Miami Heat: 5 second round prospects worth buying a pick for
By Frank Urbina
2. Semi Ojeleye, SF, SMU
With the state the NBA is presently in (abandoning low-post play and putting less of an emphasis on outdated positional labels), it’s only logical that today’s elite teams have multiple 3-and-D guys on their rosters. That’s what makes a prospect like Semi Ojeleye so enticing.
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The wing out of SMU is an absolute load, who measured in at 6-foot-7 at the combine, while weighing 241 pounds. His thick frame makes him a handful on both ends, but especially defensively. Ojeleye is a tough competitor, who had no problem guarding opposing wings, or backing down 4s during his time in college.
His offensive game, after a transfer from Duke to the Mustang program in 2015, exploded this past season as well. As a junior, Ojeleye averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 42.4 percent from three.
He attempted 172 three-pointers in total, so the sample size should be a pretty good predictor for his potential as a shooter at the next level.
Furthermore, Ojeleye’s great play helped guide SMU to one of their best seasons in school history. Though they wound up losing their opening game of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the stout small forward wasn’t to blame, as he dropped 24 points and 10 rebounds in the contest.
The Ringer‘s pro comparison for Ojeleye is Jae Crowder, while Draft Express projects him to go 37th overall. If he falls that far, I have a feeling he’s a player we’ll look back on in three years and wonder how he wasn’t a first round pick.
His defensive capabilities and better-than-anticipated scoring touch will definitely pique Miami’s interest come draft night.