The transfer portal has made these blogs a little sticky, because I started working on this article before Utah State's Great Osobor entered the portal. As of today, he has yet to find a home, so as long as I get this piece done quickly it will still count as mid-major mastery. That said, there's a reason Great Osobor is looking to move up to a power five program: he's simply too good to be playing mid-major basketball. That's nothing against Utah State, who had a fantastic season and who pushed Osobor to this new level after getting him from Montana State alongside now Washington head coach Danny Sprinkle. I'm fairly certain, and I'm sure Osobor is too, that if he had stuck around at Utah State, he would have been the top dog in the Mountain West again. I'm just not positive that being the face of the Mountain West will get a fourth-year player any extra draft buzz that he didn't already have. That's why Great is betting on himself, and I think that bet is going to pay off in the long run, here's why:
pc: via Utah State Athletics
Great Osobor is about as close as you can get to being the poster boy of modern basketball. He's a three-point shot away from being able to do it all. He has built a foundation off of retro big man skills and has added the spice necessary to operate in the modern basketball landscape. The 6'8", 250lb forward is a force inside not only because of his size, but also because of his incredible finesse. He brings the ball up the court, operates as an offensive hub, and will wow you with a display of elite-level passing that you don't see from many guards, let alone forwards. Then, on defense, he'll pick up blocks both in the interior and on the perimeter. At this point, if he ends up in the right system that will play around him and help polish his game, I don't see any reason why Great Osobor can't be one of the best players in the country next season.
Inside Scoring:
As far as scoring is concerned, Osobor is basically limited to the paint. For most players, this would limit their offensive versatility, but because he's such as a good passer and ball-handler he's able to supplement some of his scoring limitations. That said, his elite inside scoring acumen is nothing to scoff at. Just because a guy can't knock down the outside shot doesn't make him one dimensional. He's able to score inside in almost every way imaginable, making him difficult to stop even though defenders know where he wants to go. He's a big and powerful player who can bully opponents, but also has fantastic footwork and a soft touch that gives him an advantage over less mobile interior defenders. He's a 6'8" forward who's capable of scoring around the rim like a 7+ footer, and this isn't going to change at the power five level.
This is probably the simplest inside scoring clip I'm going to show in this article, but I think it's important to show that Osobor can handle the routine stuff. I don't have to tell you that Osobor pulls out a spin-move to get around his defender before hitting the easy layup, but I do want to point out how far away from the basket this post-up starts. The defender manages to push Osobor almost to the foul line, and all it takes is a spin and one extra step and he has an easy layup. You'll notice this theme throughout this article, and that's that he's able to get his buckets in the paint no matter where the possession starts and no matter how the opponent decides to defend him.
Here's another example of Osobor using that spin move on a post-up. This one is slightly different and definitely more impressive. The defender actually does a better job of sticking with Osobor on the spin, but what separates Great from his peers is his ability to finish these layups with elite touch. Unlike the last clip, he isn't given a straight path to the hoop, instead being moved off to the side. To make up for this and to get the shot over the long arms of the defender, he puts up a semi-hookshot (I really don't know what to call this shot) that floats up and over the defender, off the backboard, and in.
Osobor is fantastic at finishing through contact. The next clip does a better job of displaying that than this one does, but the point still stands here. He gets to his spot here via his IQ, as he sees that his defender is out of position and won't be there in time to get a good contest on his shot. The pump fake ensures that the defender not only isn't going to be contesting the shot, but also that Osobor will be picking up the extra point opportunity. It actually looks like the defender may have tried to foul on purpose to potentially stop the shot, but that tactic won't work against someone as strong as Osobor.
Here's a better example of the finishing through contact that I was talking about. This is a maneuver that he pulls off pretty often. When a defender tries to stand him up, he simply ducks under them for the scoop layup. Here he is close to the basket when he goes for the shot, but I've seen clips where he's able to make these shots from pretty far away. His soft touch translates even when he's fighting through contact. He actually loses the ball here too, which puts him out of position. Instead of letting that deter him, he jumps all the way across the lane to get back in his spot before going for the shot.
Most players accelerate to the basket by using a quick first step on their drives, while Osobor has that ability, he can also accelerate by just jumping through traffic. The more you watch this clip, the weirder and more impressive it gets. The guy leaps through the entire lane to get a relatively easy layup and the foul. Most guys would take the mid-range jumper here based on the space he was given, but he knows the closer he gets the more effective he gets. Once he saw that the defenders weren't prepared for him to attack the paint, he took his opportunity to not only get the bucket, but also the extra point.
