2024 Prospect Spotlight: Oso Ighodaro

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One of the best screeners/rim runners in the draft.

His passing and ballhandling really push him ahead of other bigs in this same archetype.

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Almost a year old, but worth a read/watch.

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This kid contributes in so many ways.

He does everything on a basketball court...except shoot from deep.

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[King Ken]

This kid contributes in so many ways.

He does everything on a basketball court...except shoot from deep.

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I'll give you props on this one. He's GOOD

[King Ken]

This kid contributes in so many ways.

He does everything on a basketball court...except shoot from deep.

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Brandon Clarke was a tremendous college player who became a very productive rotational big. I wonder what this kid can be. He has offensive hub abilities

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[King Ken]

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I really like this kid man. He gets to a team like GS, watch out!

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Stat Sheet Filler:

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[Jamaaliver]

Oso's ability to pass from the elbow, hitting cutters with ease would be such a useful addition from the Center (or backup PF) position.

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[Jamaaliver]

And his ability to guard 2-5 is pretty unique among Center prospects...

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Nice, focused review of Oso's NBA prospects.

NBA Draft prospects to watch during March Madness

Oso Ighodaro, 6-11 senior center, Marquette

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Oso Ighodaro has been one of this draft cycle’s more difficult evaluations, as a skilled big man who is also a non-shooting big. I’m a big believer in the idea that bigs who can pass usually figure out the rest, and some quirky-but-successful bigs of recent yore (Alperen Şengün, Nikola Jokić and, of course from my experience, Marc Gasol) are the proof of that concept. Well, Ighodaro can definitely pass; he averaged six dimes per 100 possessions in 2022-23 and is at 5.1 per 100 this season.

Ighorado also has a good handle for his size; his team even runs inverted pick-and-rolls for him at times. With that skill set, one can easily envision him operating at the elbows in a pro offense. He’s a big fan of short floaters and shoots almost Şengün-esque push shots from 10 feet, plus can get to more standard jump hooks in the paint, especially against mismatches.

What’s missing is the more nuts-and-bolts big man domination you’d expect to see at this level. His rebound rate of just 13.5 percent is piddling for a college five, and the shot-blocking numbers are just OK. He hasn’t been an impactful rim runner either, with a tendency to turn down contact and rim attacks and settle for those short floaters. Additionally, drafting upperclassmen centers hasn’t been a very productive strategy in recent times; Ighodaro will be 22 when he enters his first NBA season.

On the other hand, he’s a legit 6-11 and has improved every year, and his fit at the pro level is perhaps neater than it is in college. Is that enough to get him into the top 20 in a draft where all the college bigs have question marks? A deep run from what is likely to be a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament could help his cause.

The Athletic

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Man, I love this kid.

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This feels like a solid accounting of Oso's strengths and limitations:

Oso Ighodaro | Senior | Center



Oso Ighodaro ranks 40th on our board. The 6’11” fourth-year player is a tremendous passer for his size. He’s posted a 17.5 AST% over the past two seasons. Ighodaro is a top-tier handoff orchestrator who can wire the ball to anyone at any time. Plus, he’s a potent roll man who can take off from far away and still finish above the rim. He’s an agile mover who is more than comfortable when switched down the lineup on defense.

Where Ighodaro differs from a passing big man such as a Trayce Jackson-Davis is that there are concerns about how he can anchor a defense. His 4.9 BLK% at the end of regular season play is a poor mark for someone who spent so much time at the five. Often, he’ll get into position, but he does a really poor job of tracking the ball with his hands at the basket. He’s not that strong, and traditional bigs move him around pretty easily. On offense, he’s terrified to shoot outside of floater range, but he’s also not powerful enough to bully his way there against bigger opponents.

Ighodaro finds himself in the classic “5 on offense, 4 on defense” conundrum. Unless something changes, he’ll probably require a particular fit in order to be a big minute player. That said, he’s super talented with a relatively rare skill set for a player his size. An explosive tournament run could make teams less leery of the particulars and more likely to say, “let’s just take the guy who is good at basketball.”

