Ebuka Okorie turned his 2025-26 Stanford season into a first-round conversation — and now he's seeing it through. Despite early speculation that he was merely testing the draft waters, Okorie has committed to staying in, per ESPN, closing the door on a return to The Farm and a Kyle Smith squad that will have plenty of new faces regardless.

As a freshman, Okorie averaged 23.2 points per game, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and shot 35.4% from three. 

The questions around him are real: he's undersized for a point guard and more scorer than playmaker. That profile has "spark plug off the bench" written all over it at the next level — but teams are clearly betting the shooting and first step translate, with ESPN projecting him at No. 23 to the Atlanta Hawks via Cleveland.

Being a late first-round pick in a deep class could also be beneficial to Okorie, who has a better shot at landing with a team that has established players, as opposed to a lottery pick that would be seen as "the star."

At 19, his game is going to need some refinement at the next level, and a playoff environment gives him the runway to develop without the pressure of being the main attraction. 

The Hawks finished 46-36 and won the Southeast Division, but their first-round playoff exit — including a 140-89 demolition in Game 6 against the Knicks — revealed a team that has pieces but not quite enough of them.

That's actually an ideal situation for a prospect like Okorie. Atlanta is competitive enough to offer a winning environment, but hungry enough that a player who can provide instant scoring off the bench won't have to wait long for meaningful minutes.

CJ McCollum is a free agent this summer after a few months as Atlanta's starting point guard, coming over in the Trae Young trade in January. The Hawks retain his "Bird rights," meaning they can exceed the league's salary cap to re-sign him.

Gabe Vincent was Atlanta's backup point guard this past season, and the 29-year-old averaged 4.4 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in his 13.3 minutes per game. He too is a free agent this summer, and could be the spot that Okorie ends up filling if Atlanta selects him. 

With Okorie projected to land in the first round — and comfortably — that is another boost to the program that Kyle Smith is helping to build on The Farm. Stanford has been a place where the undervalued can earn real playing time and use that to not only grow their games, but launch their NBA careers, as we saw with Maxime Raynaud in Smith's first season. 

With Raynaud landing with the Sacramento Kings in the second round and turning into the steal of the 2025 draft, and Okorie looking like a prospect that could do the same in this year's draft, Stanford could soon become a destination for NBA hopefuls who want to be developed, not just recruited. 

Ebuka Okorie is staying in the NBA Draft. Join StanfordRoundtable — it's free — and let us know where you think he'll be selected. Never miss an article by following us @StanfordRTable!