Jay Bilas has seen enough from the former Cardinal to like his potential as an NBA player.
With the NBA draft finally arriving tomorrow, I thought I'd throw out one more post about where people view Chinanu Onuaku going in the draft. Jay Bilas of ESPN during a teleconference gave his thoughts on the former Louisville Cardinal, saying that while he does not see him as a first round pick, he does have good size and can run the floor:
"I think Onuaku’s got a chance to do well in the draft," Bilas said in a teleconference with reporters Tuesday. "I think he’s a second-round pick, but high up in the second round. He’s got good size, but he runs the floor pretty well and he can rebound and block shots."
Chad Ford of ESPN has said that since having that procedure to correct a rhythm with his heart, it could possibly make teams hesitant in selecting Onuaku. He doesn't have Chinanu in his mock draft, but his mock draft only covers the first round and not the second.
Bilas views Onuaku's free-throw shooting as the biggest downside to his game, however. Despite the critique on his free-throw shooting, Bilas had plenty of compliments to give about Onuaku:
"He did a good job in pick-and-roll situations. He showed himself to be a really good defender. His ability to protect the rim is key because his arms are so long. He’s a good finisher when he gets the ball near the rim. He actually showed an ability to hit an open jumper."
It'll be interesting tomorrow night to see where the big man goes.
