Washington Wizards 2020 NBA Draft: Onyeka Okongwu

Onyeka Okongwu: Weaknesses

Okongwu has a lot of tools in his offensive arsenal, but they need some refinement. Since he’s so blessed physically, Okongwu often tried to outpower and bully his opponents in college. This led to him picking up some unnecessary charges and fouls. He’ll have to develop more of a back to the basket game at the next level. With a better post-game, Okongwu will not have to rely on his physicality alone. Big-men in the NBA will match his strength. He won’t be able to bully guys around on the block as easily and will need to find other ways to score.

Okongwu displayed some shooting touch but he still has a ways to go before he’s considered a stretch five. He attempted less than one three-pointer per game at USC and he cashed in just 25 percent of the time. Right now, Okongwu is better suited to play down-low in the paint. But he has to extend his range to make himself more of a threat offensively. You can’t be a one-trick pony in today’s NBA. Teams will figure out how to shut you down quickly if you’re one dimensional, no matter how good that dimension is.

Even though Okongwu has a 7’2″ wingspan, he’s a little undersized standing at only 6’9″. For the first year or so in the NBA, Okongwu will have to really bulk up and get stronger. Right out the gate, he’ll have to defend some premier power forwards and centers. Here are just a few of the big men in the Eastern Conference he’ll compete against regularly if he joins the Wizards: Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Vucevic, Myles Turner, Brook Lopez, and Jarrett Allen. The only player under 6’10” on that list is Adebayo but he has an outrageous 7’2.75″ wingspan and 9’0″ standing reach. It’ll be a daunting task for Okongwu as a rookie, but he’ll be ready for it.