NBA Draft: Washington's Great Osobor Has Massive Showing in Debut, Despite Concerns

Washington's Great Osobor made an impactful first impression for the Huskies, and while his strengths shined, the weaknesses were still apparent.

Mar 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Utah State Aggies forward Great Osobor (1) reacts during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Gainbridge FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

With the NBA shifting away from traditional big men, interior players are now typically asked to do more than just rebound and score with their back to the basket. Washington’s transfer, Great Osobor, seems to be on the brink of breaking into this new era of NBA centers after a very impressive debut for the Huskies. He is coming off a remarkable season opener against UC Davis and could increase his versatility in his senior season. As we look at Osobor’s Washington debut, let’s also consider a few areas of improvement that could quickly change how he is viewed as a draft prospect.

As a junior at Utah State, Osobor averaged 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. He scored efficiently on the interior but struggled with low efficiency from deep. His success as a focal point of the Aggies' offense came mostly from his overwhelming physicality, so his ability to showcase a more versatile game for Washington is promising for what this season could hold.

In his 38 minutes of action on Washington’s opening night, Osobor finished with 15 points, 17 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and six steals. He was regularly able to attack off the dribble, creating easy looks for himself and more space for his teammates. If he can turn more of these opportunities into assists, more attention should be drawn to his playmaking ability, as he does bring good connective vision to most games. His game-high 17 rebounds were also the second most in the nation for opening games, only behind the record-setting debut of Derik Queen. While he is not a great vertical athlete, he uses his overpowering frame to create angles and space, consistently keeping defenders spaced out.

The defensive side of the ball was especially eye-catching in this game, as he finished with two blocks and a power conference-leading six steals. He plays with great energy on this side of the ball and, despite not standing out when contesting vertically, rarely allows his opponents to gain an advantage in terms of positioning. As mentioned earlier, he has a powerful frame at 6-foot-8 and 250 lbs, but he moves much smoother than most would expect. Being somewhat of a switchable defender with this type of build is extremely promising and could be developed into a wide variety of outcomes at the NBA level.

As the season progresses, the biggest question surrounding Osobor’s translatability is undoubtedly his shooting. Throughout his first three seasons, he has never averaged more than one three-point attempt per game. While this is not necessarily a concern at the college level, it will be needed for him to find a comfortable fit at the NBA level. Not only is his lack of three-point shooting a concern, but his struggles from the free-throw line are also a glaring weakness. In this season opener, he converted 7-of-16 from the free-throw line, and his career best over his first three seasons was 66.4% on 4.4 attempts per game during his sophomore season at Montana State. The number of attempts is definitely interesting, but converting just 43.8% is concerning. This is only a single-game sample, so the rest of the season could change these numbers, but this first look makes it an interesting stat to monitor as the season unfolds.

☔ 15 Points
☔ 17 Rebounds
☔ 6 Steals@GreatOsobor is the first @UW_MBB player with 10+ PTS, 10+ REB, and 4+ ST in a game since 2009 🔥#B1GMBBall x #B1GStats pic.twitter.com/5yyPE2HEZw

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 6, 2024

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