USC’s Onyeka Okongwu confident in ability to fit into modern NBA

As he sat in front of the computer for his pre-draft Zoom press conference, arms outstretched along the back of an ornate couch, USC center Onyeka Okongwu was eager to tell reporters how he would fit with any given team.

How about on the Celtics, given their status as a contender? ” I definitely feel like if I ever was to be drafted by Boston, I feel like I could fit into that young core they have.”

And the Detroit Pistons? “I could definitely play alongside Blake Griffin. They got a lot of young players on that team. Definitely be able to be in that mix and help them defensively.”

It’s to be expected; Okongwu’s big job ahead of Wednesday’s NBA Draft is to convince every team on the board to select him, and he made his pitch clear: “No matter what team in the NBA, I feel like I can fit anywhere due to my versatility defensively and my offensive upside and potential.”

But to a certain extent, Okongwu isn’t wrong that his skill set would be a valuable asset to most teams in the modern NBA.

Okongwu came to USC after a standout career at Chino Hills. He won three state titles with the Huskies and was named California’s Mr. Basketball as a junior and senior.

But despite the accolades, he arrived at USC with the perception of being a late first-round pick, not the likely top-10 selection that he’s viewed as today.

“I think the questions were just regarding how would he translate ostensibly as an undersized center. How would his athleticism translate? Would his pick-and-roll defense be up to par from Day One?” The Athletic draft analyst Sam Vecenie said. “The standard for big men is so incredibly high now. In general, I tend to be pretty conservative on them. You need to be special, and you need to be special in specific ways. Okongwu fits the bill.”

In terms of pure stat production, Okongwu adjusted quickly to the college game in his one season as a Trojan. He averaged 16.2 points on 61.6% shooting while grabbing 8.6 rebounds per game.

But where he really established himself as a lottery talent was on the defensive side of the court. At 6-foot-9 with a 7-1 wingspan, Okongwu was a serious deterrent to opposing teams inside the paint. Even when he didn’t block a shot, he impacted players’ release points when they tried to score at the rim.

What separates him from most players his size, though, is his ability to switch on screens. It makes him an ideal center for teams that want to play small, more and more frequently a priority in today’s NBA.

“The ability to play small and athletic while maintaining rim protection is something every NBA team would love to have in their arsenal,” Vecenie said. “He’ll be something of a 6-foot-9 center, but you can surround him with a ton of pieces on the perimeter and make it work.”

Okongwu declared for the draft in March, and by nature of the NBA’s pandemic-delayed season had to wait eight months for his opportunity in the draft. He started his pre-draft workouts near Beverly Hills, but has since moved back to Chino.

In his workouts, Okongwu has worked to refine his overall game, and to add a 3-pointer to his arsenal. He only made one of his four 3-point attempts while at USC, and it was a miraculous three-quarter court heave at the end of a half.

But his primary emphasis has been to improve as a ball handler. It’s an area he didn’t really need to work on at USC, as the Trojans called for him to operate in the low post on offense and pass out to a guard after making a defensive rebound.

But he wants to add that dimension to his game, just like his most-frequent NBA comparison: Bam Adebayo. Okongwu sees many similarities between their game, from their defensive ability as 6-foot-9 centers to their athleticism. Adebayo has worked to improve as a passer, going from 1.5 assists as a rookie to 5.1 in Year 3.

“At Kentucky he wasn’t doing all that he does now so it took him time to develop,” Okongwu said, “and I can definitely do the same thing for myself. …  I never really worked on ball handling before and now these past seven, six months I’ve just been working on that every single day I train.”

Okongwu declined to share any information about teams that he has interviewed with or worked out for, deferring to his agent for such inquiries. Mock drafts have him going as high as No. 2 overall to the Golden State Warriors, and as low as ninth to the Washington Wizards.

But just as he brushes off concerns about whether he can guard bigger or smaller players, he is unconcerned about that potential volatility on draft day.

“I don’t really think about that. Obviously a lot’s gonna happen, people are gonna try to bring stuff up on social media but I don’t really get into that,” Okongwu said. “Wherever I’m projected, I’m projected but as long as I’m selected, I’m just excited wherever I go. I’m not nervous at all, happy for where I go. I’m excited for everything that’s about to happen.”

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