2019 NBA Mock Draft: Could the Hawks jumpstart their rebuild in 2019?

Okpala keeps getting better. I really liked this breakdown in the San Francisco Chronicle previewing Stanford’s odds in the Pac-12, featuring extensive commentary from Okpala, who is up to 49 percent from 3 this year.

Regarding his outstanding sophomore campaign, which has seen him improve his deep shooting by 27 percentage points and provide more rebounding and playmaking, Okpala graded himself as “kind of inconsistent. I’ve done some good things, but still have to get better in a lot of things: defensive schemes, paying attention to details.” Modesty is all well and good, but this guy needs to be honest with himself. He’s balling out in his sophomore season.

Okpala added that as he takes on a bigger role (up to 26.9 percent usage from just 22 percent last season), leadership must come as well. “You could say there’s been sort of a dip compared to last year,” he told the Chronicle. “(Departed transfer candidates like Reid Travis) were established, older.”

A rapidly improving, intelligent athlete from a great college? Sounds a whole lot like 2017 Celtics first-round pick Jaylen Brown, who went to Boston and developed nicely into a 3-and-D role player after being asked to do too much in college. As the Celtics stare at a summer that will define the franchise for years to come, adding depth through the draft in the form of modern players like Okpala will be vital.