 pick in the NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls have an opportunity to steal a versatile player in Auburn’s Chuma Okeke in the second round.

Playing two seasons of basketball under Bruce Pearl at Auburn, Chuma Okeke is a very interesting talent entering the 2019 NBA Draft. Slated to go in the second round, the forward could be a steal as a future starter at the NBA level.

While some may be more interested in finding a big at this spot in the draft, Okeke does a lot on the floor, where he can even act as a big on the defensive end. He’s 6-9, 230 lbs and still has plenty of time to grow into a stronger, NBA body.

In his sophomore season at Auburn, Okeke played impressive basketball on both ends of the floor. He averaged 12 points on 49.6% shooting, plus a 38.7% clip from three-point range, complemented by 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks, giving him high value on both ends. Further, his insane 121.2 offensive and 95.2 defensive ratings with a +13.4 box plus/minus show a player causing huge shifts in his team’s overall effectiveness.

When evaluating NBA talent, it’s wise to look to performance in the brightest moments. For college players, their March performance is a great indicator of success, as end-of-season tournaments give us a good lens. If he wanted to impress on team accolades alone, being part of the Auburn team who went 30-10 (11-7), won the SEC Tournament, and advanced to the Final Four would be a great way to start that resume.

Okeke played his most impressive basketball in March. In his final month of college basketball, the sophomore averaged 13.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, shot 50% from the field and 43.6% from deep.

In fact, he played one of the best games of his college career, scoring 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block against North Carolina to help his Auburn Tigers advance to the Elite Eight. Unfortunately, Okeke checked out of that game with just under 8 minutes left, suffering a torn ACL.

Coming into the NBA mending a torn ACL certainly isn’t ideal. Okeke would likely miss most of his “official” rookie season, though it’s unlikely he’d see a big workload in Chicago anyway; it’s not often rookies in the second round play big minutes in their first season. With Otto Porter Jr set to start at the small forward position, he’d likely replace the loser of the upcoming Chandler Hutchison–Denzel Valentine backup battle.

Watching the tape on Okeke, a greatly noticeable part of his game is the space he creates as a shooter.

While he’ll need more work at the NBA level to develop his three-point shooting, Okeke certainly impressed at the college level from deep. Watching him work from three reminds of a small guard; he creates space quickly and can hit shots with even a small amount of room to work.

On the defensive end, he would give Jim Boylen a few extra hours of sleep next season. Quick to rotate and smart on reads, Okeke helps the slow-footed Lauri Markkanen and the often-lacking defender in Zach LaVine by acting as a moveable defender who could help guard savvy, scoring wings. Right now, there’s just no one on the Bulls’ bench who can be trusted to body-up LeBron James, James Harden, or Paul George-type players. Okeke could be that guy in Chicago.

He’s coming into the NBA with a scary injury, but Okeke could go down as the biggest steal of the draft. Originally projected as a mid-to-late first round talent, he’s at the very least a promising wing player in the rotation.