Minnesota Sports Forum

monsterpile wrote:Lip I just watched highlights of Onyeka Okongwu and did a little other research. Comparing him to John Collins Okongwu is clearly thicker stronger. He is listed at 245 and Collins was 225 coming out of college. Okongwu looks to be longer also in terms of wingspan. I doubt he will be shorter than Collins in terms of height. Upside? I didn't watch him play but like you pointed out he was a pretty good FT shooter at 72% and he did at least take a couple 3's last year. He took plenty of FTs so his percentage probably isn't a fluke. Having said all that watching highlights he doesn't really wow me. Do I like him? Sure. How much more do I like him than say Jalen Smith or Oturu or some other guys I haven't become aware of yet like Reed. I think I'd be more likely to take a chance on a perimeter player than Okongwu unless something whacky happens and nobody is left at the Wolves pick that sounds that exciting. That's my current take. =) Ok back to "work".

I just don't get the idea of Okongwu in the top 5.

Like you said, rather go for Oturu at 16 for the same production.

To whoever asked me about which big I'd take:

Wiseman. He's still the top prospect on my board despite the perceived red flags that surround him. We've already discussed those at length so I won't touch on them, but I'll just say that his physical makeup and skills in combination are absolutely rare. The guy projects to be another unicorn in the league and I think he'd be an awesome fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns.

But assuming the Wolves get shafted in the draft lottery -- because they almost always do -- my two targets are Devin Vassell of Florida State and Saddiq Bey of Villanova. Two of the most efficient wings in this class and great positional versatility to boot. Both project to be dependable volume shooters from three -- perhaps more -- with the defensive prowess to be difference-makers on that end.

TheFuture wrote:

monsterpile wrote:Lip I just watched highlights of Onyeka Okongwu and did a little other research. Comparing him to John Collins Okongwu is clearly thicker stronger. He is listed at 245 and Collins was 225 coming out of college. Okongwu looks to be longer also in terms of wingspan. I doubt he will be shorter than Collins in terms of height. Upside? I didn't watch him play but like you pointed out he was a pretty good FT shooter at 72% and he did at least take a couple 3's last year. He took plenty of FTs so his percentage probably isn't a fluke. Having said all that watching highlights he doesn't really wow me. Do I like him? Sure. How much more do I like him than say Jalen Smith or Oturu or some other guys I haven't become aware of yet like Reed. I think I'd be more likely to take a chance on a perimeter player than Okongwu unless something whacky happens and nobody is left at the Wolves pick that sounds that exciting. That's my current take. =) Ok back to "work".

I just don't get the idea of Okongwu in the top 5.

Like you said, rather go for Oturu at 16 for the same production.

Okongwu looks at least as agile and quick as Collins even though he's 25 pounds heavier than Collins coming out of college.

Oturu's comparable production came as a sophomore. Okongwu's production this past season exceeded Oturu's Freshman production. And Okongwu's shooting percentage as a freshman was better than Oturu's as a sophomore. Regarding the eye test, I don't think it's close. Okongwu looks significantly quicker and more agile than Oturu. Don't get me wrong - I like Oturu. But no draft analyst has rated Oturu as high as Okongwu and there's good reason for that as I compare their respective freshman stats and watch highlights of both. I actually saw Oturu play in full games and I definitely like him.

I wouldn't take Oturu as high as 16. If the Wolves opt for a player other than Okongwu with their top pick, then I'd draft Paul Reed over Oturu later in the draft if the idea is drafting a defensive big to help out KAT. Reed is probably gettable with our 2nd round pick. I like that Reed averaged 2 steals and nearly 3 blocks while also averaging nearly 11 boards.

Honestly, I'm not super excited by any of this year's draft prospects and that includes Okongwu. If I were picking solely on overall talent and upside, I'd take Wiseman or Ball. If I were picking on upside AND chances of reaching potential (i.e., low bust potential), then I'd draft Edwards. But I'm intrigued by Killian Hayes, and Deni Avdija as potential NBA stars. I just don't have as good a feel for them since they don't have any NCAA stats or video against other top college players. I also see Obi Toppin as a potential star, but I worry about reports and video that suggest he'll be a poor defender. If KAT weren't defensively challenged, then I'd be inclined to take Obi if I were Rosas.

