Auburn is likely losing Chuma Okeke to the NBA draft, but the team’s roster could be able to absorb that loss thanks to two healthy centers, a “free” Danjel Purifoy and one of the best recruiting classes in program history.
It appears that Okeke will keep his name in the draft based on the feedback he received, and this is a big deal because it looked like he was playing himself into a first round pick before suffering an injury against North Carolina.
This is also big for Auburn because Bruce Pearl is now showing that he can bring in basketball players from the Atlanta area and turn them into NBA players.
However, Okeke staying in the draft produces several immediate questions for next year’s team, such as: can Pearl replace Okeke at one of Auburn’s most important positions?
The Tigers run a lot of offense through their power forwards, and there could even be an argument made that this position is as important as Pearl’s point guards, considering the run team went on once Okeke hit his stride.
Without Okeke running the position, Auburn could take a step back on both sides of the court, but there is potential to replace some of his production.
Pearl and company will welcome one of the best signing classes in school history to campus this summer, but there’s not a clear-cut Okeke replacement in the group.
While top 40 talent Isaac Okoro projects as more of a small forward for Auburn, his defensive skill set should have him filling Okeke’s role in a lot of ways.
Jaylin Williams, a 6-8 forward, seems like he could develop into that kind of player, and Auburn could still add to the class through unsigned seniors, reclassifications or even going the grad-transfer route.
However, even without any other additions, the Tigers may already have the pieces to pick up the slack.
Adding another player could still be beneficial, considering the way injuries have impacted Auburn’s last two seasons. But Pearl’s squad has a high-ceiling at the position already, and that should be on display next season.
The most obvious answer at the position is Danjel Purifoy, and Okeke himself might even agree with that.
After Auburn’s win over South Carolina in the 2019 SEC Tournament, Okeke summed it up best when discussing the interchangeable roles for he and Purifoy.
The ultimate team quote today comes from Auburn forward Chuma Okeke.
"Our bench really doesn’t drop off. Danjel is me, and I’m Danjel. Malik is Samir, Samir is Malik."
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) March 15, 2019
But the twist is that Purifoy has always been vocal about wanting to play the three, and Okeke had his biggest impact at the four. Purifoy still almost exclusively played the four after Okeke went down, but still did a good job.
The version of Purifoy that Auburn fans saw during last season’s run—unselfish, constantly hustling for offensive rebounds, knocking down contested shots, driving and playing good defense—could make Auburn elite at the four again next season.
https://twitter.com/pwrofdixieland/status/1106301730105499648?s=21
I expect Purifoy to be a key part of Auburn’s offense – no matter what position he plays – thanks to his three-point shooting and versatility on the offensive end.
He may not be the shot blocker or on-ball defender that Okeke was for the team, but Purifoy can get the job done. He can also switch onto some bigger and smaller players, and his quick hands will allow him to rack up some steals if he buys in and stays focused on defense.
Purifoy might not pull down 12+ rebounds a game like Okeke, but with a healthy Austin Wiley and Anfernee McLemore, Auburn may not need the type of rebounder that Okeke was at the four.
Purifoy did grab 15 rebounds against UConn in 2016 and has had 5-9 rebounds in a few games since then. Okeke had a career-high 14 rebounds against both Alabama and LSU last season.
Okeke had double-digit rebounds in 11 games during his Auburn career, while Purifoy’s only double-digit rebound game was against UConn.
I don’t know if Purifoy will provide as much of an offensive post presence as Okeke did either, but healthy centers could also solve that problem, especially Wiley.
But it’s also worth noting that Purifoy could be a more consistent scorer from start to finish compared to Okeke.
Okeke’s per game averages last season were 12.0 points and 6.8 rebounds, but he came on strong at the end of the season, averaging 14 points and 7.7 rebounds per game on 47 percent shooting from three over his last nine games. He also averaged a block and 2.6 steals per game during that same stretch.
Purifoy showed a similar flash of potential before his ankle injury in 2016-17. In the first 14 games of 2016-17, he averaged 14.2 points per game, 6.0 rebounds 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals, on 38.6 percent shooting from three and 87.3 percent free throw shooting.
I’m not sure Purifoy will be able to back down defenders as well as Okeke, but the ball handling and perimeter skills will allow him to take advantage of bigger defenders.
Since we can't watch Auburn's basketball games from the team's trip to Italy, here's a reminder of one of the things we're waiting for: pic.twitter.com/Av5DSrRFEK
— Auburn Hoops Fan Account (@aubawn) August 9, 2017
Okeke is an excellent passer and ball handler for his size, but Purifoy could be just as good and maybe even better.
Against USC Upstate in 2016, Purifoy logged a career-high nine assists. Purifoy has also had three or more assists in 9 of his 57 games (16 percent) at Auburn. Okeke had three or more assists in 14 of his 72 games (19 percent) at Auburn with a career-high of five assists.
Okeke’s on-ball defending was one of his best attributes, as he could switch from Alabama’s Donta Hall to Alabama’s five-star point guard Kira Lewis and win both matchups in crunch time.
Can Purifoy do things like that?
He has the tools to be a good defender and showed some solid flashes last season, and he may not be able to win any matchup at any time as Okeke could. But that isn’t as big of a problem as it sounds because of Okoro, who has shown that he can also guard anyone at any position.
In the Nike Hoop Summit, Okoro shut down the world team’s best player—5-star point guard Nico Mannion—with the game on the line. During the City of Palms tournament, Okoro held five-star forward Trendon Watford to four points on 1 of 7 shooting and also held five-star guard Brandon Boston Jr to nine points in an overtime game after his McEachern team lost to Boston’s Norcross team in the playoffs the year before.
Okoro’s defense should get him on the court a lot for Auburn, especially if there are any opponents on the floor that Purifoy has trouble with.
Okoro is also a very good passer, especially in and out of the post, making quick touch passes to open teammates a routine occurrence throughout his career.
He has improved his three-point shooting steadily, and that skill set will allow him to play like a versatile forward at the four if Auburn wants him to do that.
If Okoro plays the four, it would also allow the Tigers to move Purifoy back to the three without taking a knock on defense.
This could give Auburn more of a positionless feel at the three and four positions on defense, allowing Okoro to take on whoever is the bigger scoring threat.
Of course, McLemore could possibly get some time at the position as well. Last offseason, with Wiley returning to the court, I was against McLemore playing the four, because it felt like his skill set favored him playing center.
I still think that and believe he is much more important for Auburn as a center, but towards the end of last season, McLemore showed more flashes of being able to blow past defenders and deliver good passes.
McLemore’s skills make him more dangerous as a center, and when he’s making shots, running the floor, and blocking shots, the Tigers are hard to beat.
Auburn should have a versatile defense 2-4 no matter who is on the court next season, so seeing who fits the role of Okeke on offense could be the determining factor, and early on that looks like Purifoy. Pearl choosing to go after a new grad transfer, or a different late addition, could always shake that up.
Replacing Okeke won’t be easy, and Auburn will undoubtedly miss his production.
However, Okeke making it to the NBA will be good for all parties involved, and the Tigers still have the pieces to field another good team next season.