Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie keeps on rising. An underrated prospect coming out of high school, he starred at Tech for two years and since declaring for the draft his stock has risen from second-round to likely late first-round pick.
SAYS WHO?
Gary Parrish of CBSSPORTS.COM pegged Okogie as a potential Nets pick in his mock draft of May 24, shortly after Okogie impressed at the combine. Two weeks later, he didn’t see any reason to move off that in his mock of June 5. Draft expert Jonathan Givony of ESPN.COM concurred in his mock draft published on June 8. Former Nets beat writer Tim Bontemps, now of the Washington Post, also projected Okogie to Brooklyn in his mock draft published June 14.
SO, WHO IS HE?
Okogie was born in Lagos, Nigeria on Sept. 1, 1998, so he’ll turn 20 later this year. He moved to the United States with his family at age 3 and starred in high school in Snellville, Ga., outside Atlanta. Just two years ago, Okogie was not regarded as a major recruit, drawing little interest from in-state Georgia and carrying a three-star rating before committing to Georgia Tech with the only ACC offer he received. But he quickly blew past expectations, impressing so much as a freshman that he earned a spot on the USA Basketball U19 team that competed in the FIBA World Cup in 2017.
WHAT’S HE DONE?
As a sophomore, Okogie averaged 18.2 points and was fourth in the ACC in scoring while playing 36.4 minutes per game and shooting 38 percent from 3-point range on 4.2 attempts per game. He was named Third Team All-ACC as a sophomore after making the ACC All-Freshman team the previous year. Okogie started all 61 games he played over two years at Tech, averaging 16.9 points and 6.3 rebounds and shooting 38.2 percent from 3-point range.
WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?
The consensus scouting reports on Okogie so far add up to an undersized 3-and-D guy at 6-4 and 213 pounds. Already rated as a solid defender, Okogie was measured with a 7-foot wingspan at the combine, which will help him guard across multiple positions. That was just part of his strong impression at the combine, where he also measured a 42-inch vertical leap. Those factors likely contributed to Okogie’s strong rebounding numbers for his height and position. He’s shown range with his 38-percent 3-point shooting, but not as much high-level off-the-dribble game.