2024 NBA Draft: Oso Ighodaro Impresses In Maui

Despite Marquette finishing in second place in the Maui Invitational Tournament, Oso Ighodaro looked like one of the best prospects in the tournament. What made him look so good?

The Maui Tournament came to an end yesterday as we saw the Purdue Boilermakers come out on top in a thrilling game that came down to the wire against Marquette. A prospect in this tournament that really helped their early season stock is Oso Ighodaro. The 6-foot-11 center averaged 17 points in three games played in the tournament. Let’s dive into why Ighodaro helped his stock and why he’s getting serious looks as a first round prospect now.

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Ighodaro is a very good offensive hub as he has the ability to make good decisions with the ball as a passer. As one of the best passing big men in the 2024 NBA Draft, it will give him a huge advantage when comparing other frontcourt prospects to him as it could very well give him the edge to being drafted before another big. Ighodaro does a great job of finding cutters in the high post, low post or as the roll-man. You can never have enough playmaking on an NBA team, especially from your center.

He’s a very athletic center as he can finish above the rim due to his size and vertical pop. Inside the paint is where he does his scoring but he has a ton of versatility as a finisher that it makes him tough to stop when he gets a look down low. He has the floater in the lane which is an evolving skill that centers have slowly been developing. The Marquette prospect will be a lob threat at all times as he thrives in the dunker spot. I believe the touch inside the paint is better than most bigs eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft.

He showed some solid defensive versatility in the Maui Tournament. He had his troubles against Zach Edey who stands at 7-foot-4 and is the reigning national player of the year but his positives outweighed his matchup versus Edey. Ighodaro is a good rim protector that can really get up for blocks or altering shots inside the painted area. He’s not great laterally but he has shown the ability to step out and defend in space when needed. His two-way impact is quite impressive and it’s a good skill for big men to have in the NBA.

Overall, Ighodaro has really been on the rise as of recently as some scouts are seeing him as a potential first-round pick in this year’s upcoming draft. We still have a long way to go until the upcoming draft, but it’s a great sign that we have seen him consistently improve each year as that shows he has the potential and trajectory to continue to get better. If I were you, I would definitely buy some stock on Ighodaro.

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