Chuma is doing Chuma things, just now he is doing them in an Orlando Magic uniform.
The former Auburn star and 16th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft is lighting it up for the Magic lately and his star is continuing to rise among all of the rookies in the league this year.
Over the past week, Okeke has averaged 18 points, 5.3 rebounds and three assists per game, helping the Magic to two wins during that stretch.
CBS Sports sees the impact that he is having and has him at No. 2 in the latest NBA Rookie Power Rankings.
Per CBSSports.com:
After trading away much of its core players at the trade deadline last week, the Magic entered full rebuild mode. Little did everyone know, Okeke would be the new face of the franchise. OK, that may not be entirely true, but his performance this week definitely showed that Okeke was underutilized while being trapped behind Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon on the depth chart. He was pushed into the starting lineup after the trade deadline, and proceeded to score a career-high 22 points Four days later, he led a comeback against the Clippers to secure a win.
He can do a little bit of everything: pull up from long range, work in a few mid-range jumpers and put the ball on the floor and attack the rim. Against the Clippers, he knocked down some tough shots in traffic, bouncing off defenders and getting off-balanced looks for buckets. If there’s one bright spot from the Magic selling off half their roster, it’s that Okeke gets more opportunity the rest of the season. Let’s see what he can do with it.
We are certain this is just the beginning of Okeke doing great things in the NBA.