Onyeka Okongwu could help the Cleveland Cavaliers from the jump if they were to select him in the 2020 NBA Draft.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will enter this October’s NBA Draft very likely with all but a lock to indeed hold a top five selection, albeit they are guaranteed to have a top six selection.
The team and general manager Koby Altman will then proceed to have the unique task of adding to a budding young team that has some solid veterans and overall players on the roster as well in the form of players such as Collin Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr., Kevin Love and Andre Drummond. Drummond fully intends to pick up his $28.8 million player option for next season, so he projects as a key piece for next season.
In terms of the upcoming crop of prospects, though, one of my favorite overall players in the 2020 NBA Draft is easily USC’s Onyeka Okongwu. Okongwu is a relatively undersized player for his likely future NBA position as an NBA big/likely mostly a 5 at 6-foot-9, but certainly makes up for it with his length, leaping ability,and all-around playmaking ability.
He is one of the most dynamic players in this draft and consistently flashed excellent all-around play in pretty much every facet of the game during his time at the University of Southern California. He came away averaging an impressive 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 1.2 steals and 1.1 assists per outing, and while it’s uncertain if Okongwu can develop into a three-point shooting threat, he should still be able to affect games in a variety of ways early on.
Experts and analysts alike all agree he appears to be (in a sense) an even younger version of the already young All-Star Miami Heat big man, Bam Adebayo.
Their comparisons are well-warranted in my eyes, given that Adebayo is also relatively undersized often at the 5 (also 6-foot-9) but is exceptionally unique in that he is an excellent playmaker for both himself and others, as evidenced by him currently averaging 5.1 assists per game in 2019-20 as a 4/5. He has proven to be one of the better all-around defenders in the world as well.
From the Okongwu perspective, here, we’ll highlight three potential lineups the Cleveland Cavaliers could utilize involving the USC product.
Let’s kick it off with a good one.