The Orlando Magic have opted to redshirt Chuma Okeke, waiting until next year to sign him. That means health is his biggest priority for the young forward.
Chuma Okeke has been in the background all offseason.
At the Rookie Transition Program in New York, Chuma Okeke donned an Orlando Magic jersey for the first time and gave fans at least a brief glimpse of what he might look like when he finally suits up for the team.
That will be at least a year from now according to all accounts.
For now, his work will remain in the background. Recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the NCAA Tournament, Okeke had a long road ahead of him to get back on the court. With the Magic’s usual patience, Okeke will get all the time to come back healthy and no pressure to play.
Shams Charania of The Athletic confirmed what many suspected when the Magic made Okeke the 16th overall pick in the draft. Okeke will get a redshirt season in 2019 and sign his rookie contract in 2020.
Sources: The Orlando Magic plan to redshirt No. 16 overall pick Chuma Okeke this season. Creative move by both sides allows Okeke to focus on ACL rehab while still being in team's long-term plans and receiving salary of 16th pick.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 23, 2019
Everyone will have to be patient waiting for Okeke as he makes his recovery. The Magic, as they always have been with injuries, appear ready to wait until Okeke is 100 percent healthy. They do not want to throw him into a NBA game before he is ready physically or put the pressure on him to return quickly or in the middle of the season.
It is an odd decision in that Okeke defers a year of payments and will not be playing basketball anywhere. His contact with the team will be limited, relying on his own staff and agency to help him in his recovery.
But it is also a necessary move for his recovery.
For the Magic, this is a cost-saving move. Okeke stays off their books and prevents the Magic from dipping into the luxury tax. But it is also a long-term one, ensuring Orlando does not lose a year of a potentially solid player in Okeke on his rookie-scale deal.
Either way, it seems likely Okeke will sign with the Lakeland Magic when he is healthy to play and get his rehab starts and play there — whether that is January, February or March. Okeke has a path to playing time and the chance to recover fully.
NBA rules permit players associated with the team to rehab in their facilities. Okeke is likely to hang around the Magic’s training facility a bit throughout the year. He just cannot participate in practices and his contact with team personnel will be limited. And he will likely do some rehab on his own with his own staff and personnel.
It will be an awkward relationship for sure. One where the Magic likely will not be able to comment on his recovery much until he is back in the fold — in one way or another.
Orlando likely knew where Okeke stood in terms of his recovery and what they hoped to do when they drafted him. The Magic passed on some potential immediate-impact rookies to take Okeke in a shocking selection in June.
There was still a lot to like.
In his final year with the Auburn Tigers, Okeke averaged 12.0 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game, shooting 38.7 percent from beyond the arc and a 57.7 percent effective field goal percentage.
Before his untimely injury, Okeke looked like the best player on the floor against the North Carolina Tar Heels, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in that NCAA Tournament game. Okeke helped inspire Auburn to reach the Final Four, but he played a key role in getting them to that point with his play.
Okeke is a solid spot-up shooter and an improving driver. He will fit into almost any offensive scheme if he can continue to hit 3-pointers at a solid rate. He has great athleticism.
It is easy to watch him play and see why scouts fell in love with him. If not for his injury, he could have been a real sleeper throughout the draft process.
But his hallmark is on defense. He is a solid defender and has good length and size to defend the perimeter. As his offensive game developed and he gained confidence on that end, he used his defense to make his mark for the Tigers.
Yes, Okeke checks off a lot of boxes for Orlando.
He is tall and has good length and size for his position. The Magic likely envision him as a versatile wing defender, able to switch onto 2s, 3s and 4s with ease, fitting seamlessly with the duo of Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon — and now to some extent Al-Farouq Aminu.
Okeke is the exact kind of player Orlando values for that positional versatility and mindset.
From that sense, the pick made absolute sense. If Okeke had not been hurt, he likely would have been taken late in the lottery or about where the Magic selected him.
Orlando Magic
In redshirting him, then, Orlando is putting faith in its medical staff and in Okeke to recover to that pre-injury level and then continue to grow as a player.
Judging by how Jonathan Isaac recovered from his injury after the patience both team and player showed and how slow and cautious the team took Mohamed Bamba‘s injury recovery and how the team has approached Markelle Fultz’s injury, it seems certain the Magic are going to take their time. They believe in their process with young players and they will take their time with it.
Still, there will be an eagerness to see Okeke on the floor. Even if it is with the G-League, the Magic stuck their necks out to select him.
Especially considering how Orlando is aiming to climb the Playoff ladder this year. Finding an impact rookie — even one who contributes a minimum to the team this year — would have helped bolster that cause.
Okeke was an odd long-term play for a team that has some serious short-term goals.
Then again, Okeke likely would have struggled to find minutes with the roster as presently constructed. The team is loaded in the frontcourt with Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac, Terrence Ross and free-agent signee Al-Farouq Aminu manning the forward spots. Evan Fournier and Wesley Iwundu will likely log minutes there too.
That might add to the confusion to adding a player like Okeke. He has great philosophical fit for the team but does not have a clear position or spot in the rotation.
Perhaps Wesley Iwundu’s future free agency — or some other move the Magic might make in the next year — was in mind when picking Okeke. That roster spot and opportunity could open up quickly.
That is all down the road. There will be plenty of time to debate Okeke’s selection when he is finally able to hit the floor.
The goal for now — the only thing that matters for Okeke — is getting healthy. That is the Magic’s priority and why they likely felt a redshirt year would be beneficial for them and for Okeke.
Orlando has to hope Okeke can get some run in Lakeland this year before the main organization wraps its arms fully around him during the summer and in Summer League. But that will only happen if Okeke gets healthy.
Until that happens, it is hard to say much about what his year will look like.