For being a bigger guy, Osobor has a surprising amount of vertical pop. I guess that's not the most shocking thing in the world considering how nimble he is for his size, but these two dunks seriously come out of nowhere. It's not like he's towering over guys, at 6'8" these dunks are very impressive considering he's not running into them with momentum. The first clip is especially impressive, because it looks like he starts his jump behind the backboard. He's able to jump back towards the rim to find the dunk. This ability to play above the rim just adds an extra layer to his already stout inside scoring ability.
I'm not worried about Osobor's interior scoring translating to a higher level of play. In fact, increased spacing due to playing alongside better shooters could actually make him an even better inside scorer. He's not just going to lose his strength, athleticism, or touch because he's playing against better competition. I have a feeling this will come up again in a year. "Can Osobor perform like this against NBA defenders despite being significantly shorter than most of his matchups" and while it is an important question, I think my answer will remain the same. He will be able to get his shot inside no matter the level of competition.
Guard-Like Qualities:
I'm combining two sections into one here, those being Osobor's passing and ball-handling abilities. I already mentioned how good of a passer he is, but he's a lot more than that. There are times when this massive guy is playing a full-on point-guard role. He has a super tight handle for a big, in addition to having a quick first step and solid agility. This is why he's such a versatile offensive option. While he doesn't have a good outside shot, defenders still feel the need to guard up on him because he can make them pay in other ways. Give him too much space and his vision will allow him to hit teammates for good looks. Give him no space and he'll blow by you to attack the rim.
I'm going to start with his passing, because I think this is his most intriguing trait when you look at him as a future NBA piece. Like I said earlier, you don't see guards making passes like the one above. You sure don't see big men not named Nikola Jokic making those types of passes. Very few big men are capable of being true passing weapons, and Great Osobor is one of them. When I said that I think his scoring may improve because of better spacing, well that will also be true for his passing. Put this guy in the middle of the floor and let him go to work, I guarantee you something good will come out of it more often than not.
Rarely do you see a guy who should be catching lobs acting as the one throwing them. Flashy passes when a player is stationary are cool and all, but throwing a lob while on the move may be even more difficult. Again, this guy is a 250lb inside presence, he shouldn't be able to do things like this. Traits like these all come from his incredible IQ and feel for the game, tools that will allow him to keep getting better and adapting, making him an even more intriguing prospect.
His teammate sells the clip here, but I still had the include it simply because of how impressive it is. It's similar to the first clip in that it's a stationary no-look pass, but here he throws the ball over himself and two defenders with their hands up. This ball even getting through the defense is impressive, let alone into the hands of a teammate who should have made the easy shot.
Now onto the ball-handling/attacking off the dribble clips. This first one is impressive not only because Osobor is taking the ball up the court, but also because of how he manipulates the defense to get an easy bucket and the foul. He knows he's being defended by a big who isn't comfortable on the perimeter, so he immediately accelerates into the teeth of the defense so his defender will run into his own teammate. This forces the smaller opponent to attempt to contest the shot, which Osobor is able to predict, pause, and draw the foul while also getting the bucket. This elite IQ is what separates Osobor from other bigs, it's plays like these that show you just how far he's thinking ahead as an offensive initiator.
We talked about Osobor's ability to accelerate in the paint, but here he is using a quick first step to leave his defender in the dust on the perimeter. Like I said, you can't get in his bubble on the perimeter because he will shock you with his ability to blow by you and attack the rim. In this clip that rim pressure results in an emphatic two-handed slam that not one of the three defenders under the rim felt the need to contest.
For the final clip in this section, you get a good example of Osobor's ability to handle the ball. He doesn't do anything spectacular here with his handle, but for a 250lb forward, the ability to put the ball on the floor before accelerating past his defender isn't something you normally see. He also shows off another example of his elite touch around the rim to finish the play.
All in all, you don't have to be a basketball nerd to figure out what makes Osobor special. Like I said at the beginning of the article, he's a perfect mix of old-school fundamentals and modern tools. Having a big man who can run your offense is a luxury that very few programs can say they have, which is why Osobor is such a hot commodity in this year's transfer portal.
Transition:
Shorter section here, but a valuable one, nonetheless. Great Osobor is a beast in transition, as he has the abilities necessary to start and end a transition opportunity. He's the type of guy who will get the rebound, make a pass, get the ball back, and finish on the other end. For a guy as hefty as him, he manages to cover the floor extremely well. This isn't something that makes up an overwhelming amount of his point total, but the offense that he generates in transition could translate incredibly well to a system that wants to play fast.
This first clip perfectly illustrates what I just said about Osobor's ability to play every role in transition. His deep bag of skills allows him to operate however he'd like in these scenarios. He could've gotten the rebound and then let his teammates run, or he could've kept the ball and made the pass farther down the floor. As long as the ball touches his hands at some point in transition, something good is going to come out of it.
