Far from his alma mater of Connecticut, Rookie Wire caught up with Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond at an NBA Cares event the evening before the first of two matches of the NBA’s 2019 Mexico City games.
The first time four teams will play regular-season matches south of the border, the games feature the UConn product’s Pistons against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 12 and a matchup between the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 14.
The evening prior, Drummond’s Huskies narrowly lost a game to Indiana after committing 22 turnovers.
Akok Akok: “It’s tough, it’s heartbreaking. You prepare really hard, it would have been cool to beat a team at MSG. My first time at the Garden, it was an unbelievable experience. But, we fell short. We’ll learn from this, though.”
— David Borges (@DaveBorges) December 11, 2019
Such an outcome normally wouldn’t be worth mentioning to one of the NBA’s best big men, but had it not been for a breakout performance by UConn redshirt freshman Akok Akok, the game might have been a route.
Almost immediately, the Sudanese big man began swatting shots, draining a three and throwing in an off-balance layup up to wrest momentum away from the midwestern powerhouse.
The realization soon crept across the minds of many more such performances might make the freshman’s stay in Storrs a short one, with his balanced skillset being exactly what the modern NBA requires.
How about Alum Akok Akok putting his stamp on that UConn – Indiana game last night. Lots of buzz about the Freshman who had 9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 blocks, 1 assist. Impeccable timing has opponents afraid to attack the rim and sweet shooting stroke both translate to the NBA. pic.twitter.com/fMdn7fvvhb
— Rivals Nation (@RivalsNation) December 11, 2019
Akok would soon run into foul trouble, and his teammates simply didn’t have the will to win the game. But the volcanic eruption emanating from the first-year Husky was enough to grab the attention of US senator Chris Murphy, who tweeted Connecticut might just have “a potential star in the making.”
Certainly the most talented big to play for head coach Dan Hurley in recent years, and at UConn since Drummond.
The former Connecticut star, now in his eighth season with Detroit, had high praise for the young center.
“I don’t think he has a ceiling,” Drummond said. “I think he’s a very, very good basketball player, very talented.”
Imagine thinking you could shoot over Akok Akok pic.twitter.com/Xx5vcm3r2R
— The UConn Blog (@TheUConnBlog) December 11, 2019
Drummond, who only played a single season for the Huskies the year after alum Kemba Walker won a national title for Connecticut, and two before teammate Shabazz Napier would win another, was hopeful Akok would help lift the storied program back to familiar heights.
“He’ll bring [Connecticut] back to where we used to be,” Drummond said. “I think with time, he’s only going to get better and be able to lead that team.”
Unless, of course, he ends up making the jump to the NBA — something he considered before signing with UConn, as reported by 247Sports’ Evan Daniels.
How much does Akok Akok change the game for @uconnmbb? @AlexPutterman takes a lookhttps://t.co/tdgxBMy4Sy
— UConn Insider (@UConn_Insider) December 12, 2019
“Just knowing I could be one of those top guys,” gave Akok pause when making his decision on whether to enroll at Connecticut or bypass college entirely to enter the NBA draft.
“I feel like I’m ready for that,” he added. “I feel like I’m more ready than most [of] the guys.”
Whatever the future holds for Akok, he certainly put NBA scouts on notice with his nine-point, five-rebound and five-block performance on Tuesday night.
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