Chuma Okeke’s upside could be more than a buzzword for the Pacers

Chuma Okeke wasn’t part of the Auburn Tigers’ Final Four run, but what he showed before his ACL injury should grab the attention of the Indiana Pacers.

A player coming off injury is always a risky proposition but for the Indiana Pacers, Chuma Okeke might make sense for them. Had he played in the Auburn Tigers’ Final Four games and gotten more national attention, this might be an easier sell, but nonetheless, there are obvious and less obvious reasons why he could fit into the Pacers.

The 6’8 power forward decided to stay in the NBA draft this week, making the sophomore another one of those risk-reward picks in the first round of the draft, or maybe second. He certainly made an impact during his time in the tournament which was unfortunately cut short during the Sweet 16.

But before that ACL injury ended his college career — it shouldn’t play a big factor as he enters the NBA — he started to show us exactly what he could do.

Full disclosure: I work for a company that designs the layout for the Auburn-Opelika news, which covers the Auburn Tigers. I don’t think this makes me biased toward Okeke as much as it may be the bias of focusing on one thing vs seeing a bigger picture with Okeke and his time there in Auburn.

His final game at Auburn could serve as a great audition tape for Okeke. The sophomore forward shot 8 of 11 from the field while knocking down 3 of his 5 attempts from beyond the arc. His 11 rebounds were a bit of a surprise, but 2 assists, 2 steals and blocked shot weren’t.

He scored 20 points in the 25 minutes he played before injury struck.

Even without the hype of a Sweet 16 performance such as that, his 12 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.8 steals a game are all the signs of a player with both hustle and skill.

His athleticism and relative size haven’t always translated into points, but a 58.4 True Shooting percentage says he knows how to score beyond just his physical attributes.

Unlike some of the more flawed prospects late in the first round and into the second, the stats for Okeke back up the idea of potential being more than others. Outside of his mid-range shooting a free throw rate, many of the advanced numbers are on Okeke’s side.

And you don’t need stats to tell you plays like this can translate to the next level.

His size isn’t perfect as he’d likely slide down to small forward in the NBA, but his physical attributes make me believe he’ll make up for any positional changes and be able to slide up and down a position depending on matchups.

And his 3-point shooting projects to be slightly above average in the NBA. No matter how few 3-pointers the Pacers take, having players that make them matters.

Everything about Okeke says upside is more than a buzzword for him.

Why he makes even more sense for the Pacers

Indiana is in an odd position right now. Victor Oladipo is on the mend, but he also isn’t young enough to think about punting on the season entirely. Okeke makes sense for the Pacers because even if he isn’t ready to play this season, he should be fine going into next season at worst.

On top of that, there’s a feeling that eventually, Indiana will trade one of its centers. Whether it is Myles Turner or Domantas Sabonis doesn’t matter as much to Okeke as much as the importance of having a replacement for one of them eventually.

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While Okeke wouldn’t be playing center, if they trade Sabonis and end up losing out on Bojan Bogdanovic, they’ll need the depth at forward.

He isn’t the playmaker the Pacers need, but he could fill the gaps around one Indiana pursues in free agency. His skill set is one of a two-way player, something not as easily found late in the first round.

If the Pacers go big in free agency, the depth Okeke might provide is essential to the Pacers being more than a first0round participant in the playoffs.

Currently, he is projected to go late in the first or even in the second round, but if you remove the ACL injury from the equation, it’s much easier to see him definitely being a first-round prospect.

Compared to some of the other prospects, there are simply fewer concerns with Okeke. He isn’t perfect, no who is?