After spending the last two seasons at Tennessee, senior forward Felix Okpara is heading to the NBA Draft. And with a strong showing at the NBA Combine event last month, the former Volunteer has been receiving some nice reviews with the draft quickly approaching this month.
Okpara has been widely projected as a second-round pick, but his stock has been slightly improving since the combine in Chicago. One NBA insider projects Okpara to land with one of the league’s most exciting young players when the draft rolls around in a few weeks.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie released his full two-round NBA Mock Draft on Monday morning. He’s got Okpara being drafted 50th overall, teaming up with Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg on the Dallas Mavericks. Because it’s a second-round pick, there’s no analysis write-up for the selection.
The Mavericks have three picks in the draft this year, and are somewhat expected to take a pair of guards with their first two picks. That leaves the potential for the front office to take a big man with its final pick. The big question for Dallas this offseason is whether the team moves away from Daniel Gafford or Derek Lively, thus prompting a need to take a forward in the draft.
During his senior season at Tennessee, Okpara averaged 8.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He scored double-digit figures in three of Tennessee’s four March Madness games this past spring, including a 12-point/10-rebound double-double against Iowa State in the Sweet 16.
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Back in May, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo listed Okpara as one of the standout players from the combine.
“Okpara has put together a positive predraft process, showing well enough at the Portsmouth Invitational last month to skip the G League combine and earn a spot at the NBA combine,” Woo wrote. “Though not a flashy option at center, Okpara has solid mobility for his size (6-10 barefoot with a plus-4-inch wingspan), measured in the top five in standing reach (9-4). … He has helped his chances of hearing his name called in the second round as a depth option with a good physical profile for his position.”
One trait that Okpara effectively used at Tennessee last season that could help him with the quickness of the NBA is his defense. The 6-foot-11 forward excelled in guarding smaller and quicker guards and wings during Tennessee’s ball screen switching defense. He’s also got plenty of length to protect the rim, if asked to do so.
Okpara is one of three former Tennessee players to land in Vecenie’s NBA Mock Draft on Monday morning. He’s also got Nate Ament going 12th to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Ja’Kobi Gillespie going 50th to the Toronto Raptors.
Check out The Athletic’s full mock draft here.
