Knicks Sign Former Magic Forward

The New York Knicks added a little competition to their interior picture by signing Chuma Okeke, formerly of the Orlando Magic.

Jan 15, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) dribbles while defended by Orlando Magic forward Chuma Okeke (3) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks continue to conjure up names to shore up their post depth.

The transactional wizardry continued on Thursday, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that the Knicks added former Orlando Magic forward Chuma Okeke to the fold. That signing comes after New York re-upped with Precious Achiuwa, a listed forward currently expected to serve as the bacup center behind Mitchell Robinson.

Jan 15, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Orlando Magic forward Chuma Okeke (3) shoots during the first half as New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) defends at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Okeke, who turns 26 this month, has had a bit of a cursed professional tenure: some envisioned him as a lottery pick after a strong year-plus at Auburn, but he was injured on the Tigers' road to the Final Four. Orlando chose him 16th overall in 2019 and he lingered in the primary rotation amidst a rebuild. Things, however, fell out this year as he averaged less than 10 minutes a game after several Central Floridian developments (i.e. the return of Jonathan Isaac, the breakout of Goga Bitadze).

In 47 appearances last season, Okeke averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds. His best outputs with Orlando came during his sophomore seasons in 2021-22, where he respectively put up 8.6 and 5.0 in the same departments. Even if he lost his regular minutes, Okeke did win the respect of franchise face Paolo Banchero when he was forced into the starting lineup during a stretch in January.

“He’s always bringing energy and now he’s starting to really play with confidence,” Banchero said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “With his size and versatility, he can shoot the balll, we want him to be aggressive, take good shotsm and hunt (for) his shots."

In New York, Okeke might some trouble cracking head coach Tom Thibodeau's notoriously static rotation beyond an out-of-character expansion, but he 6-6, 229-lb. forward is at least a little bit of post insurance with both Robinson and Julius Randel coming off noteworthy injuries. This preseason might be a major opportunity for Okeke, whose primary competition could be Brooklyn Nets import Keita Bates-Diop, a salary-matching party favor from the Mikal Bridges trade.

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