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Chuma Okeke

New York Notes: Barrett, Durant, Bol, Bazley

June 19th, 2019 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Family considerations are part of the reason R.J. Barrett wants to be drafted by the Knicks tomorrow, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. At a press conference today, Barrett explained that his grandfather was a huge Knicks fan, his mother is from Brooklyn and his father played at St. John’s.

It appears Barrett will get his wish, unless someone leapfrogs New York and makes a deal with Memphis for the No. 2 pick. He has turned down requests for a workout with the Grizzlies, saying he prefers to play for the Knicks.

“My agent and I and my parents, we just decided not to (work out for Memphis),’’ Barrett said. “Not really anything wrong with Memphis. New York is just more where I wanted to be.”

Ja Morant ranks slightly higher on the Knicks’ board, but the team will be content to stay put at No. 3 and take Barrett if that’s how the draft works out, a source tells Berman.

There’s more from New York on the eve of the draft:

  • While the Knicks have clarity about their draft situation, free agency looks very different, notes Frank Isola of The Athletic. He cites league sources who believe Kevin Durant is headed to New York, even if Kyrie Irving winds up in Brooklyn. However, Isola is skeptical after hearing months of rumors that they want to play together. He adds that Durant’s Achilles surgery last week was performed by an orthopedic surgeon who formerly worked for the Knicks but is now with the Nets.
  • The Nets attended a private workout for Oregon center Bol Bol last week, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.TV. Brooklyn has the 27th pick and would probably have to move up for Bol, but the foot injury he suffered in college make his draft range unpredictable.
  • Darius Bazley is a name to watch if he’s still on the board for the Nets‘ selection, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The 6’10” forward didn’t play college basketball after committing to Syracuse, but he has been impressive in workouts. Lewis mentions Stanford’s KZ Okpala, Auburn’s Chuma Okeke, USC’s Kevin Porter, Arizona State’s Luguentz Dort and Croatian Luka Samanic as other possibilities at No. 27.
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Chuma Okeke To Stay In Draft, Skip Combine

May 13th, 2019 at 7:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Auburn sophomore forward Chuma Okeke will sign with an agent and keep his name in the NBA draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweets.

Okeke has decided not to participate in the NBA Combine, apparently comfortable with his draft status, Givony adds. The 6’8” Okeke is currently ranked No. 41 by Givony.

The decision to sit out the Combine suggests Okeke will go higher than that, perhaps in the first round. Okeke suffered a torn left ACL during the NCAA Tournament and underwent surgery on April 2nd.

He posted averages of 12.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.8 SPG and 1.2 BPG during his sophomore campaign. He excelled in the tournaments, notching 18 points and 13 rebounds against Tennessee in the Tigers’ 84-64 Southeast Conference championship victory. Okeke erupted for 20 points and 12 rebounds against North Carolina in a 97-80 win during the Sweet 16 before he suffered the injury while driving to the basket.

Okeke came off the bench during his freshman season, averaging 7.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG.

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Full List Of 2019 NBA Draft Combine Participants

May 8th, 2019 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has revealed its list of 66 players who have been invited to next week’s draft combine in Chicago and who are expected to attend. The combine will take place from May 15-19.

While a small handful of top prospects often skip the event, that won’t be the case this year — Zion Williamson and Ja Morant are on the league’s list of 66 names, along with R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, Jarrett Culver, Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter, and many more. Of course, those top prospects may not participate fully in all of the workouts and scrimmages at the combine.

A few more names figure to be added to this list, as a select number of the 40 draft-eligible prospects participating in the G League Elite Camp earlier in the week are expected to receive invites to the combine.

Here’s the full list of 66 names announced by the NBA today, in alphabetical order:

