Ex-Orlando Magic ahead Chuma Okeke agreed to a contract with the New York Knicks on Thursday, in response to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Okeke, who will flip 26 on Aug. 18, was the No. 16 total decide within the 2019 NBA draft out of Auburn.
He spent his first 4 NBA seasons with Orlando. The Magic made Okeke an unrestricted free agent in June after they declined to offer him a qualifying supply.
By 189 profession regular-season video games (55 begins), he has averaged 6.3 factors, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 20.3 minutes per recreation whereas capturing 38.3% from the ground, 31.8% from 3-point vary, and 78.9% on the foul line.
The New York Knicks have agreed to a take care of Chuma Okeke, league sources instructed @hoopshype. Okeke averaged 6.3 factors and three.7 rebounds in 20.3 minutes in 4 seasons with the Orlando Magic. At 25 years previous, the previous sixteenth decide of the 2019 NBA Draft has potential untapped upside pic.twitter.com/ZWkWNMnc6p
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) August 1, 2024
In 47 video games (eight begins) with Orlando final season, he averaged profession lows of two.3 factors, 1.7 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.2 steals, and simply 9.2 minutes per recreation.
Okeke additionally shot profession lows of 28% from past the arc and 57.1% on the free throw line. His participant effectivity ranking (6.9) and true capturing proportion (46.5%) had been his worst as properly.
Chuma Okeke averaged career-high numbers with the Orlando Magic within the 2021-22 season
The 2021-22 season with the Magic was his greatest NBA marketing campaign, when he averaged profession highs of 8.6 factors, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 70 contests (20 begins).
He completed seventeenth in steals (97), twentieth in defensive field plus/minus (1.5), and sixth in steal proportion (2.7%).
Okeke’s taking part in time may be restricted once more underneath New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks have made a collection of offseason strikes to strengthen the roster that propelled them to the second-best report within the Japanese Convention final season at 50-32.
New Knick Chuma Okeke within the Backyard January:
15 factors
5-7 FG
4-5 three
Beat hottest group in NBApic.twitter.com/APMXzlK31m— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) August 1, 2024
Nonetheless, Okeke will assist present much-needed depth to New York’s roster. The Knicks misplaced Isaiah Hartenstein and Alec Burks in free company, and the group traded away Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, and Bojan Bogdanovic.
Two main upsides for the Knicks this offseason had been re-signing OG Anunoby and buying Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster commerce with the Brooklyn Nets.
Each gamers will complement the core of Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart.
If Okeke is signed to a assured NBA contract, the Knicks may have stuffed all of their 15 assured roster spots for the 2024-25 season. There are nonetheless two open two-way spots.