No Ceilings

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Oso Ighodaro, C, Marquette

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Ighodaro has grown into one of the best big men in the country on his own terms during his four-year career at Marquette. He’s followed his breakout junior season with an even better senior year, taking on more responsibility as a scorer for the Golden Eagles. Ighodaro can beat teams in so many different ways. He’s always a threat to hammer home a vicious dunk off a hard roll to the basket. He has a nice little push shot from the short mid-range area. He can attack the offensive glass, or set his teammates up as a passer in dribble-handoffs. He’ll face bigger and stronger centers if Marquette goes on a deep tournament run, but his jack-of-all-trades skill set around the basket and funky finishing ability makes him a difficult matchup in any situation.

SB Nation

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Oso Ighodaro
Frame: 6’11″, 235 lbs
Position: Forward
Team: Marquette Golden Eagles
2024 Draft Age: 21
Stats via www.sports-reference.com

Offense

Spoiler:

Ighodaro’s biggest offensive strength and go-to shot is his push floater with the right hand. He often fakes handoffs and attacks the basket before getting his floater off. Ighodaro can finish this shot with a soft touch over more prominent big men and smaller wings/guards. Ighodaro shot 51.9 percent on 160 attempts on twos away from the rim while being assisted on 55.4 percent of these shots, according to www.barttorvik.com. He tends to over-rely on this shot, passing up driving lanes at times and opting for his floater, which can be blocked when Ighodaro matches up against centers.

Marquette often used Ighodaro as a hub in the slots, with their perimeter threats, such as Kam Jones, playing off of him. He developed secondary nature chemistry with his point guard Tyler Kolek (one of the more dangerous two-man actions in the country)—handing the ball off to Kolek or threading a needle to him while he cut to the basket. If neither option were available, Kolek would flash to the ball, where Ighodaro would set a ball screen, and then roll to the rim, where Kolek could dump it off early for Ighodaro’s pattened floater or throw a lob for Ighodaro to finish.

Ighodaro is versatile in the short roll, hitting cutters through tight windows or finding the big man in the dunker’s spot. He generates 2.9 assists per game and a 16.1 assist percentage while only averaging 1.8 turnovers with a 14.4 turnover percentage. Ighodaro also thrives as a roll man, positioning himself in areas of space after setting a ball screen, which gives his guards more room to deliver him a pass or attack. His soft hands and body control give him a large catch radius to finish lobs around the basket. He made 63.5 percent of his 178 shots at the rim, with 66.4 percent assisted.

The glaring flaw in Ighodaro’s game right now is his perimeter shooting. In 109 games of college basketball, Ighodaro has attempted two three-point shots. Even at the free-throw line, he shot 62.3 percent on 146 attempts this past season. His shooting hand has a low release point, while his guide hand shoots up. It suggests that he has a way to go mechanically before becoming a reliable shooter at the line. His three-point shot may never come around.

Defense

Spoiler:

Ighodaro excels defensively as a shot blocker and weak-side rim protector. He does an excellent job cheating from the weak side, often timing up blocks or shot contests at the rim against rolling big men. His instincts are great against driving guards, where his length and physicality can swallow them on shot attempts. He struggles around the rim against centers and bigger-sized forwards. They throw their weight against him and get clean looks on Ighodaro. He averaged 1.3 blocks with a 4.7 block percentage this past season.

On the perimeter, Ighodaro moves his feet well. He can meet opposing ball handlers at the level of the ball screen when guarding pick-and-rolls and can switch onto them for a possession. His size and physicality are apparent against guards who can be overwhelmed and cough the ball up. He averaged 1.1 steals with a 1.9 steal percentage.

Looking Ahead

Ighodaro is a forward with very clear strengths on both sides of the floor and a skillset that screams versatility. However, his weaknesses are apparent and hinder his ceiling and floor at the next level. His jack-of-all-trades skillset at the forward spot, while lacking a three-point shot and actual size to bang with fives, is similar to Trayce Jackson-Davis of last year’s draft class. However, Ighodaro does not possess the ball-handling skills or post-moves Jackson-Davis has.

Currently projected as a late to mid-second-rounder, Ighodaro may be a rotation-caliber forward at the next level, with the potential for more if his free-throw or three-point shooting takes a step.

SBC.com