Otega Oweh's stock is rising in new NBA Mock Drafts

Believe it or not, the NBA Draft starts two weeks from today, and it’s looking more and more like two Kentucky Wildcats will hear their names called in Brooklyn. According to a new mock draft, they may even end up going to the same team.

CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein’s latest mock draft has both Jayden Quaintance and Otega Oweh going to the Chicago Bulls, Quaintance with the No. 15 pick (via a trade with Portland) and Oweh with the No. 38 pick (via a trade with New Orleans). Quaintance’s stock has held steady in the middle of the first round, but that’s a significant jump for Oweh, who wasn’t projected to be picked in most mock drafts until a strong showing at the NBA Draft Combine last month.

Finkelstein was in Chicago for the combine and witnessed Oweh’s scrimmages firsthand. Kentucky’s leading scorer the past two seasons showed not only his ability to get to the rim that we came to know so well, but also improved shooting and defense. Combine that with several prospects ahead of him deciding to return to college, and his stock is on the rise. Finkelstein likes the fit with the Bulls.

“Oweh’s power, physicality, and projected two-way grit should fit the new philosophies in Chicago.,” Finkelstein wrote. “When you factor in his improved spot-up shooting, he could have a chance to stick in the NBA.”

Quaintance did not scrimmage at the combine, but he did hold a Pro Day, which Finkelstein said helped ease teams’ concerns about his knee after he played only four games for Kentucky. He considers Quaintance the second-best center in the draft behind Michigan big man Aday Mara.

“Bryson Graham is known to covet size, length, athleticism, and physicality (or SLAP for short), and no player left on the board checks those boxes better than Quaintance. After playing only four games this year at Kentucky, he helped himself at the combine by looking explosive in his pro day. He’s long, powerful, violently athletic at the rim, and a real game-changer on the defensive end of the floor. Of course though, this all hinges on the medical.”

Finkelstein is higher on Quaintance and Oweh than most national media members. In his update today, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has Quaintance going No. 23 to the Atlanta Hawks, and Oweh No. 43 to the Brooklyn Nets. Yesterday, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie projected Quaintance to go No. 17 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, noting that the handful of teams he spoke to about Quaintance had yet to receive his medical reports, which typically come out two weeks before the draft. Vecenie projects Oweh to go No. 56 to the Chicago Bulls (if you’re wondering, the Bulls have four picks in this year’s draft). Last week, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports projected Quaintance to go No. 24 to the New York Knicks, and Oweh No. 50 to the Toronto Raptors.

In just a few weeks, we’ll know for sure. Until then, it’s great to see Oweh’s stock on the rise.

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Cats in NBA Mock Drafts

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