As Rick Barnes and staff continue to revamp the roster, former Ohio State center Felix Okpara recently committed to Tennessee, so I'm not sure I'll be watching many, if any, Ohio State games. I know I didn't have enough time. So I wanted to provide those who are solely focused on Tennessee basketball some insight into Okpara's skills, weaknesses, and an idea of what he could bring to the court for the Vols next year. .
Of course, you can look at his counting stats and per-40 stats to get an idea of his impact, but I wanted to dig a little deeper, so I went to Land Grant Holyland, home of all things Ohio State Buckeye. Contacted. Sports.and Connor Lemonsone of the guys covering hoops there was kind enough to answer my questions about Okpala's game.
1.) Let's start with the high level story here. What are some of the overall strengths and weaknesses of Okpara's game?
In general, I think Felix is the perfect post player for a team that has an explosive backcourt and doesn't necessarily rely on a center to score a ton of points per game. He finished the season strong and played very well in the NIT. But I don't know if he'll be able to score much more than 10 points per game in the NIT.
But he's a game changer defensively. I think Felix has the potential to be the kind of defender who ends up being SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and if he were to stay I think he would be a candidate for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in his junior year. Because I thought so. He has his 7-foot-4 wingspan and finds ways to block shots that aren't in his zip code. A memorable game for me was this past season when Ohio State played Michigan State. I remember watching Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard change the arc of their shots on the fly at the last moment before Okpara came to their rescue. It really bothered them.
He wasn't very mobile defensively and struggled against more athletic players who could step out and hit jumpers. He thought he made progress at the end of the season, but there were times when Ohio State had no choice but to sit him when opposing teams went small. Still, in my opinion, he's one of the best interior defenders in the country, so when he's making a big impact on the opposition, you're going to take advantage of whatever offensive output he can put out.
2.) Was there any known bad blood between Okpara and Ohio State? Were there locker room issues or anything like that? Barnes is pretty cautious about who he brings to the team personality-wise, but you don't really know until someone gets somewhere…Was his departure a surprise, and Buckeye fans have responded How did you react?
As far as I know, there were no problems with Felix in the locker room, no disagreements between him and the coaching staff. In fact, when the team was asked at media day last year who the funniest player on the team was, Felix was one of the most common answers. He has a quiet personality, but is well-liked by his teammates.
As many of you may know, Felix released a graphic in early April about how he is “100% committed” to returning to Ohio State. Coaches. After Felix announced he was staying, Jake Diebler brought in Kentucky center Aaron Bradshaw, and to be honest, I think both players would still see quite a bit of the floor. Ultimately, Felix decided to move on to another program where he was more assured of playing time.
Ohio State fans (of course) didn't react too well to this since they had already announced to the world that he was coming back, but I think Felix will start somewhere after he competes in league play. I think he earned the opportunity to play (or at least be a starter). Bad Ohio State teams have been in the trenches the past two seasons. I can't say I blame him if he feels threatened by Bradshaw. If another Buckeye hadn't left to play at Michigan the next day, I think Okpala's reputation heading to Tennessee would have been a little worse.
3.) Based on his current stats, it looks like he could be a force on the defensive end, or at least a lob threat on the offensive end — how do you interpret his game, especially for the Vols? Given the revamped roster and Rick Barnes encouraging a faster pace of offense, how will that impact Tennessee's efforts?
Even though I don't have a wealth of knowledge about who Tennessee brought in this offseason in the transfer portal (sorry, I don't know exactly everything about the conferences I cover, let alone every other conference) (That's hard enough to figure out), I think Felix is a perfect fit for how Barnes is trying to build his defense from year to year. Volante has been in the top five in defensive efficiency in each of the last four seasons, which is really impressive. I think from an outside perspective, Tennessee has a reputation for being a nasty, messed up team, but in reality, they're trying to establish themselves as a messier, more physical team, which is why they're winning. You can keep it below 60 points. I think Felix fits perfectly into that. He is a top-class shot blocker that completely changes a team's offensive scheme. He'll fire shots that fill the fifth or sixth row of seats, thrill fans, and change the course of an arena with one play. I think Tennessee fans will quickly accept him as part of their family.
Offensively, the “Rob threat” assessment is spot on. He's willing to give it his all on the floor and be able to make transition dunks. He did that a lot at Ohio State. I thought he was a decent cutter in half-court offense, but his return to the post-up basketball game is still not complete. I think a more up-tempo offense would suit him better, but if not, he could play defense anywhere.
4.) What growth do you see in Okpara's game? Do you think he has or will develop a repertoire of post moves? Are there any signs that he will become a better free throw shooter? , or have you ever shown any signs of growth in or around your paint jumper?
Felix finished the season with double-digit points in all three NIT games, marking the first time in his career that he scored 10 or more points in three consecutive games. He had 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks against Georgia, one of the first games where I noticed him demanding the ball under the basket and attacking defenders without hesitation. He didn't take every shot (6 of 10), but I thought it was encouraging that he was an aggressor under the basket. He's entering his junior season now and is still developing in that area, so I don't know if that will be his strength.
His free throw form looked pretty healthy, and we actually saw his free throw percentage drop last season, as he had stretches this season where he would go to the line and hit multiple shots in a row. I was a little surprised. I don't think there's any way to back this up, but the shot looks good to me and he seems to be hitting the shot with confidence, so I think he'll increase that 59% FT rate this year. think.
5.) Okpara averaged 3.9 fouls in 23.6 minutes per game last season. Do you think his biggest problem is staying out of foul trouble? (Connor is right here. Okpala averaged 2.9 fouls per game instead of 3.9…bad)
In fact, I think he averaged 2.9 points per game – at least that's what ESPN says. I think 2.9 shots per game is pretty acceptable for the number of shots he blocks, contests, and modifies. Extrapolating to 40 minutes, he's blocking roughly four shots per game. Personally, I would take a post defender like that every day, even if he was picking up about 3 fouls per game. One thing I'd like to note is that if you try to keep him on the floor against a small lineup where Barnes has to chase someone around a little bit, I'd say he sometimes gets beat off the dribble and then reaches out. I've seen him foul drivers and prevent baskets.
6.) Defensively…does he offer options scheme-wise? Can he switch, hedge, or play in drop coverage? What do you think best suits his skill set?
As mentioned above, Ohio State played man-to-man much more than zone last season, and Holtmann and Dee played much more when opposing teams had more mobile post players and were comfortable operating them. Both Bullers tried their best to take Okpala out of the game. outer circumference. He needs to improve his ability to switch and defend smaller defenders, even if it only happens once in a while. Dropping him on screens and inviting the open man to shoot instead of driving to the basket can sometimes work, but a screen action that involves Okpala on defense and the shooter on offense will likely spell trouble. Dew.