NEW ORLEANS — A former Westlake High School student is heading to the Orlando Magic and breaking a draft drought for Auburn.
Rivals.com reports that Chuma Okeke was the No. 16 pick in Thursday's NBA Draft. According to Rivals affiliate Auburn Sports, the Tigers went 18 straight drafts without a player being drafted. Okeke declared for the draft on April 20.
Auburn Sports reports an ACL tear during Auburn's Sweet Sixteen victory over North Carolina sidelined Okeke but he was invited to the NBA Combine nonetheless. He withdrew from the combine before reporting to interviews, allegedly because of concerns over his position in the draft.
Okeke was Auburn's starting power forward in his final season with the school starting in 38 games. According to Sports-Reference.com, during that season he shot 49.6 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from deep. He averaged 12 points, 6.8 boards, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
According to the Associated Press, the Magic are coming off a 42-40 finish, the team's first playoff berth in seven years, and drafted outside that lottery for the first time since 2012.
They selected sixth or higher in five of the previous six previous drafts, although only three of those picks — Aaron Gordon (2014), Jonathan Isaac (2017) and Mo Bamba (2018) — remain on the current roster.
Nathan King, Auburn Sports and Frank Goodall, The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
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