Former NBA Draft pick James Nnaji made his much anticipated college debut for Baylor on Saturday amid mixed reviews
The 7-foot Nnaji, a native of Nigeria who was chosen 31st in the 2023 NBA Draft but never played in a preseason or regular-season game, came off the bench in a No. 50 jersey missing his last name on the back.
He did not dominate but did some good things while playing 16 minutes and notching 5 points and 4 rebounds for a plus-5 in a 69-63 loss at TCU.
Several former NBA players weighed in on his performance on the TNT broadcast.
“He’s exactly what they need,” former NBA point guard and current TNT analyst Greg Anthony said during the broadcast. “They lack the depth to begin with, particularly on that front line. He gives them some rim protection. He’s one of those guys that he puts pressure on the rim on both sides of the ball.”
At halftime, former NBA players Jalen Rose and Jamal Masburn as well as former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl also weighed in on Nnaji, who spent several years in the EuroLeague before playing Summer League with the Knicks last summer.
“I know he’s probably coming back from injury, I know he just got signed on the 24th, but I’m gonna need him to dominate,” Rose said.
“I’m gonna need him to play more minutes and be more dominant. Is that too much to ask, because I was there when he got drafted?”
Said Mashburn: “I think he’s playing at his right level right now. Now that’s been my concern about the NBA. Sometimes they go after potential so much and things don’t pan out. You know how it is, when you get married, sometimes you don’t date for potential you wind up getting divorced at the end of the day…So he’s wearing number 50, but he’s not going to be David Robinson, nor will he ever be. I think he’s playing at the right level now. He just took a different pathway to get there.”
Mashburn said Nnaji could also serve a key role in the locker room “as a mentor and leader for that Baylor team once he gets acclimated.”
Pearl said that Nnaji is “out of shape.”
“When Charlotte took him [at No.] 31 they were taking him to develop him and they weren’t paying him a lot of money, and let’s just see if he develops and that’s what this was all about…
“I don’t think it pays off for them [Baylor] right away, but in the long run this move is going to pay off.”
