Greg Oden (Ohio State)

GREG ODEN

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQoeFPmzu-A

NBA Comparison: David Robinson

Strengths: One of those dominant centers that surfaces in the high school ranks every 10 or so years ... Has the size and NBA ready body that few his age possess … Great athlete who runs the court with ease and excellent leaping ability … Gets great position in the post and most importantly gets his body wide to give guards a good target to pass into … Wherever the ball goes, Oden works the lane constantly working to get open … Does a great job of keeping the ball high away from opposing guards … Finishes well around the lane with authority via dunk, lay-up or put back … Defensively he is a top notch shot blocker … Possesses the lateral quickness to be an excellent help defender … Owns pro timing as he doesn’t bite on pump fakes easily … Plays the game with a calm and mature demeanor … Hands have a rare quality in that they are both soft and strong … Rarely do passes get bobbled nor do balls get stripped from his hands … Excellent rebounder who is not only a good rebounder in his area but is also terrific out of position … Post game has already shown good improvement since high school … Potentially Oden has few peers and has yet to scratch the surface of his potential … Underrated passer who has shown decent court vision … Does a great job of recognizing double teams and reacting to them … Great character guy. Despite all the publicity Oden has received from an early age, he has remained humble and hungry to improve as a player …

Weaknesses: Offensively Oden isn’t very polished with his back to the basket … Nor does he possess a big assortment of moves … Needs to expand his shooting range, as of right now Oden is very uncomfortable facing the basket … Has struggled when playing against strong aggressive players … Although this is to be expected when you consider his age … Still learning what he's capable of, especially against big and strong opponents, he can go through periods when he doesn’t dominate and often he will defer to his teammates … Post footwork could stand to refinement … From a fundamental stand point, he is still behind in development. As of right now he is often relying on pure athleticism and size … Doesn’t always finish after contact … Can get into foul trouble when faced with physically aggressive players.

A very long shot, but I would start drooling and not be able to stop if the Bulls were somehow able to grab him. He's going to be a very good center in the league for at least 12-15 years.