Ehimen; NBA potential

[Aargh]

I think someone will draft Orukpe. There are drafts in the NBA just to make sure someone else doesn't get a player to play against them.

I think it's going to be obvious that the emphasis has been to teach Orukpe defense. And, my goodness, has he learned that! His height and athleticisim indicates his D could translate into the NBA. If he has 365 days a year and 8 - 12 hours a day to work on his offense, I think he could get to NBA levels within a year or two. If any NBA teams concur with my opinion, he's gold in the draft. Well, silver - second round.

[Kung Wu]

I thought the rule of thumb with larger 7'0ers was that you generally take him and see if he pans out in 2 years. Was surprised that Stutz didn't fly in on that rule of thumb based on the success he had here. Obviously EO is bulkier and quicker than Garrett and that may be the difference between getting a 2 year try and not getting one.

[rrshock]

Why is there another eo thread? How can the other one grow if seperate ones are created? :)

[jrschh]

I did a Google search on the 2013 Mock NBA drafts. Several of these drafts are from guys that have inside information into the NBA team offices and there are others who just pull their draft out of their rear orifice. However, none of these are impacted by “fandom” for a particular player.

What you’ll see is none of these drafts (at least the ones I looked at) have EO in their 1st or 2nd rounds, or even mention him at all. Basically, right now, EO is not on anyone’s radar.

I’m not surprised by this. He hasn’t done anything, yet, to get himself on the radar. He had a great defensive game against Iowa, but that is really the only “blip” he’s had this season/career. If he starts putting up games like that consistently the rest of the season, he could start getting noticed. (Plus, the recognition WSU is starting to get in the media will help, too.)

Will it be enough to get drafted in the 2nd round? Probably not. However, he could get interest to play in the NBDL or overseas, maybe. To get drafted he’ll need to have significant improvement on his 2.7 Pt/game, 4.3 rb/game, though his 2 blks/game is a positive.

Many people also go back and talk about the fact he's 7ft and teams will want to draft that height. Well, in those mock drafts there are roughly 11 players listed that are 6’11” or taller (and roughly 5-6, depending on the draft, that are 6’10”). So, it’s not like EO is the only 7 footer out there. Plus, he’s a 5th year senior. A lot (not all) of 7 foot “projects” you see teams take tend to be the guys coming out of their Freshman/Sophomore years that have shown potential in their short college career, even if they didn’t dominate.

Remember, Stutz had solid overall stats (and MVC All Conference selection) as a senior and he’s a 7 footer that didn’t get drafted. (Though athleticism was probably his biggest knock for the NBA.)

I’m not trying to “hate” on EO. I like him a lot and the improvement he’s starting to show in his game. However, at the moment, he’s still a long shot to get drafted.

[ShockerFever]

Why is there another eo thread? How can the other one grow if seperate ones are created? :)

Because PlaneShocker is a thread killer.

[GOSHOX1]

EO still has problems catching the ball. Pob got many of his points on alley ops where their gaurds would penetrate and just loft the ball towards the rim and pob would flush it. This is what I wish we could do with EO, but he still is having problems securing the ball! If he can fix this we will be in for a special year!!

[CBB_Fan]

I did a Google search on the 2013 Mock NBA drafts. Several of these drafts are from guys that have inside information into the NBA team offices and there are others who just pull their draft out of their rear orifice. However, none of these are impacted by “fandom” for a particular player.

What you’ll see is none of these drafts (at least the ones I looked at) have EO in their 1st or 2nd rounds, or even mention him at all. Basically, right now, EO is not on anyone’s radar.

I’m not surprised by this. He hasn’t done anything, yet, to get himself on the radar. He had a great defensive game against Iowa, but that is really the only “blip” he’s had this season/career. If he starts putting up games like that consistently the rest of the season, he could start getting noticed. (Plus, the recognition WSU is starting to get in the media will help, too.)

You are absolutely correct that EO hasn't really done anything yet. In order for EO to get drafted, the following needs to happen:

1. High profile success (Shockers go to the Sweet 16 or farther in the NCAA tournament, on the back of EO's defense)
2. An increase in PPG and RPG (minimum would be about 6 of each)
3. A couple signature games, with NBA scouts around.

The first is something that could easily happen this year. What people may not have noticed is the college basketball is down, way down. Instead of the 2-3 teams that could compete for a title last year, we could have 10 teams that have a shot. Not saying the Shockers are one of those ten, but the same trend extends downward to teams good enough for an Elite 8/Sweet 16. Not a lot of separation this year.

