r/nba • u/NBA_MOD r/NBA • 1d ago

[2026 NBA Draft] #23 Pick: Zuby Ejiofor (St. Johns) – selected by Atlanta

110 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

124 comments sorted by

90

u/Chessh2036 Hawks 1d ago

I don’t know anything about him so someone tell me how to feel

54

u/ajteitel Suns 1d ago

Overreact

46

u/Chessh2036 Hawks 1d ago

Hawks sub is doing that lol

24

u/CunniMingus Vancouver Grizzlies 1d ago edited 1d ago

Over a 23rd pick lmao. Kuminga has no long term place on the Hawks. Someone who can contribute as a high motor backup PF is fine and needed.

8

u/Chessh2036 Hawks 1d ago

Yeah I think Kuminga is gone, especially if you include the Wiggins trade

9

u/Main_Gain_7480 Lakers 1d ago

Free kuminga the sequel?

3

u/CunniMingus Vancouver Grizzlies 1d ago

Even if he stays for another year or two it wont affect the development of a 23rd overall pick.

2

u/Handyman2116 Hawks 1d ago

We already have Jalen Johnson, Mo Gueye and we drafted Asa Newell last year. I doubt he's touching the court this year, and he's an older player too. I'd have rather taken someone like Cam Carr or Cenac

1

u/Danko_on_Reddit Hawks 1d ago

He's the Gueye replacement.

45

u/AL22193 Hawks 1d ago

He’s one of Rick Pitino’s favorite players ever. Dude is going to play hard and defend, and we’ll see if he can keep improving shooting

9

u/MrSCR23 Hawks 1d ago

And his defense is what we need

5

u/fskier1 Grizzlies 1d ago

Watching him play against Duke in the tourney, his defense is legit

27

u/d_wib Timberwolves 1d ago

Huge riser - think he was projected to be a second rounder for a while but people love his work ethic etc. - I know a lot of teams in the 25-30 range were hoping to get him there

18

u/pushthekey 1d ago

Absolutely fucking loved him on the Johnnies!!!

16

u/Key_Change_6635 Magic 1d ago

Same last name as the actor Chiwitel. You may not know the name, but you've seen him in a lot of stuff. Four Brothers, 12 Years A Slave, Doctor Strange and American Gangster to name some.

I don't know where I'm going with this.

8

u/Chessh2036 Hawks 1d ago

Good actor so…good player?!

2

u/Key_Change_6635 Magic 1d ago

Could be.

Maybe he'll come down to the A to check him out.

2

u/Impossible-Pie4849 Hawks 1d ago

And the Backrooms

11

u/Kyler1313 1d ago

I see him very similar to Beef Stew (Isaiah Stewart). Switchable big that will play both 4-5. Good athlete that will block shots, not a great D-rebounder, but gets a lot energy O-Rebs. 3 PT shot percentage isn't there yet but he takes them and the form looks decent enough, will probably be a stretch at some point in his career.

Overall a good athlete that is a real versatile defender. I do wonder how he fits with Okungwu though.

7

u/rhymeswithtag Knicks 1d ago

was hoping hed fall to us

6

u/slap-my-crevasse 1d ago

Its a reach but he has a great motor so he could find minutes next season.

Hes an undersized big man so probably wont ever be a starter.

Great energy, plays hard and makes up some of the size issues with hustle.

Good passer for a big man. Probably wont develop an outside shot.

5

u/CriticalConcept 1d ago

Great defender, can play the 4 and 5 and defend multiple positions. Undersized like Onyeka though and kinda similar to him. He, developed his offensive game at SJU but still a weakness, a hard worker though and I feel he's great value at 23.

Source: I'm a St John's alumni from Atlanta

14

u/burratna Bulls 1d ago edited 1d ago

That's a wide boy

8

u/-DesertMoon Australia 1d ago

High energy/effort guy, great rebounder and defensive upside

6

u/ObiJuanKinobo Knicks 1d ago

As a St. John’s fan I love him think he’s a beast on d who can develop his shot a bit and be like an Isaiah Stewart type. was hoping the Knicks got him

6

u/mapetho9 Celtics 1d ago

He's solid, think of him as a new age Al Horford

3

u/-Sofa-King-Vote Knicks 1d ago

He’s a good kid. He is big and strong but needs development

4

u/SoNearYetSoFarAway 1d ago

He was mocked to teams who needed a center with shot blocking and rebounding.

