{"id":514778,"date":"2026-01-03T22:18:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T22:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/514778\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T22:18:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T22:18:14","slug":"james-nnaji-2023-nba-draft-pick-comes-off-bench-in-baylor-debut-as-bears-lose-at-tcu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/514778\/","title":{"rendered":"James Nnaji, 2023 NBA Draft pick, comes off bench in Baylor debut as Bears lose at TCU"},"content":{"rendered":"

The reason so many college coaches made a big deal about the addition of 2023 NBA Draft pick James Nnaji<\/a> to Baylor\u2019s roster was because of the precedent that it set; it wasn\u2019t because of Baylor gaining a huge competitive advantage.<\/p>\n

That much was obvious on Saturday when Nnaji made his debut in a 69-63 loss to TCU.<\/p>\n

Nnaji, the 31st pick in the 2023 draft, was solid, scoring 5 points in 16 minutes with four rebounds, one assist, two turnovers and four fouls. Baylor was plus-5 in his minutes on the floor and his 7-foot frame was impactful on the defensive end, as TCU (11-3, 1-0 Big 12) made only one shot on the five that he contested.<\/p>\n

NNAJI PUTBACK \ud83d\ude24#SicEm<\/a> | #CultureofJOY<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/dfK4zMxRNf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Baylor Men\u2019s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Nnaji, who wore a No. 50 jersey without his name on the back, was booed by TCU fans every time he touched the ball. The 21-year-old\u2019s signing \u2014 with four years of eligibility \u2014 sparked reaction from around the sport over the last week because he\u2019s the first NBA Draft pick to play in a college basketball game. But Nnaji, who has played professionally in Spain, Turkey and in the NBA Summer League, hasn\u2019t appeared in a regular-season NBA game nor signed an NBA contract.<\/p>\n

That made him eligible in an era where international pros and ex-G League players have flocked to the college game.<\/p>\n

The fact he played 16 minutes showed how desperate Baylor (10-3, 0-1) was for another big at midseason. Baylor signed Nnaji on Dec. 24 and he practiced for the first time Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The Bears have only one other true big man (Caden Powell) on the roster, and Nnaji will certainly help Baylor\u2019s defense and give coach Scott Drew another playable big man. He looks to be a good fit for what Baylor looks for in its centers: rim rollers who can protect the rim. Nnaji set a lot of screens, and when he got the ball around the basket, he showed a good ability to get balanced and score.<\/p>\n

But Nnaji is not expected to turn Baylor into a national title contender, let alone a Big 12 contender. At best, he could get Baylor on the right side of the bubble. He\u2019ll likely be a guy who will eventually play 20-30 minutes per game as he learns Baylor\u2019s schemes, but as Drew said this week, it\u2019s not like he just landed a surefire pro.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he was an NBA player right now, he would be in the NBA,\u201d Drew said. \u201cAnd number two, whenever someone joins at semester that hadn\u2019t played college basketball, doesn\u2019t know our offense, doesn\u2019t know our defense, I don\u2019t expect him to go out and dominate. I\u2019m hoping he learns enough so he can get on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

Credit to Nnaji. With just three days to get ready, he did enough to earn his coach\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n