  1. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, G, Virginia Tech (sophomore)
  2. R.J. Barrett, G/F, Duke (freshman)
  3. Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky (freshman)
  4. Darius Bazley, F, Princeton HS (OH) (N/A)
  5. Bol Bol, C, Oregon (freshman)
  6. Jordan Bone, G, Tennessee (junior)
  7. Brian Bowen, F, USA (born 1998)
  8. Ky Bowman, G, Boston College (junior)
  9. Ignas Brazdeikis, F, Michigan (freshman)
  10. Moses Brown, C, UCLA (freshman)
  11. Brandon Clarke, F, Gonzaga (junior)
  12. Nicolas Claxton, F, Georgia (sophomore)
  13. Jarrett Culver, G/F, Texas Tech (sophomore)
  14. Luguentz Dort, G, Arizona State (freshman)
  15. Devon Dotson, G, Kansas (freshman)
  16. Carsen Edwards, G, Purdue (junior)
  17. Bruno Fernando, F, Maryland (sophomore)
  18. Daniel Gafford, F/C, Arkansas (sophomore)
  19. Darius Garland, G, Vanderbilt (freshman)
  20. Quentin Grimes, G, Kansas (freshman)
  21. Kyle Guy, G, Virginia (junior)
  22. Jaylen Hands, G, UCLA (sophomore)
  23. Jaxson Hayes, F/C, Texas (freshman)
  24. Tyler Herro, G, Kentucky (freshman)
  25. Jaylen Hoard, F, Wake Forest (freshman)
  26. Talen Horton-Tucker, G, Iowa State (freshman)
  27. De’Andre Hunter, F, Virginia (sophomore)
  28. Ty Jerome, G, Virginia (junior)
  29. Cameron Johnson, G, UNC (senior)
  30. Keldon Johnson, F, Kentucky (freshman)
  31. Mfiondu Kabengele, C, Florida State (sophomore)
  32. Louis King, F, Oregon (freshman)
  33. Romeo Langford, G, Indiana (freshman)
  34. Dedric Lawson, F, Kansas (junior)
  35. Jalen Lecque, G, Brewster Academy (NH) (N/A)
  36. Nassir Little, F, UNC (freshman)
  37. Charles Matthews, G, Michigan (junior)
  38. Jalen McDaniels, F, San Diego State (sophomore)
  39. Ja Morant, G, Murray State (sophomore)
  40. Zach Norvell Jr., G, Gonzaga (sophomore)
  41. Jaylen Nowell, G, Washington (sophomore)
  42. Jordan Nwora, F, Louisville (sophomore)
  43. Chuma Okeke, F, Auburn (sophomore)
  44. KZ Okpala, F, Stanford (sophomore)
  45. Miye Oni, G/F, Yale (junior)
  46. Eric Paschall, F, Villanova (senior)
  47. Shamorie Ponds, G, St. John’s (junior)
  48. Jordan Poole, G, Michigan (sophomore)
  49. Jontay Porter, F, Missouri (sophomore)
  50. Kevin Porter Jr, G, USC (freshman)
  51. Neemias Queta, C, Utah State (freshman)
  52. Cam Reddish, F, Duke (freshman)
  53. Naz Reid, C, LSU (freshman)
  54. Isaiah Roby, F, Nebraska (junior)
  55. Luka Samanic, F, Croatia (born 2000)
  56. Admiral Schofield, G, Tennessee (senior)
  57. Simisola Shittu, F, Vanderbilt (freshman)
  58. Killian Tillie, F, Gonzaga (junior)
  59. PJ Washington, F, Kentucky (sophomore)
  60. Tremont Waters, G, LSU (sophomore)
  61. Quinndary Weatherspoon, G, Missippi State (senior)
  62. Coby White, G, UNC (freshman)
  63. Kris Wilkes, G, UCLA (sophomore)
  64. Grant Williams, F, Tennessee (junior)
  65. Zion Williamson, F, Duke (freshman)
  66. Dylan Windler, G, Belmont (senior)

Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga) and Matisse Thybulle (Washington) are among the potential first-round picks who aren’t on the NBA’s list of combine participants, as noted by Jeremy Woo of SI.com and ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter links).

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Chuma Okeke Entering Draft Despite ACL Tear

April 20th, 2019 at 5:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Auburn’s Chuma Okeke isn’t going to let a torn ACL get in the way of his NBA dream. The sophomore power forward, who suffered the injury late last month in the NCAA Tournament, has decided to test the draft waters, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Okeke will hire an agent, but that won’t affect his eligibility under the new NCAA rules.

Okeke is listed at No. 41 on Givony’s latest big board, but he was projected as a late first-rounder before the injury. Okeke was in the midst of one of his best games for the Tigers, putting up 20 points and 11 assists in a regional semifinal win over North Carolina, when he suffered the tear.

The injury will prevent Okeke from participating in the combine or doing any pre-draft workouts, notes Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link), so it will be difficult for him to improve his draft status. Scouts will have to go by his performance at Auburn, where he averaged 12.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game during his second collegiate season.

Okeke has stretch four potential in the NBA, shooting 38.7% from long distance this season. His 7’1′ wingspan and defensive versatility will also work in his favor. Several teams have told Givony they won’t be hesitant to draft Okeke because of the injury.

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Possible First-Rounder Chuma Okeke Tears ACL

March 30th, 2019 at 6:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Auburn’s Chuma Okeke, a potential first-round pick in this summer’s draft, suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in last night’s win over North Carolina, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Surgery is set for Tuesday, according to Tom Green of AL.com.

The sophomore power forward collapsed to the court on a drive to the basket late in Friday’s regional semifinal game. He grabbed his left knee and remained down for several minutes before limping to the locker room with help from trainers.

“It’s just hard to take in,” teammate Bryce Brown said. “I don’t think Chuma deserves that at all.”

Okeke is listed 29th on the latest ESPN big board of draft prospects. He averaged 12.0 PPG this season and led the Tigers in rebounding, steals and overall plus/minus.

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