ORLANDO - Considering he hadn’t played in a game in close to two years, there’s growing optimism about Chuma Okeke’s long-term potential based on what he has shown through three preseason games.
Okeke, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward, spent all of last season with the Orlando Magic’s G League affiliate in Lakeland, where he rehabbed his knee and sharpened his skills. He didn’t play in any of Lakeland’s games, but he did practice with the team and did a ton of drill work with Lakeland Head Coach Stan Heath and his coaching staff.
Selected 16th in the 2019 draft, Okeke is a prototypical multipurpose player. It’s players like him that are flourishing in the NBA right now, which is why Magic fans should be ecstatic about his talent and fit with the team. He’s very skilled, very unselfish, has an extremely high basketball IQ and, probably most importantly, guards multiple positions.
Let’s take that a step further and break it down.
3-Point Shooting
What most people knew about Okeke going into last year’s draft after playing at Auburn for two seasons was that he can stretch the floor. His shot mechanics draw comparisons to one of the NBA’s all-time most clutch players, Robert Horry, who just so happened to attend Okeke’s rival college, Alabama. In two years with the Tigers, he shot 38.9 percent from 3-point range.
Through Orlando’s first three exhibition games, Okeke has made five of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc (41.7 percent).
Defense
Defending in space and on an island, effectively switching in pick-and-roll, applying tenacious on-ball pressure and disrupting passing lanes with supreme length and instincts are key components to being a good NBA defender. Very few players do all of those things well. Okeke, who has a 7-foot wingspan and has the lateral foot speed to stay between an opponent and the basket, is someone that can be relied upon to do all of those things at a relatively high level.
Shown here is textbook defense. Following a switch onto DeVonte’ Graham, Okeke hounds the Hornets guard, prevents him from eluding him off the dribble and then avoids bumping into Graham during the shot fake. This right here is perhaps the main reason why Okeke has a chance to be extremely valuable to this team, this season and beyond.
His instincts and anticipation are above average. In his final year in college, he averaged 1.8 steals, third most in the SEC that season. Expect Okeke to rack up a lot of deflections.
Passing
Between Aaron Gordon and Okeke, the Magic have two power forwards with excellent court vision. Okeke can thread the needle and make accurate passes from different areas on the floor, as demonstrated here on this backdoor feed to Terrence Ross.
Rebounding
Okeke has a knack for getting to the right place at the right time, and he’s relentless, too, both of which make him an excellent offensive rebounder. Some players have a unique skill in which they can predict where the ball will redirect to after it hits the rim. Tristan Thompson and Andre Drummond are two of the NBA’s best at doing that. Okeke has that same intuition.
The big unknown at the moment is whether the 22-year-old will ever develop a comprehensive offensive package. He’s not a shot creator, isn’t overly explosive, doesn’t currently have post moves, and doesn’t possess much isolation scoring ability.
It will also be interesting to see how much playing time he gets right out of the gate. Either he or Gary Clark will likely back Gordon up at the four spot, although certainly Okeke can slide in at the three as well.
His confidence is growing, too, and he sounds ready for any role and any situation.
“Every practice and every game I play in, I’m getting more comfortable. I feel like I’m getting better every day and hopefully I can continue to get better,” he said.