Ochefu is a player that gets little respect as an NBA prospect. That's probably because his game has little sex appeal: he doesn't hit 3's, he doesn't have fancy post moves, and he isn't an explosive leaper who throws down monster blocks and swats shots above the rim. Nonetheless, he's the best player on a Villanova team that steamrolled the rest of the NCAA en route to a championship, and he deserves a look with our raft of 2nd-round choices. Ochefu is in a similar mold as Poeltl, and an optimistic comp for him is Andrew Bogut. He's a traditional center with solid size (6'10.5 245lb) and good length (7'3). He's first and foremost a defensive anchor, collecting 2.6 blocks per 40 and hustling his butt off on every possession. He's a great rebounder (13 per 40). He has shown some ability to switch screens with good footwork on the perimeter, but he will only have average quickness + mobility at the NBA level. Offensively, Ochefu can be efficient in a limited role, as he shot 63% this year on primarily paint touches (17pts/40). He sets good picks and he can take advantage of good post position. However, he isn't much of a pace + space big; his FT% has improved to the high 60's, but he isn't a jump shooter, and he also doesn't have much speed in transition. Overall, he only improved marginally this year from last, but he did slash his turnovers (previously a major weakness) while slightly increasing his usage.
I think it's easy to see Ochefu having a career in the NBA, and he'll be ready to contribute from day 1. I'd love to draft him with one of our 2nd round picks.
Topic: Let's draft Daniel Ochefu (Read 1322 times)