Onyeka Okongwu, the big man out of USC who is viewed as a high lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is reportedly dealing with a toe injury. According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, Okongwu suffered a fractured big toe in his left foot, and while any sort of foot injury will inherently worry NBA teams, word is that this one isn’t expected to be particularly nasty.
As a result, Givony reports, Okongwu is expected to be ready when the season begins after several weeks of rest.
Via ESPN:
The fracture was discovered in early October and was given a six to eight week prognosis, preventing him from conducting workouts with NBA teams.
Sources from multiple NBA teams told ESPN that their doctors have been aware of the injury for some time, have reviewed the medical documentation and do not expect Okongwu’s draft stock to be materially impacted or for the injury to have long-term implications.
A former five-star center prospect out of Chino Hills High School in California, Okongwu dazzled on both ends of the floor during his one year in college, averaging 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks in 30.6 minutes per game for the USC Trojans. Our latest mock draft has Okongwu going No. 9 to the Washington Wizards.