It’s no secret that the Cavaliers need depth at the center position.
While starters Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are excellent at just that — starting — the team needs a big man who can eat up second-unit minutes.
That’s no disrespect to Ed Davis and Moses Brown, who filled in at backup center last season.
It’s simply the truth, and adding depth during the regular season keeps the starters fresh for the playoffs when they’ll be called on to play even more minutes.
Enter Chinanu Onuaku.
Could the former NBA big-turned-international player be a future Cavalier?
Maybe, just maybe.
Wide Interest?
According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, the Cavs are one of several teams that are interested in Onuaku.
The Celtics, Mavericks, Raptors, and Cavaliers have all expressed interest in the Israeli League MVP.
But it’s the Cavaliers, per Stein, who have demonstrated the highest level of interest among those teams in Onuaku’s services.
Again, it makes perfect sense, given what the Cavaliers need.
Chinanu Onuaku is a former second-round pick by the #Rockets, playing in six games over two seasons. He was remembered most for shooting his free throws underhanded. https://t.co/g8GTUkHi6C pic.twitter.com/IDyBsdzmgx
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) June 13, 2022
And bringing in someone with some experience would likely be a better move than taking a chance on a round two prospect in the draft.
If Onuaku does indeed make the jump back to the NBA, he would certainly not be the first player to do so.
Numerous players have left the NBA to play overseas and returned, with various levels of success.
Michael Beasley, Andrei Kirilenko, and PJ Tucker all started in the NBA, left to play overseas, and then returned to American ball.
In fact, Tucker was in a similar position to Onuaku back in 2008.
Tucker won the Israeli League MVP (same as Onuaku).
While Tucker took a little longer to return to the NBA, he’s found a solid niche for himself, playing for strong Suns, Rockets, Heat, and Bucks teams.
The latter of those even earned him a Finals ring last year.
While Onuaku may not ever reach that level, he might just be what the Cavs need in terms of depth.
Who?
The Houston Rockets selected Onuaku 37th back in 2016.
Before that, he played college ball for Rick Pitino at Louisville, overlapping with NBA journeyman and hype god Montrezl Harrell.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the BEST young big 4 in the NBA and it isn’t debatable. pic.twitter.com/ZE8clCfX8v
— 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗻 (@CLE_Optimistic) June 14, 2022
While with the Cardinals, Onuaku earned All-ACC Defensive Team honors and was an All-ACC honorable mention.
In two seasons in Houston, Onuaku appeared in just seven games, where he bounced between the G-League and NBA.
Perhaps his most notorious play came with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G-League Affiliate.
In the 2017 G-League Finals, Onuaku was involved in an altercation with Raptors 905.
The Rockets then suspended Onuaku for two games without pay for shoving a referee during the altercation.
In 2018, Onuaku was traded to Dallas and then waived by the Mavericks.
Since then, Onuaku has been a bit of a globetrotter, playing for teams in Croatia and Korea.
But by far the most success Onuaku has found has been in the Israeli League.
In fact, this past season, Onuaku was even named league MVP for his strong play during the regular season.
In 29 games with Bnei Herzliya, Onuaku tallied 15.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks.
That’s an excellent showing; the question remains if Onuaku can put up numbers anywhere near that in the NBA.
NBA teams wouldn’t necessarily need Onuaku to put up 16 points a night, but if he could keep his team in games while the starters get a rest, it would be a major boost.
Underhand foul shots? Does not inspire confidence in his jump shot.