NBA Draft 2019: Player comparisons for all projected first round picks
By Trevor Marks
18. Kezie Okpala, F, Stanford (6-9, 7-2, 210lbs)
Player Comparison: bigger James Ennis (6-7, 7-0, 200lbs)
James Ennis is a lanky wing with so-so offense and defense, and no one is quite sure whether he’s good or not, but teams want him anyway. Kezie Okpala is a lanky wing with so-so offense and defense, and no one is quite sure whether he’s good or not, but teams want him anyway.
Perfect match!
Plus, the stats match up well, too: Okpala averaged 16.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.0 SPG on 46.3 FG% and 36.8 3P% shooting as a sophomore. Ennis? He averaged 16.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.8 SPG on 49.1 FG% and 35.7 3P% as a sophomore. Fairly similar.
17. Nassir Little, F, UNC (6-6, 7-1, 224lbs)
Player Comparison: somewhere between Jaylen Brown and Kenneth Faried
It’s easy to compare UNC’s Nassir Little to Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, for a myriad of reasons. Both players sport nearly identical physical measurements (Little came in at 6-6, 7-1, 224 pounds; Brown at 6-7, 7-0, 223 pounds), were powerful finishers with low feel and inconsistent shooting while in college, were/are seen as long-term projects in the NBA due to said feel concerns, and are both incredibly smart, mature, and introspective beyond their years with radiant personalities that teams fall in love with.
Those similarities are real, but it should be noted that it’s not wholly indicative of where Little stands as an NBA player, as he is notably worse as a prospect compared to Brown due to weaker ball skills (looser handle, worse tunnel vision) and defense (slower instincts, worse lateral mobility). Little will have to work his tail off in order to become playable in the NBA — if he fails to significantly improve his jumper, handle, defense, and feel for the game, then he’ll likely be relegated to a similar role that he played in at UNC, that of a rim-running, undersized big, a la Kenneth Faried.
That’s not a sparkly future for him, but it’s a serious outcome given the questions about his feel on both ends of the floor. If he can’t create offense for himself or defend against wings consistently, then he’ll be forced to play the 4-spot in a limited offensive role. He’s an upside play on draft night, one with a wide range of realistic outcomes, which makes him such a difficult prospect to pin down.
16. Keldon Johnson, F/G, Kentucky (6-6, 6-9, 216lbs)
Player Comparison: mid-career Garrett Temple … James Young
Not a sexy comparison, to be sure, but Garrett Temple has recently carved out a respectable role as a solid rotation wing due to his improvements as a defender and shooter in the last five-plus years, and Keldon Johnson looks to play a similar style once he enters the league. He’s not an overwhelming athlete or flashy player with dynamic ball skills, instead projecting to be a suitable spot-up shooter who can attack closeouts and provide respectable defense, much like his fellow 6-6 wing in Temple. There’s value to that, even if it’s not a grand comparison. Plus, their jumpers look fairly similar, too.
It should also be noted that KenPom has James Young as the player Johnson is most similar to, which is, in a word, not great. Similarly poor finishers (lack of dynamic athleticism and wiggle on their drives) whose shooting had/has to stick. It makes sense, and obviously isn’t great for Johnson, although his mindset and play style seem a bit more reliable than Young’s.