NBA Draft

The Golden Choice, Part 9: Why Josh Okogie could fit the Warriors

The swingman from Georgia Tech is still raw but could fit Golden State’s wing needs.

By Charlie Stanton Jun 14, 2018, 12:00pm PDT

Yesterday, I featured Melvin Frazier in the Golden Choice and explained why the Warriors should draft a wing. Frazier isn‘t the only wing though who might be available at the end of the first round. Another option is Josh Okogie. Okogie is a rising junior at Georgia Tech. He waited to declare for the Draft until final hour after a fantastic performance at the NBA Combine.

Okogie, born in Lagos, Nigeria, attended high school in Snellville, Georgia and kept his talents local at Georgia Tech for college. He was unranked heading into Georgia Tech. As a freshman, he averaged 16 points a game and was named to the All-Freshman team in the ACC. This past season, Okogie raised his average point total to 18 and grabbed 6.3 rebounds per game.

The pros and cons of Josh Okogie

Like Melvin Frazier, Okogie is a versatile player. He has the potential to be a lock-down defender who can switch positions. He’s 6-4 with a 7-0 wingspan, plays with a ton of energy and rebounds well given his size.

Okogie is entering the league with a similar resume to Patrick McCaw — both are wings with defensive versatility with replaceable skills on offense. McCaw is a few inches taller, but Okogie plays with more fire. From watching Okogie though (in college albeit), his ceiling could be higher given his athleticism, strength and potential shooting ability.

Offensively, Okogie is solid, but he isn‘t spectacular. His shot needs work. He is a good three-point shooter (38% in college), but his eFG% at Georgia Tech finished at an unremarkable 47.5%. Stylistically, Okogie profiles as a player who could eventually fill-in for Andre Iguodala. If the Warriors can improve his shot, he could turn out to be a fantastic player in the NBA. If not, it’s unclear what the NBA has in store for Okogie.