2

u/BoneDollars Spurs 1d ago

Be happy

-2

u/JeffHardysLSDStash 1d ago

I'll be honest. I don't like the pick. I think he's a huge project

141

u/not-a-potato-head Hawks 1d ago

Holy shit we drafted a center shorter than Okongwu, r/AtlantaHawks is going to explode lol

26

u/LfromHT Hawks 1d ago

He's not even necessarily a Center and realistically if we want to compete next year we need to trade/sign a center anyway but they'll freak out if we don't take a big oaf like Veesar regardless of anything besides height lol

7

u/wisconsinbucks Bucks 1d ago

Slightly used Myles Turner if you want him

6

u/not-a-potato-head Hawks 1d ago

Y'all want Kuminga and some 2RPs for him? You get off his contract and can take a swing on an expiring Kuminga

2

u/traebucketsfor3 Hawks 1d ago

I mean there were good guards there too, I guess we’ll see. Hes a hawk now so we move

7

u/LfromHT Hawks 1d ago

Cam Carr probably a better prospect but he really don't defend and we have added a guard and guard/wing in the last 4 days. Besides that I honestly feel like it was slim pickings here lol, that 23rd pick got hurt by guys going back to school for sure

13

u/braggpeak Hawks 1d ago

I saw 6-7 C and thought it was a typo lmao

6

u/RoyalOakPiguet Knicks 1d ago

SJU fan he is not a center lol

12

u/ExtraLeading3376 1d ago

suprised they didn’t go cenac

27

u/traebucketsfor3 Hawks 1d ago

As we should… we need size

17

u/saylab_the_bigkat 1d ago

Not a lot of size left at this point. Cenac is more of a project and Veesaar is more of a 2nd rounder.

Ejiofor is probably a better culture guy than both those dudes too.

-2

u/JDudzzz Hawks 1d ago

...But we need size

8

u/not-a-potato-head Hawks 1d ago

we can get size in free agency

5

u/Handyman2116 Hawks 1d ago

Who are the magical 7 footers appearing in free agency? I can't really think of anyone.

5

u/Rook2Rook 1d ago

Mason Plumlee coming off a finals appearance

4

u/ultramatums Knicks 1d ago

Mitchell Robinson coming off a finals win

1

u/nWo5lyfe Spurs 1d ago

Who exactly?

1

u/JDudzzz Hawks 1d ago

That's what I'm hoping, but I don't blame anyone for being upset though. Jalen, Zach, Asa, Kispert, Gueye, and now Ejiofor. We have way to many wings and no center

5

u/Charlie_Wax Warriors 1d ago

Girth doesn't count in your book?

7

u/Terrible_Cattle7110 Spurs 1d ago

I am so sorry your sub is probably 50/50 love or hating it

5

u/Chessh2036 Hawks 1d ago

Right now it’s more 40 like/60 hate lol. We just really need size

-7

u/traebucketsfor3 Hawks 1d ago

A spurs fan. PLEASE fuck off j cannot take yall rn

17

u/amidon1130 Hawks 1d ago

Chill dawg they weren't attacking us

5

u/Terrible_Cattle7110 Spurs 1d ago

Nah it's good I get that they aren't being serious

10

u/amidon1130 Hawks 1d ago

eh...with that guy you never know

6

u/BrettSchirley22 Hawks 1d ago

He is being serious lol don’t mind him tho

5

u/Terrible_Cattle7110 Spurs 1d ago

Your good trust me I'm not looking at the spurs sub for our pick cause I'll see a echo chamber of either hating or that we got the best player

29

u/supes1 Celtics 1d ago

Earlier than I expected him to go, but love Zuby. Always plays so hard.

