The Tennessee Volunteers saw their third expected player to go off the board in the NBA Draft, and the second in the second round in center Felix Okpara.
Tennessee’s rim protector last season was picked by the Orlando Magic with pick No. 46 overall.
It seemed like Okpara was heading to central Florida to join a young Magic team on the rise. However, as very often is the case in the NBA Draft, a curveball landed a few minutes later.
Okpara was quickly traded to the Washington Wizards.
I find Okpara’s prospects to be very interesting. While he doesn’t possess the offensive game to make too much of an impact in the NBA, there’s no denying his abilities on the defensive end and on the glass at both ends. That ability brings a lot of value in at least a rotational role on the Wizards’ bench. You never know for sure if a second-round pick will stick, but I’m willing to bank on a big body in the lane who can guard the rim like he does.
Okpara will be joining a Wizards team that’s undergone quite the facelift. They have some interesting pieces in guard Trey Young and big man Anthony Davis. The Wizards also took BYU forward AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick, so there’s star potential there.
Like Gillespie, we’ll see how summer ball goes for Okpara, and what kind of impact he can make with his new team.
Congrats, Felix!
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