Many were shocked that the Orlando Magic drafted Chuma Okeke so early. And that included Okeke himself.
“I’m really shocked,” he told reporters after being selected. “I didn’t know they were going to pick me this early.”
The Magic used the No. 16 pick to select Okeke, a power forward who suffered a torn ACL during Auburn’s run in the NCAA Tournament. The pick gives the Magic another promising young prospect. But for the foreseeable future, that prospect will be rehabbing alongside Mo Bamba and Markelle Fultz rather than practicing with Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac.
Okeke’s injury, along with the healthy players still available at the time like Brandon Clarke and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, have left some questioning if the Magic reached too far on Okeke.