The second is dependent on two things: minutes and EO's improvements on offense. So far, EO is still only playing 15 MPG. If he is getting 20-25 MPG, his numbers will go up on their own. His offensive improvement this year has been noticeable game to game, and I think a lot of that is just getting the kinks worked out of his system against real competition. He has yet to take more than 5 shots in a game, which hinders his PPG by a lot. If he can develop his offense enough to get about 6-7 looks a game (including tip-ins), he could get that 6 PPG pretty easily.

The third one is the most important, and dependent on the first two. He gets 4 chances this season (Illinois State + Creighton) to make an impact in a setting that will be noticeable to NBA scouts, maybe more depending on post-season success and the BracketBuster game. If he can rise to the occasion, scouts will start talking about this big, athletic defender on Wichita State that no one has heard of. He doesn't necessarily have to score 15 points against them, but if he can dominate inside against Carmichael, McDermott, and Echenique scouts will notice.

Without those signature games in front of either a TV audience or NBA scouts, EO's chances are slim. It doesn't matter if he gets up to 10/10/4 if no one sees him do it. His chances depend heavily on making the most of his few chances to get in the spotlight, and on Wichita State's success this year. If we can win the MVC or go far in the tournament, he'll get a lot of publicity that could put him over the hump.

However, if he can get an invite to the draft combine he will get drafted. It happens every year. So guy comes in that no one has heard of and dominates, the NBA's version of the Raiders (look at the 40yd time!) get interested and decide to use a late first or second round pick on him. EO's measurements will open some eyes, and his strength/athleticism (I'm guessing he could break the bench press record) make some jaws go slack.

[SB Shock]

Doesn't EO actually have to play some games?

[small tyme baller]

No chance ... I applaud the efforts of trying to trick yourselfs into thinking there's a chance. EO can block shots with the best of em and rebound ... but he is frail and soft in terms of NBA big men & cannot score to save his life. He has terrible hands and the NBA game would is waaay to fast for him. Think of him trying to go for an ally-oop or catching a scorching no-look pass from some nba PG's ... not gonna happen. I get the arguement he could be a role player and be a defensive presence but when you are a stick figure out on the court and yes, he is muscular but still underweight, you cannot play with guys like the Lopez Bros., Perk, D-Howard, etc.

Name quality competition he's gone against and how he did against them. He posts up because he's supposed to ... not because he wants to. I have yet to see him make a strong agressive move in his time here. Yes, he has scored points and had some dunks but just like Stutz in the paint ... he's soft.

I like EO and think he will be a key cog for our D this year ... but NBA? No. I see him using that degree and getting himself a nice job somewhere. Sorry if I seem to be bashing him ... I'm not, I'm bashing the idea that he is NBA calibur.

[Zardoz]

EO will get some looks. He needs to continue to improve his skills and BBIQ, he really hasn't really been playing basketball that long. He can make some money playing basketball if he chooses, I just don't know if the NBA is in the cards right now.

[CBB_Fan]

No chance ... I applaud the efforts of trying to trick yourselfs into thinking there's a chance. EO can block shots with the best of em and rebound ... but he is frail and soft in terms of NBA big men & cannot score to save his life. He has terrible hands and the NBA game would is waaay to fast for him. Think of him trying to go for an ally-oop or catching a scorching no-look pass from some nba PG's ... not gonna happen. I get the arguement he could be a role player and be a defensive presence but when you are a stick figure out on the court and yes, he is muscular but still underweight, you cannot play with guys like the Lopez Bros., Perk, D-Howard, etc.

Name quality competition he's gone against and how he did against them. He posts up because he's supposed to ... not because he wants to. I have yet to see him make a strong agressive move in his time here. Yes, he has scored points and had some dunks but just like Stutz in the paint ... he's soft.

I like EO and think he will be a key cog for our D this year ... but NBA? No. I see him using that degree and getting himself a nice job somewhere. Sorry if I seem to be bashing him ... I'm not, I'm bashing the idea that he is NBA calibur.

The bolded part is laughably wrong. He doesn't have ball skills, but he isn't soft or frail at all. He's about the last person in the tri-state area I would call frail. He has a more developed upper body than lower body, but his physical strength is not what is going to keep him from going to the NBA. I listed a large number of guys drafted in recent years, and most of them were less physically developed than EO.

Besides which, you miss the point of the thread. This thread is not asking whether he will be a long-term NBA player that competes with Dwight Howard, it is asking whether or not he will get drafted. Tons of guys like Orukpe get drafted and never make it in the NBA, and I think he is only a few good games from being a second rounder.

[Spaulding]

Not gonna happen, IMO.

[shock]

Why is there another eo thread? How can the other one grow if seperate ones are created? :)

The other eo thread is east of the turnpike