Great Osobor Scouting Report
Breaking Down The Game Of British Basketball's Next Great Hope
Looking at the list of British players to make their way to the NBA, that list isn’t likely to blow you away. There are only 2 British players currently on NBA rosters - OG Anunoby with the New York Knicks and Tosan Evbuomwan on a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons. Hardly enough to set the world alight. But there is a prospect currently playing NCAA Division 1 Basketball that could be the next great hope of British Basketball - Great Osobor. The college senior will be looking to force his way up draft boards this year with a strong year of play.
Born in Spain to Nigerian parents, Osobor first picked up a basketball at age 3 as a way for his parents to have him use up his endless energy. Moving to England at age 12, Osobor soon found himself playing for the Bradford Dragons youth teams and eventually at the Myerscough Basketball Academy. With a vision to play his basketball Stateside, Osobor committed to play for the Montana State Bobcats in the Big Sky division of the NCAA Division 1. Two years at Montana State followed where in his second season, he averaged 10 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks on his way to becoming named Big Sky Top Reserve Player. He transferred to Utah State for his junior season and had a stellar year, putting up 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks while being named MVP of the Cayman Islands Classic, Mountain West Player Of The Year, Mountain West Newcomer Of The Year and named to the All-Mountain West first team.
He has transferred again for his senior year and will play for the Washington Huskies in the Big Ten division. With a step up in competition, it will be intriguing to see if Osobor continues on his upward trajectory as he tests himself against a higher level of competition. Let’s take a look at the tools Osobor has at his disposal and what makes him an intriguing prospect.
PHYSICAL PROFILE
Osobor packs a lot of punch into his 6ft 8in, 250lb frame. With broad shoulders, a wide base and a frame that could still comfortably add more muscle, Osobor is more than capable of holding his own on the court as he has that “grown man” strength. He has long arms and a reported 7ft 3in wingspan meaning he has great length as a big man. While he may be undersized as a full-time big, what he lacks in height he more than makes up for with physicality. His game isn’t predicated on brute strength alone though as he shows good movement and feel for a man his size. He may not pack elite vertical athleticism but he is no slouch in that department. He shows good quick feet, movement and lateral agility as well, but although he is quick for his size, he lacks an elite burst of speed. His motor could stand to run a little hotter at times - when you watch him play at the pace he does, it feels like he has a gear or two above the pace he plays but doesn't often shift into those gears. That being said, he is an incredible competitor willing to put his body on the line for his team.
OFFENSE
Osobor has a very traditional big man style of play whereby he does most of his damage on offense down low near the basket. The one thing Osobor is not right now is a willing or consistent shooter. He has shot 22.2% from deep on 0.2 attempts a game over his 3 seasons in college. He has shown more of a willingness this past year to attempt shooting from deep but would need to see increases in both volume and consistency in making them. His free throw shooting has remained fairly steady with percentages of 66.3, 66.4 and 63.7 across his 3 seasons. Last year saw him get to the line 8.1 times a game on average, just less than double the 4.4 times he got to the line in his sophomore year, but hopefully there is a bump in efficiency this year. The shot chart below reinforces the data that he will need to show more willingness to shoot from deep and make them at a higher clip.
Where he is effective though is around the rim, shooting 67.7% of his shots around the basket. He is comfortable using his frame around the rim to get to his spots and is rarely bullied off of them. He loves backing down his defender in the paint and can spin off of them in either direction to finish with either hand. Whether this will translate as well at the next level remains to be seen but he uses it to devastating effect in the college game. He looks equally comfortable finishing with his right hand or his left which is a bonus and makes it that bit trickier for his defender to guage which way he will go and he can has great soft hands around the rim with a variety of post finishes. He can rise up to get his share of dunks and gets his share of second-chance points.
Osobor has shown flashes of ball handling ability but isn't necessarily a player that will be relied upon to be a primary creator. His handle can be a tad loose at times but he has shown a willingness to put the ball on the floor. He lacks the initial burst to blow by his defender but he is capable of driving to the basket with power to finish at the rim or hit the open man in the corner. He is capable of hitting cutters from a variety of spots on the floor and has good passing touch for a big man.
Off the ball he is comfortable stepping out to the perimeter in the flow of the offense but as I said above, he is not a consistent or overly willing shooter at this point. He is a great connective ball mover and also shows great understanding in the pick-and-roll and is comfortable operating in the short roll or in DHO actions. He sets solid screens and seems immovable when standing his ground.
DEFENSE
The first thing that sticks out in Osobor’s defense is his rebounding. Despite being undersized as a big man, his incredible strength allows him to box out effortlessly and fight hard on the glass. He is as awesome on the offensive glass as he is getting defensive rebounds, averaging 2.7 offensive boards last year. He has great instincts for where to position himself to best grab the rebound and has the length to compete for them when he is out of position. He competes with a great intensity and fights for each rebound like his life depends on it. He generates a ton of second-chance points with his instinctive offensive rebounding feel for jumping at the right time and place.
Another area he excels at on defense is his stock numbers (steals/blocks). Last year he averaged 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks a game with a steal percentage of 2.3% and a block percentage of 4.6%. He uses his fantastic length well to generate plenty of both, particularly blocks where he can pair his length with verticality to be hard to shoot over. He uses his long arms particularly well on closeouts where he can cover a lot of ground in a few strides and get to the shooter before they get their shot off. He is also able to use his length to poke the ball away from opposing ball handlers to generate a lot of steals and forced turnovers with his very active hands. For a player that plays as hard as he does and contests as much shots as he does, he has a relatively low volume of fouls, averaging 2.4 last year and 2.5 for his career so far.
At this stage, he has shown to be most effective while defending down low but has shown great flashes of defending on the perimeter when required. He has shown good lateral quickness and agile feet when defending on the perimeter, although he lacks elite speed to be able to keep up with quicker guards and wings. While he may lack that elite burst of speed or quick first step, he is a force to be reckoned with when he gets going and recovers well from poor positions on the floor. Down low, he uses his body well to absorb contact and he contests shots at the rim well with his great length. It will be interesting to see how he matches up this year with a step up in quality of opposition and the added height of some of his matchups. If he can remain switched on as a defender and make use of the instincts and timing he already has then he could be in for a solid year on the defensive end.
POTENTIAL
While he may not project to have the high All-Star upside that many teams are looking for in young prospects, Osobor offers something just as valuable - reliability. You know what you are getting with Osobor on the floor and he has the skillset to fulfil a role as a backup big on a roster, with the potential to even become a solid starter down the line. He has clear limitations to his game that he would need to improve on for that to happen but he has a clear path to the NBA. For teams looking for rebounding, shot blocking, rim protection and a post presence on both ends, Osobor would be more than worth taking a shot on.
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