Moments after trading backup center Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Pistons traded into the second round and selected college basketball’s premier shot blocker in Ugonna Onyenso of Virginia. It’s hard to get too excited by a player who lasts until the 53rd pick in the draft, but Onyenso has some eye-popping stats.
Draft analyst Rich Stayman says, “Onyenso ended up 29th on my board, because I think his shot blocking is extremely special (the only high major player to have 15+ BLK% and
under 3 fouls per 40 minutes, which he did TWICE in college). He can play in the NBA, especially since his shot has been growing.”
Let’s dig a bit deeper.
Onyenso is a legit 7-footer with a 7-foot, 4.75-inch wingspan. He blocked 17.4% of shots at Virginia and 15.1% of shots overall during his four-year college career at Kentucky, Kansas State, and Virginia.
He projects to add legitimate rim pressure as a vertical big man, and he is not shy about trying to add a 3-point shot to his game as he looks to stick in the NBA. He is far from a high-usage player, but more than 20% of his field goal attempts were threes during his senior season. He connected at a 27.8% clip. He also shot 76% and 72% from the free-throw line the past two season, so there is reason to believe an actual shot could develop if given time.
The NBA.com draft profile is a nice summation of why its OK to be excited by Onyenso.
Onyenso protects the rim at an elite level with a lengthy seven-foot frame. He led his draft class in block rate by a wide margin and capped his college career with nine blocks against Duke in the ACC Tournament. He doesn’t bite on pump fakes, stays vertical and keeps himself out of foul trouble. His footwork holds up well enough to switch onto guards in short bursts. On offense, he’s a vertical spacer who dunks lobs and cleans the offensive glass. As a senior, Onyenso started flashing the willingness to extend his shooting range.
ProjectionOnyenso projects as a defensive-anchoring center who can step into an NBA rotation right away and protect the paint. The shooting touch he started to flash at Virginia hints at another layer of offensive growth still coming. He’s drawn NBA comparisons to Daniel Gafford and Moussa Diabate. NBA front offices have always found rotation minutes for Onyenso’s playstyle. He could carve out a long career as the paint-protecting big that contenders covet on the back end of their rotation.
