Otega Oweh Shocks Scouts, Koby Brea Catches Fire at Draft Combine: Who Really Won?
The 2025 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago was expected to follow the usual script: big names dominating the headlines, flashy dunks, and carefully measured potential. But as the hardwood echoed with squeaking sneakers and the glare of scouts’ clipboards intensified, two unlikely names rose above the noise—Otega Oweh and Koby Brea.
Oweh wasn’t exactly an unknown. A former Oklahoma Sooner with a reputation for raw athleticism and defensive grit, he’d hovered on the fringe of the draft conversation. But what he did in Chicago wasn’t fringe-worthy—it was seismic.
It started with the vertical leap. Oweh’s 44.5-inch leap had scouts double-checking their sensors. Then came the three-on-three drills, where his anticipation and lateral quickness turned him into a defensive wall. He hounded top prospects like a shadow—blocking shots, deflecting passes, diving for loose balls with a hunger that screamed NBA-ready. His jumper, long considered shaky, now looked serviceable. A 7-for-10 shooting display from deep during drills didn’t just raise eyebrows—it raised his draft stock.
And then there was Koby Brea.
If Oweh was the storm, Brea was the wildfire—sudden, electric, and impossible to ignore. The Dayton guard lit up the shooting drills, nailing 22 of 25 corner threes in one round. Word spread fast: Brea’s heating up. By the time the scrimmages started, all eyes were locked in.
He didn’t disappoint. Brea played with poise, weaving through defenses like he had a map in his head. He hit floaters, fadeaways, step-backs—all with the cold precision of a seasoned scorer. On one possession, he cooked a five-star guard with a behind-the-back crossover and buried a three in his face. The gym erupted. Even veteran scouts, typically immune to Combine theatrics, were murmuring.
“He’s got Lou Williams in him,” whispered one assistant GM, scribbling furiously in his notebook.
Yet, beyond the highlights and head-turning stats, the bigger question loomed: who really won the Combine?
The answer, oddly, may not be simple.
Oweh vaulted from fringe second-rounder to potential late-first. His ceiling looked higher than ever—a defensive stopper with developing offensive tools, tailor-made for the modern switch-heavy NBA.
Brea, on the other hand, had cemented his name in every scout’s top-40. He didn’t just catch fire—he burned a hole in the narrative. More than a shooter, he looked like a microwave scorer who could anchor a second unit from day one.
But the real winner?
It might be the teams smart enough to look past the blueblood names and recognize value. The Combine didn’t just showcase talent—it exposed truth. That heart, preparation, and the refusal to be overlooked still matter.
Oweh and Brea proved that sometimes, the biggest names don’t make the biggest impact—the hungriest ones do.
