NBA Comparison: Ike Diogu

Strengths: Bigman with a high basketball IQ and well rounded skill set  … Tremendous rebounder who understands how to box out and use his thick body very well to position himself for rebounds … High character guy with a lot of personality and determination … Became a dominant player in sophomore season … Very aggressive offensive player who muscles opponents for position and also has solid post foot work …  Showing a very good outside shooting stroke, and the ability to get good looks, hit a very impressive 38 of 75 (45%) three pointers as a sophomore … Developed a lot of consistency and confidence in his 3 point shot after hitting 29% as a freshman … Physique, while not chiseled has shown steady improvement … Huge wingspan (7’3) gives him an advantage on the boards/around the basket … A very good passer and decision maker … Averaged 3.1 assists per game, a very strong number for a big, showing his great feel and passing ability … Near 1:1 A/TO average is very unusual for a center … Has excellent, big soft hands which come in handy grabbing rebounds and not making turnovers … Would suit a team that likes to play a slower, half court set style of play … Very mature player who rarely loses his composure or gets rattled … Shows a strong understanding of the game and overcomes his lack of explosiveness and quickness well with smarts and skill … Aggressive in creating contact and getting to the FT line … Very solid from the line at 78% …

Weaknesses: Not an explosive athlete … Lacks great speed in the open floor … Lack of foot speed makes it difficult for him to defend on the perimeter … Has worked on his body after struggling with obesity as an early teen and weighing well over 300 lbs throughout his high school career, but still has too much body fat which weighs him down … Not a rim protector, lacking the explosiveness to get off the floor to be a consistent shot blocker … Has very good length, but his combination of height and lack of athleticism make it challenging for him as a likely center for the NBA level … Physical attributes limit his upside …

Notes: Measured 6’8 (in shoes) 269 lbs, with a 7’1.5 wingspan at the 2014 Nike Big Man Skills Academy … Measured 6’7.25 without shoes, 6’8.5 with shoes, 265 lbs, with a 7’3 wingspan and 9’0 standing reach at the 2014 USA Junior National Team Mini Camp …Wanted to be a one-and-done and entered his name into the 2016 draft but pulled out after not liking the feedback he received about his draft stock … Plays sort of like a poor man’s Zach Randolph … Runaway Big Ten Player of the Year performer …

Aran Smith 5/7/17