What was Oden's ceiling coming out of college?

[Demitri98]

Was he really hyped to be the next David Robinson?
Were his comparison to a young Shaq legit?
If he were to stay healthy, would he be a top 3 player today?
How many DPOYs?
Would the Blazers still be contenders?

Reason I ask so many questions is because I never got to see him in college (didnt pay attention to basketball at that age) and it seems he was over-hyped, almost to the level of LeBron. How good was this guy, and what was his potential ceiling?

[Crystallas]

The hype surrounding Oden would have placed him as the best Center in the NBA today. More like Shaq if you need a comparison.

[Smook A.]

He was considered the next Shaquille O'Neal. Some even said David Robinson and a Bill Russell hybrid. Either way that is helllaaaa crazy. Just imagine what he could've been if he stayed healthy. Damn... what coulda been. Same thing could be said for Brandon Roy

Injuries really suck. Portland with a healthy Oden, Roy along with Aldridge would've been extremely scary.

[Demitri98]

From what I've found on Youtube, he looked like a defensive juggernaut and was fairly raw on offense. Is this just a poor sample or is it accurate? Watching him play in his limited minutes on the Heat, he looks like an All-D 1st team level defender if he can stay healthy.

[FireDavidKahn]

From what I've found on Youtube, he looked like a defensive juggernaut and was fairly raw on offense. Is this just a poor sample or is it accurate? Watching him play in his limited minutes on the Heat, he looks like an All-D 1st team level defender if he can stay healthy.

His last year in Portland he was incredible on defense. He would have been an all time great defensive center, not even gonna talk offense, if he wasn't so injury prone.

[Boarder Patrol]

They were completely justified in taking him over Durant, even with the injury risk. Should tell you all you need to know.

[cos88]

Matthew Maurer – 1/21/2007

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 doesnt 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

pre draft combine he was faster than durant.


durant: lane agility 12.33
3/4 court speed: 3.45

oden:
lane agility: 11.67
3/4 court speed: 3.27


figure for yourself

[Demitri98]

pre draft combine he was faster than durant.


durant: lane agility 12.33
3/4 court speed: 3.453.27

oden:
lane agility: 11.67
3/4 court speed: 3.27


figure for yourself

[Qwyjibo]

At his best, I thought he was going to be a taller and better rebounding Alonzo Mourning. A defensive beast with multiple DPOY awards and good on offense as well. So a Hall of Famer.

[CelticBaller]

a monster that the bball gods saved us from

[imdaman99]

They were saying he is a once in a generation big man... I'm thinking something like Bill Russell.

[Lamar Odumbb]

He moved like Dikembe Motumbo. So I gues that was his ceiling.

[Joyner82reload]

pre draft combine he was faster than durant.


durant: lane agility 12.33
3/4 court speed: 3.45

oden:
lane agility: 11.67
3/4 court speed: 3.27


figure for yourself

Durant was considered a very poor athlete for his size, based upon agility tests. In actual basketball, he was considered one of, if not the greatest athletes for his size in history.

Oden would be the DPOY every year, yes better than Dwight, if he were healthy. He would be a very good rebounder, but pretty bad offensively. He had a decent jump hook and he could dunk, that was it. He was even more raw than Dwight Howard in his first few years. He was basically a shorter, more athletic Dikembe Mutombo.

18/12/3 blocks 58 FG% was his ceiling, which is still a very good dominant center, but not in the mold of the Shaq's, Hakeem's, and D-Rob's he was compared to. He was never going to be a 25+ ppg volume post up center.

[Burgz V2]

From what I've found on Youtube, he looked like a defensive juggernaut and was fairly raw on offense. Is this just a poor sample or is it accurate? Watching him play in his limited minutes on the Heat, he looks like an All-D 1st team level defender if he can stay healthy.

he broke his shooting hand his freshman season, so we can never really fully judge his offensive production in college. Oden was essentially an automatic two points in the paint because of his ability to finish with both hands and in different ways. He also had the strength to back guys down under the rim and finish over top of defenders. He never really got consistent touches at ohio st. due to his injury, playing with Conley, Cook, and Lewis (even though he was a scrub and shot the ball way too much) and definitely not in Portland because he struggled to stay on the court and establish himself offensively. I always thought he could have become as great an offensive player with the right coaching staff but he never got the chance to develop.

[waseem780]

Rich mans Andre Drummond is the best comparison. Offensively his body was so big and strong he could just shove you out of the way ala Shaq that's why he was compared to Shaq but he really isn't the same player Shaq was. Defensively he is ELITE , probably better than Dwight yep.