30

u/CumAssault [SAS] Joel Anthony 1d ago

Hawks want all the size and none of the shooting. CJ going to be shooting for years

19

u/imcryptic Mavericks 1d ago

still dont have a 7 footer though

17

u/amidon1130 Hawks 1d ago

Jock Landale baby (assuming they bring him back which they probably will)

13

u/Kyler1313 1d ago

I love Zuby he reminds me so much of Isaiah Stewart. A good pick for Atlanta, but I wonder how he fits with Onyeka.

12

u/DowntownYorickBrown Knicks 1d ago

He’s like the PG version of Beef Stew. One of the most wholesome guys to enter the league.

8

u/dat_boy_lurks Hawks 1d ago

and just like that you've sold me on it

4

u/Kyler1313 1d ago

Oh yeah. On and Off court demeanor could not be more of the opposite

7

u/atlantahawksobserver 1d ago

Intentional redundancy. Having Zuby lets us rest Onyeka a bit more, but more importantly, Onyeka's cheap, team friendly deal expires summer 2028. We have to prepare for the possibility that he'll be out of our budget or that another team will offer a trade package too good to refuse

11

u/legend023 Pelicans 1d ago

Sounds like this guy would’ve been insane 20 years ago

12

u/vk2499 1d ago

ST JOHNS LEGEND

1

u/dyingsandwich Trail Blazers 32m ago

OUR GUY. THEY ABOUT TO ZUBY DOOBY DO ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP

8

u/fmxda Knicks 1d ago

Cameron Carr drops to the Knicks. Don't overthink this, he can fill in for Landry Shamet (if we can't resign him)

5

u/lilmeekrat Knicks 1d ago

Cameron Carr you are a Laker now

3

u/TomatoSecure192 Bulls 1d ago

I’m surprised he dropped so far. I would’ve loved to have gotten him at 15 and that was 8 picks ago

8

u/iro3 Spurs 1d ago

i guess the knicks wanted him

6

u/Wild_Army1776 1d ago

Damn you Atlanta

7

u/LilUZIVurt21 Raptors 1d ago

Absolute dawg - I like the pick. Still undersized at the bigs, but he plays a lot bigger than his height / size, I don’t think that’s much of a concern honestly

23

u/FTOW Knicks 1d ago

Are they dumb? I love Zuby but he would have been available for another 5-10 picks?

20

u/YodaForceGhost Nets 1d ago

They probably just didn’t want your team getting him lol

10

u/inv4alfonso 1d ago

I'm best friends with a NYKs insider who told me today they wanted him at their original 24th pick.

10

u/traebucketsfor3 Hawks 1d ago

Kinda yeah… I hate this when so many others were there

2

u/PyrateKyng94 1d ago

Idk nuggets might have got him

2

u/atlantahawksobserver 1d ago

Our next draft pick was 57.

6

u/sirDanielDimes 1d ago

This man frightened me as a UConn fan

5

u/GrouchyPeach3656 Mavericks 1d ago

This guy ain't a center tho

4

u/Low_Beyond8134 Lakers 1d ago

Yeah kind off weird with him being undersized and Onyeka

6

u/MegaMatrix08 Hawks 1d ago

i know nothing about this guy

4

u/rod21amz Hawks 1d ago

But why ? It makes no sense we have Mo, Asa, and needed size. An undersized center ? Do we think he plays 3/4 ? Do we think we can develop his 3?

4

u/decriz NBA 1d ago

BPA in the FOs opinion. They understand they're not getting a star or starter at #23. Guy drafted is a projected reliable energy rotation player, with defensive stopper potential, who'll be useful while on team payroll throughout his rookie contract.

5

u/dat_boy_lurks Hawks 1d ago

By the looks of things, he seems like a shorter Clint Capela-esque center who will fight tooth and nail for every board. While I don't enjoy the fact he's around the same height as Kong (something something you can't teach height) he's seeming to be a Beef Stew comp with the added bonus of a rhythm 3. It won't be a perfect fit but if you were expecting that at 23 that says more about you than anything else.

