4. Chuma Okeke – No. 16 Orlando Magic
I am actually a big fan of Okeke and think he will do really well in the league, but this pick certainly came as a surprise. He was projected to go late first round or early second.
Had Okeke not torn his ACL in the NCAA Tournament, he probably would have been projected to go in this range. He is a 6’8 forward who can play both the three or four for the Magic. He is a terrific shooter, making 55 threes at 39 percent clip for the Tigers during his sophomore year.
Traditionally, Orlando has a history of taking players with high upside and length. They haven’t drafted a guard in the first round since 2015. With a hole at the guard spot experts thought they might take a guard like Nickeil Alexander-Walker or Kevin Porter Jr., but the trend of taking forwards continued.
Okeke is different than previous picks like Mo Bamba or Jonathan Isaac in the sense that his game is more refined. When healthy, Okeke can make an impact from day one with his shooting. But due to the injury, it remains to be seen when Okeke will be able to play. If he can get healthy by the middle of the season then this could go down as good pick for Orlando as they try to make the playoffs for the second straight season.