Otherwise, the guys who interest me as having decent upsides and fairly high floors are Haliburton, Okongwu, Bey, Vassell and Reed. I worry about Bey's lack of penetration skills. He has a slow first step, short strides and no shake in his offensive game. But he's a great 3-point shooter and looks like he'll be a good defender. I love Vassell as a really good potential 2-way NBA player.

lipoli390 wrote:

TheFuture wrote:

monsterpile wrote:Lip I just watched highlights of Onyeka Okongwu and did a little other research. Comparing him to John Collins Okongwu is clearly thicker stronger. He is listed at 245 and Collins was 225 coming out of college. Okongwu looks to be longer also in terms of wingspan. I doubt he will be shorter than Collins in terms of height. Upside? I didn't watch him play but like you pointed out he was a pretty good FT shooter at 72% and he did at least take a couple 3's last year. He took plenty of FTs so his percentage probably isn't a fluke. Having said all that watching highlights he doesn't really wow me. Do I like him? Sure. How much more do I like him than say Jalen Smith or Oturu or some other guys I haven't become aware of yet like Reed. I think I'd be more likely to take a chance on a perimeter player than Okongwu unless something whacky happens and nobody is left at the Wolves pick that sounds that exciting. That's my current take. =) Ok back to "work".

I just don't get the idea of Okongwu in the top 5.

Like you said, rather go for Oturu at 16 for the same production.

Okongwu looks at least as agile and quick as Collins even though he's 25 pounds heavier than Collins coming out of college.

Oturu's comparable production came as a sophomore. Okongwu's production this past season exceeded Oturu's Freshman production. And Okongwu's shooting percentage as a freshman was better than Oturu's as a sophomore. Regarding the eye test, I don't think it's close. Okongwu looks significantly quicker and more agile than Oturu. Don't get me wrong - I like Oturu. But no draft analyst has rated Oturu as high as Okongwu and there's good reason for that as I compare their respective freshman stats and watch highlights of both. I actually saw Oturu play in full games and I definitely like him.

I wouldn't take Oturu as high as 16. If the Wolves opt for a player other than Okongwu with their top pick, then I'd draft Paul Reed over Oturu later in the draft if the idea is drafting a defensive big to help out KAT. Reed is probably gettable with our 2nd round pick. I like that Reed averaged 2 steals and nearly 3 blocks while also averaging nearly 11 boards.

Honestly, I'm not super excited by any of this year's draft prospects and that includes Okongwu. If I were picking solely on overall talent and upside, I'd take Wiseman or Ball. If I were picking on upside AND chances of reaching potential (i.e., low bust potential), then I'd draft Edwards. But I'm intrigued by Killian Hayes, and Deni Avdija as potential NBA stars. I just don't have as good a feel for them since they don't have any NCAA stats or video against other top college players. I also see Obi Toppin as a potential star, but I worry about reports and video that suggest he'll be a poor defender. If KAT weren't defensively challenged, then I'd be inclined to take Obi if I were Rosas.

Otherwise, the guys who interest me as having decent upsides and fairly high floors are Haliburton, Okongwu, Bey, Vassell and Reed. I worry about Bey's lack of penetration skills. He has a slow first step, short strides and no shake in his offensive game. But he's a great 3-point shooter and looks like he'll be a good defender. I love Vassell as a really good potential 2-way NBA player.

I think I agree with Lip and I say Oturu moves like a center. Okongwu moves more like a PF...well at least back when that's what they played. He is more like the PFs teams were drooling over back in the days when KG Webber, Amare etc were what every team were looking for. I'm not suggesting he is that good but more than type of athlete type although I'm not sure how athletic I think he is. Oturu is a good athlete (As opposed to a bad one) but not as fluid. I'll be interested to see how he measures out. It's worth mentioning Naz Reid put up some pretty good numbers as a freshman last year for LSU and they were a pretty good team.

I guess Reed, Vassell and Bey are next up on my prospects to check out.

Who is this class has the most upside?

bleedspeed177 wrote:Who is this class has the most upside?

Wiseman

bleedspeed177 wrote:Who is this class has the most upside?

Ball. The league is about guys who can handle the ball and not big men any more.

khans2k5 wrote:

bleedspeed177 wrote:Who is this class has the most upside?

Ball. The league is about guys who can handle the ball and not big men any more.

Fit or upside?

bleedspeed177 wrote:Who is this class has the most upside?

If we are talking straight upside. Lamelo Ball and ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI.

Both could absolutely bust out and I do believe both have a really low floor but if we are talking potential star it's those 2 guys, Haliburton could also. I just dont see a ton of upside players in this draft

Anyone see Shawn Livingston coming out of college as Haliburtons best comparison?