Barça have already found the power forward they were looking for in the market after the departure of Oscar Da Silva a few weeks ago to Munich. Chimezie Metu is the one chosen by the Barça technical secretariat, a prodigious American player with a Nigerian passport who lands at the Palau Blaugrana to leap in quality inside. Sign until 2025.
Joan Peñarroya is beginning to outline his final squad for the 2024/25 season, a year in which the Catalans are practically obliged to offer a facelift compared to last season. With Roger Grimau they did not lift any title, far from the ambitions of a team that aspires to everything. Metu joins the list of Kevin Punter, Juan Núñez and Justin Anderson as the summer signings.
Trained at USC and 260 games in the NBA
Chimezie Metu, 27 years old and 2’08 m tall, is a power forward born in Los Angeles, California, who trained at the University of USC. He played with the Trojans from 2015 to 2018, and in his senior year he averaged 15.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in 34 games as a junior, numbers that earned him a first-team selection in the Pac-12, one of the most powerful conferences in NCAA Division I. He was selected in the NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, with the 49th pick of the second round, although his journey as a player of the Texan franchise lasted until 2020 when he was cut.
Sacramento Kings (2022-2023) and a final season wearing the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons jerseys have been the Californian’s adventures in the best league in the world. After 14 games played with the latter team, the Michigan team decided to decline his player option for the 24/25 season, thus making him a free agent and opening the doors for his arrival at Barça, which will be his first experience in Europe after 260 games in the NBA
Who is he and how does he play?
The Nigerian-American Metu, who will act as Cotonou, so he will not occupy a non-EU place in ACB, has played most of his games in the ‘4’, where he takes advantage of his portentous physique and his fast legs, although it is expected that Peñarroya can also place him in the center to rest Willy and Vesely in the rotation. Chimezie has always stood out for being a fantastic athlete, and at the club they expect him to be a differential in the open field. Despite being an interior player, he is very comfortable in transition situations.
“He takes advantage of his size and wingspan very well to take advantage of his rivals and knows how to position himself to take position and fight for the rebound,” said NBADraft.net in Metu’s analysis before he enters into the NBA. The 27-year-old may not look like a fine stylist, but he possesses nimble footwork that can be difficult to contain at the ACB and Euroleague levels. This past season he had his best game with the Suns jersey against Doncic’s Mavericks, a game in which the power forward scored 23 points and 19 rebounds, demonstrating all his offensive arsenal combined on the court with superstars such as Kevin Durant or Devin Booker, teammates in Arizona.Twitter NBA
Chimezie is not a specialist from the three-point line, he has touched 30.0% on three-pointers in his last year in the NBA, although he is not a player to floats when he gets up from the arc. He has a good hand. With him on the court, especially in the ‘5’ position, Peñarroya will have a center who can be a threat in receiving and shooting situations.
An improvement over Da Silva
Jabari Parker is the starter in the power forward position and there is no doubt about that at the Palau. The American shone in his first season as a Barça player and aspires to continue progressing under Peñarroya. Parker landed with many doubts at Barça due to his knee problems and he was a melon to open that, in the end, ended up going very well. The case of Metu, his substitute in the ‘4’, is similar. He has just run out of space in the NBA and could now rediscover his best basketball at the Palau. Due to his profile and talent, he is a clear candidate to explode and become one of Europe’s revelations. Let’s remember that he also has experience in the Nigerian senior team, even playing in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.
Chimezie, a priori, will improve the level that Da Silva had shown with the Barça shirt, a player who did not finish evolving or being a differential for a team like Barça, which aspires to all titles. The improvement is evident, although, like all players who cross the pond, a period of acclimatization will be necessary.
It should be remembered that, without being an NBA star, Metu has the cachet of a reliable player for the rotation of a team with playoff aspirations. The Bucks, Clippers, or even the champion Boston Celtics were some of the franchises that showed interest in the power forward at the beginning of free agency.
Metu: “It will be a great year”
As is protocol after announcing a signing, Chimezie Metu said his first words as a Barça player on the club’s social networks. “Hello culers, this is Chimezie Metu. I’m looking forward to joining the team and I can’t wait to see you at the Palau Blaugrana. This season will be a great year. I hope to see you all there. Long live Barça!” he said.
