2024 NBA Draft: Kentucky's Ugonna Onyenso Changing The Game With Ten Blocks
The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off a much-needed win on Tuesday against Ole Miss. The Rebels are an underrated team in the SEC with very talented players on their roster, but they come just short in Rupp Arena. Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves led their team in scoring with 15 points as he shot 6-for-12 from the field. With that in mind, the player who shined brightest for Kentucky was their center, Ugonna Onyenso.
The 7-foot center recorded a career-high in blocks and the second most blocks in a game in Kentucky history. Onyenso notched ten blocks against Ole Miss with several other high-level plays made at the rim. Kentucky has struggled this season in finding the center they want to rely on and give the most minutes to and it’s starting to look like Onyenso might run away with the starting position. He could receive the most minutes as long as he stays out of foul trouble in the near future.
Onyenso is currently averaging three blocks in just 17 minutes played per game, which is insane production by the lengthy center. When you watch Onyenso play you see a long, lengthy shot-blocker that has really good timing, size and defensive instincts to make game-changing plays inside the painted area. He still has to clean up his on-court positioning as at times he tends to find himself out of position due to not being fully engaged or a lack of awareness.
Onyenso at times finds himself on the bench due to being in foul trouble, so if he can continue to improve his decision-making on the defensive end then he should easily be playing over 20 minutes a night at the center position. The potential is there for Onyenso to be an elite rim protector, but he still has to clean some things up. If he keeps playing at this level, we could be talking about him as a potential selection in the 2024 NBA Draft.
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