NBL24 season review - David Okwera

After moving across from NBL rivals Melbourne United following a two-season stint over east, the WA product found himself stuck behind prized recruit Keanu Pinder and highly-rated NBA draft prospect Alex Sarr in the big man rotation.

The 21-year-old featured in 17 games across the season but only averaged 5.5 minutes.

The 208cm talent’s biggest opportunity came when Sarr was sidelined with a hip issue sustained in the win over Adelaide on December 28.

Okwera played 12 minutes in that game, scoring four points to go with two rebounds.

He followed that up with six rebounds and two points in 14 minutes against South East Melbourne on January 13 and a season-high nine points in eight minutes against Brisbane on January 19.

Sarr’s return after a month out meant Okwera’s opportunities were again limited for the remainder of the season.

Okwera said despite the limited time on court, he was making sure to "keep getting better behind closed doors".

"As far as the playing time goes, that's not something you can really control so for me it was about still making sure I was still getting better behind the doors and not necessarily in front of the fans,” Okwera told the East Perth Eagles website this month.

"So I was working as hard as I could with the coaches at practice and on off days putting the work in, and trying to get as good as I can all the time whether I was getting much court time or not."

With Sarr expected to go as high as pick one in the NBA draft in June, Okwera’s minutes could once again rise in NBL25.

The athletic tall is currently flying his trade for East Perth in the NBL1 West competition, where he’s started the season with three consecutive double-doubles.

David Okwera - NBL24 stats

Points: 1.6 per game

Rebounds: 1.5

Field-goal percentage: 40%