2015 Draft

[bamafan]

Paul Silas was an immoveable object that relied on instinct and positioning to be an elite rebounder. Barely got off his feet so don't see the comparison at all and the only shot he ever blocked was his own ala Glen Gondrazack (credit to Peter Vescey). :huh:

 

[FKASJU]

I think a decent, recent comparison is Larry Sanders. The newly rich member of the Milwaukee Bucs. His offensive game is still being worked on even now after a few years in the NBA. He is lankier than Obekpa (albeit taller), but I think his dominance on the defensive end is what got him noticed, and drafted in the middle of Round #1. And Sanders got noticed playing a much lower level than the Big East.

 

[beast of the east]

I think of Dennis Rodman and Paul Silas as pros when I think about CO in the future. He's not there yet but his body control and strength that are evidenced in his shot blocking should show through in defense and rebounding as he gets more coaching and experience.

Those guys both had a nose for the ball when it came to rebounding. Both did most of their work on their ground, not in the air, by working extremely hard on positioning, boxing out, and not just standing still when a shot went up. The very last attribute I mentioned is a key to why Rodman was a phenomenal offensive rebounder. It's hard for me to make a comparison of those guys to CO at this point, because he hasn't exhibited any of those talents as far as rebounding and at this stage of his career is a sub-par rebounder at his size.

 

[fuchsia]

Just anticipating learning and development and suspecting CO has the toughness to grow into a power forward pro with a nose for the ball.

 

[beast of the east]

Just anticipating learning and development and suspecting CO has the toughness to grow into a power forward pro with a nose for the ball.

I hear your point, and as you know, respect your opinions. What I think many, not necessarily you, equate is shot blocking with overall defensive prowess and rebounding. To an extent, shot blockers can be the most undisciplined of defenders, often following the ball, leaving their man, while they rack up crowd pleasing spectacular swats. An undisciplined shot blocker can be disruptive to a defense, not the anchor, and even with impressive shot block numbers, can actually be the reason for a porous defense. Not claiming that Obekpa is of this sort, but I will say that his propensity to go for blocks did not correlate with his overall defensive ability.

If we see his NBA potential on the defensive end of the court, he will have to develop into a stellar rebounder, and rock solid defender. In order to become both, almost naturally his number of blocked shots will decrease. Although blocked shots weren't recorded in Russell and Chamberlain's era, both appeared to be very good at blocking shots without sacrificing defense and rebounding. (amazing stat is that Chamberlain I think averaged something like 22 rebounds per game for his entire career)