In this clip he operates as the trail man, who follows the ball handler down the court before getting the ball already set up to score. You see another example of his high IQ here, as he once again catches his defender ball watching. Once he decides to blow past his defender there is no chance that a legitimate contest will be there in time. By the time the defender gets back in the picture he is off-balance and can easily be pushed over by the strength of Osobor. It's impressive how Osobor goes from completely out of the play to making the play in one motion.
Defense & Rebounding:
Osobor isn't the world's best defender, but a few of his physical traits that we've already gone over allow him to be a pretty versatile one. To cover the simple stuff first, Osobor is capable of defending in the interior and on the perimeter. His strength allows him to not get pushed around by bigger players, even though these bigger players can still get their shots over him at times. Against opposing forwards he's pretty formidable. Guys who are near his height but aren't nearly as strong really struggle to find their offense against him down low. Then you have his perimeter game. We've already gone over just how quick on his feet he is, and this reigns true on defense. He's not the preferred matchup for smaller guards, but he's a way better option than most frontcourt players.
This is just a super impressive block. Osobor was completely out of this play, not looking for the ball until right before the opponent went up for the layup. In a split-second he manages to get back into the play and get the block on the opposite side of the rim. Here he showcases that vertical leap we talked about earlier. He gets off the ground incredibly fast on both ends, making him a very capable rim protector as a primary guy and also in help. He's probably not a guy you'd want to play in drop, he just doesn't have the height for that, but he can play that role if necessary.
This clip shows off his ability to get back into the play after getting beat. The offensive player here manages to blow by not only Osobor, but also his primary defender. Osobor manages to move laterally just well enough to deter the opponent from a straight drive to the hoop, giving him the time he needed to get back into the play and get the block from behind. This sudden shift from lateral movement to getting back for the block shows just how agile of a defender Osobor can be.
There are also a few examples of Osobor keeping up with perimeter players well enough to actually pick up blocks outside of the paint, but none of those were exciting enough for me to feel compelled to include. Just know that he is capable of disrupting shots away from the basket. Obviously, he's going to be more effective protecting the rim than he will be sticking around the arc, but he's no slouch in that department either.
Something else that really makes Osobor stand out is his rebounding. Now, I'm only going to show you one rebounding clip because I don't want to bore everyone to death. That said, Osobor's 9 rebounds per game was good for 42nd in the nation as a 6'8" forward. He was also an incredible offensive rebounder this season, averaging nearly 3 offensive rebounds a night. His strength allows him to box out just about anybody, and that vertical pop that we've been talking about comes into effect here as well.
I decided to include this clip because he does three things that are really impressive all in one play. First, he very clearly changes his path to the basket because he's smart enough to know where the ball is going to bounce off of the rim. This is something that elite rebounders do, and is another reason why he is so good in this department. Second, he manages to come up with this board despite being surrounded by three opponents. Finally, he gets off the floor to throw down the dunk over the contest. Just an all around impressive play.
Summary:
Before I actually summarize Osobor's game, it's important to look at his weaknesses. I don't deep dive into weaknesses in these articles, but I do cover them out of transparency. Every player has weaknesses, but I can assure you that Osobor has far less than the majority of his peers.
Questions regarding positional size, as on paper he's too short to be a true big in the modern game but two heavy to be a wing. We covered why this isn't the biggest deal throughout this article.
Limited versatility as a scorer. Has no outside game, and has a very limited mid-range game.
Turnover prone. Averaged the same number of turnovers as assists this year, I project this to get better once he is surrounded by better teammates.
Questions regarding level of competition, will he be able to dominate against power five opponents in the same way he did at Utah State?
Those are really the only weaknesses/questions that stood out to me personally. There may be more that arise once we see Osobor consistently matching up against stiffer competition, but for the time being that's the list. As you can see, that list isn't very long.
Now to summarize Osobor's game in its entirety. Great Osobor is a dynamic and versatile big who will fit into almost any system he gets thrown into. He's a forward with a big body who can bring the ball up the floor, operate as an offensive hub, and run a team's offense. He's an elite inside scorer with a soft touch around the rim and the strength to impose his will on defenders. He is a super high IQ player with fantastic feel for the game, which is why he's such an elite passer and playmaker. He's a capable defender in almost any situation. He's not a gamebreaker on the defensive end, but he will give you a couple blocks and a couple steals per night while not letting opponents get easy buckets anywhere on the floor. Finally, he's an elite rebounder for his size who uses a mix of IQ, strength, and athleticism to always be in the right spot to grab a board. All in all, Great Osobor is one of the premier bigs in all of college basketball, and I believe he has the potential to be one of the top players in the nation this season.
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