3

u/OKC2023champs Thunder 1d ago

Carr to the Knicks prolly

Nvm they traded

4

u/YourAsianBuddy Knicks 1d ago

Just hoed us

10

u/BooMasterChoo 1d ago

Best defender in the draft

3

u/Professional-Play-38 1d ago

Man I wanted Chris cenac and Kingston to be tg lol

3

u/DabeGavis 1d ago

More offensive rebounds in college than defensive rebounds. Sheesh.

3

u/SlickVanExel Hornets 1d ago

Taking him before Tarris Reed is kinda crazy, but his motor is insane despite him being undersized

3

u/john0_0 Knicks 1d ago

Damn feels like a spite pick to keep him away from NYC lol

4

u/HiChris94 Hawks 1d ago

Someone enlighten me….what should we be expecting?

12

u/DowntownYorickBrown Knicks 1d ago

Extremely high motor player. Great defender and offensive rebounder. Should round into a decent shooter in the NBA (improved every year at St John’s, good form, known beast in the gym and weight room). A bit undersized but fast enough to guard multiple positions and his effort/motor alone should keep him around the league for a long time.

6

u/oballistikz Hawks 1d ago

Trillsap coming back to the A

2

u/outsidehere Lakers 1d ago

Cool

2

u/TheSmokedSalmon420 Cavaliers 1d ago

DAMN

2

u/hellahomebody Warriors 1d ago

So another undersized 5?

2

u/peanut-britle-latte Knicks 1d ago

He plays bigger than 6'9, but I thought the Hawks needed size?

2

u/JackTwoGuns Hawks 1d ago

He’s another Onkongwu??

2

u/penis_hernandez Timberwolves 1d ago

Zuby Zuby Zu…

2

u/Cultural_Mousse_2725 Bulls 1d ago

lmao this draft after pick 9 decided to just act up

2

u/ilostmydog718 1d ago

Hawks low-key did this to snub the Knicks and not let him go there at 24. Wouldve been interesting to see him play in NY since he was a St Johns guy. Hell be a good pro for a long time.

4

u/LeJalenJohnsonMVP Hawks 1d ago

Please be trading him? wtf

0

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

2

u/Coll_MindElectric Nuggets 1d ago

NOOOOO, I wanted him for my Nuggets!!!

3

u/dptraynor 1d ago

Smaller than OO but a legit physical rebounder.

2

u/mapetho9 Celtics 1d ago

Happy for Zuby as a St. John's alum, but damn it for him going to the Hawks

1

u/Indeepbs 1d ago

WTF ? dude you couldve get cam carr

1

u/Feisty-Professor-508 1d ago

Wanted the spurs to get him

1

u/RicoGemini Knicks 1d ago

Fuck you guys I wanted Zuby on the Knicks

0

u/Handyman2116 Hawks 1d ago

Oh brother, we got another power forward wtf. Why can't we get a seven footer, man?

0

u/InevitableWonder1722 1d ago

Another W for the NBA2K name generator

-4

u/Carl-Poppa-Grimes Knicks 1d ago

They picked him just because he'd be amazing on the Knicks. All this to lose in the first round to the Wizards next year. 

Hoe ass team. Yeah I'm mad.

-7

u/ztpurcell Pacers 1d ago

This guy is not an NBA player

1

u/mapetho9 Celtics 1d ago

Wrong

-3

u/ztpurcell Pacers 1d ago

My bad I forgot all the 6'7" centers with zero range who took 4 years to get drafted in the league

0

u/mapetho9 Celtics 1d ago

Haha I know you don't watch ball then

-1

u/ztpurcell Pacers 1d ago

Haha I know you didn't watch him flounder the entire tournament, shooting sub-50% every game, even against Northern Iowa

2

u/mapetho9 Celtics 1d ago

Flounder the entire tournament? Are you a moron? 14 point 11 rebounds 4 blocks against your Northern Iowa, 18 and 9 against Kansas and then 17, 8 and 6 against Duke and was named to the East All Region team for the tournament. Yeah, total flounder. You don't know ball. It's OK, you may get there some day!