Cards in the Pros: Chinanu Onuaku Could Find Better Fit in Dallas

Former Louisville Cardinal and Houston Rocket Chinanu Onuaku was sent to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. How does he fit with the Mavs?

Chinanu Onuaku is a Dallas Maverick.

The former Louisville stand-out, turned second round pick is headed to the Mavs in a trade with the Houston Rockets that covers the remainder of Onuaku’s $1.5 million contract in exchange for a second round pick in 2020.

This, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (WOJ BOMB!).

Onuaku never panned out as a prospect with the Rockets. He was often promising at the G-League and Summer League levels. In nearly two full seasons with the Rio Grand Valley Vipers he averaged close to  a double-double. Last season he started 39 out of 40 games at the G League Level where he averaged 10.8 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, a block, and a steal per game. This is down slightly from his 13 point, 10.6 rebound output in 2016-17.

The problem for the Rockets was that Onuaku did not provide enough return on investment, and frankly was not improving quick enough. Onuaku was seen in a similar light as Rockets starting center Clint Capella. who had an outstanding season for the squad, and seemed to improve every game.

Onuaku came to the Rockets with plenty of promise. He was nothing short of outstanding at Louisville. In his second, and final, season with the Cards, Chinanu averaged 10 points and 8.5 rebounds while swatting two shots per game on defense. Louisville utilized him early and often, usually feeding him from two or three quick buckets to start the game, thus drawing double teams and opening up the floor. His decision to leave the Cards was understood and encouraged by those around the program.

Since leaving though, Onuaku has been stagnant. Often times, his weakness has been his inability to shoot the ball. Born with a hand deformity that doesn’t allow him to put a normal arc and spin on his shot, he often strays away from shooting except for around the basket. Although he can shoot, his shot is slow to get off, which is difficult at the NBA level. His inconsistencies led him to famously begin shooting free throws “granny style,” which has seemed to work quite well at every level.

Onuaku’s strengths are his defensive presence, his above-average passing ability from the post, and his rebounding. Ultimately, Onuaku was being pushed further and further down the depth charts in Houston and hogging a spot on the roster that they desperately needed to open up in order to secure a likely trade for Carmelo Anthony.

In Dallas, he will join former teammate and Cardinal Ray Spalding on a Mavs team that is looking to assemble a formidable young squad. Dirk Nowitzki returns for his 21st season, with a slew of players- including Spalding- that could back him up at the four spot

Onuaku is listed as a center, but it will be interesting to see where he fits on this team. DeAndre Jordan- one of the best centers in the league- will start at the five spot. He could be backed up by Dwight Powell, a center who is in a similar spot as Onuaku. But, if Chinanu proves to be a serviceable piece, he could find himself coming off the bench for 10-12 minutes a game to give Jordan some rest.

On the other hand, Nanu goes to Dallas with a non-guaranteed contract, making him expendable post training-camp. The Mavericks could easily waive Onuaku with no financial penalty, then assigning him to their G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends.

The fit in Dallas seems more suitable for Onuaku. This could be a second chance to jump-start his career and continue the upward trajectory he was on at Louisville. He certainly will provide excellent defense and passing from the low post position, which is precisely what the Mavs will be looking for.

Here’s to second chances, ‘Nanu!