How Tennessee's Felix Okpara 'helped his chances' of getting drafted at NBA Draft Combine

ESPN had Felix Okpara as one of the standout performers at the NBA Draft Combine on Thursday, after he scored 15 points and had seven rebounds, including three offensive boards, in Game 4 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Okpara in the first game on Wednesday had three points and three rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench during the 5-on-5 scrimmage work.

“Okpara has put together a positive predraft process,” ESPN’s Jeremy Woo wrote, “showing well enough at the Portsmouth Invitational last month to skip the G League combine and earn a spot at the NBA combine.”

ESPN earlier this week in its new mock draft had Okpara projected to be the No. 54 overall pick in the NBA Draft, which is set for June 23-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Felix Okpara averaged 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks last season

Okpara had the fourth-highest standing reach at the combine at 9-4. He was measured at 6-foot-10 without shoes, weighed 237.4 pounds and had a 7-2 wingspan. 

“Though not a flashy option at center, Okpara has solid mobility for his size (6-10 barefoot with a plus-4-inch wingspan), measured in the top five in standing reach (9-4) and was productive in Thursday’s scrimmage with 15 points and seven rebounds,” Woo wrote, “showing his ability to catch lobs and move his feet defensively. He has helped his chances of hearing his name called in the second round as a depth option with a good physical profile for his position.” 

Okpara averaged 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 26.9 minutes per game this season, starting 34 of 35 games. He shot 59.7% from the field, 61.1% on 2-point shots and 63.5% at the foul line. 

He played two seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Tennessee and anchoring the Vols on defense, serving as the rim protector defensively and a rim runner on offense. 

Ja’Kobi Gillespie showed off shooting and playmaking ability at NBA Draft Combine

Ja’Kobi Gillespie was one of six players listed by ESPN as a standout in the two games on Wednesday after he scored 24 of his 28 points in the first half of his game.

“Gillespie had an incredible first-half performance Wednesday,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello wrote. “He had 24 first-half points, including multiple deep 3s over outstretched hands, while also creating space to get into the lane and score inside the arc. He measured in at under 6 feet earlier this week, which is a concern, but his shooting and playmaking ability could mitigate that.”

In 26 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, Gillespie finished with 28 points and went 10-for-17 from the field, 5-for-8 from the 3-point line and 3-for-5 at the foul line. Gillespie started in Game 3 at the combine on Thursday, scoring 15 points to go with five rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes. He was 5-for-12 from the field, 3-for-8 from three and 2-for-5 at the foul line.

Gillespie’s height was measured at 5-11.75 at the combine. He weighed in at 181.8 pounds and had a wingspan of 6-4 and standing reach of 7-11.5.

He averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 34.8 minutes per game while starting all 37 games in his one and only season at Tennessee. The Greeneville, Tenn., native started his career with two seasons at Belmont, then transferred to Maryland before his homecoming with the Vols as a senior last season. 

“Gillespie stood out at three schools during his college career,” Borzello wrote, “spending his first two seasons as an ultra-efficient offensive player at Belmont before shooting better than 40% from 3 in one season at Maryland, then eventually averaging career highs in scoring (18.4 PPG) and assists (5.4 APG) at Tennessee this past season.”