Over the course of the next month until the NBA Draft on June 24, RTC will be rolling out comprehensive profiles of the 30-35 collegians we feel have the best chance that night to hear their names called by David Stern in the first round.  There won’t be any particular order to the list, but you can scroll back through all the finished profiles by clicking here.

Player Name: Ekpe Udoh

School: Baylor

Height/Weight: 6’10, 240

NBA Position: Power Forward

Projected Draft Range: Late Lottery

Overview: Ekpe Udoh began his college career at the University of Michigan, but transferred to Baylor after one season under John Beilein in search of a better fit. With the Wolverines, he was little more than a tall, skinny shotblocker, but when he re-emerged last season in Waco, he was a far more complete player with a range of skills that had been previously unseen. Udoh’s presence turned the Bears into a legitimate contender on the national scene, providing balance to a team that had previously been over-reliant on perimeter players, and resulting in a first-ever Baylor run to the Elite Eight. Udoh averaged 13.9 PPG and 9.8 RPG while blocking a sizzling 3.7 shots per game on the way to taking second-team All-Big 12 honors, a Big 12 All-Defense team spot and receiving honorable mention on the AP All-American team. Udoh is 23, and that is something of a knock against him, but given his size, his 7’5 wingspan and his versatile skill set, he has the potential to be a very productive pro.

Udoh is Long & Lean With Some Serious Upside

Will Translate to the NBA: Udoh’s biggest strength throughout his career has been his shotblocking ability, and that will surely carry over to the NBA. He can not only block the shots of the man he is defending, but he can come from the weak side and help teammates. He is also a very good rebounder (11.1 total rebounds and 4.1 offensive rebounds per 40 minutes last season), but it is his improved offensive skills that make him such a valuable commodity. He can score in the post with both hands, knock down jumpers out to 18-20 feet, face up and put the ball on the floor, and beat bigger defenders off the dribble. He also showed improved court awareness, handing out 3 assists per 40 minutes last season, and displayed a strong basketball IQ.

Needs Work: Despite Udoh’s improvement, he was still somewhat inconsistent as a junior. While he was certainly capable of putting up lines like the 18 pts, 10 rebs, 6 asts, and 5 blks he had in Baylor’s season ending loss to Duke, he also could put up just 8 pts and 4 rebs like he did against Old Dominion in the second round. Perhaps the first step for Udoh to become more consistent could be hitting the weight room. While he was never in bad shape in his college career, and he came back much stronger after his transfer season, he will need to bulk up in order to compete against NBA fours every night. And finally, while he was a very effective interior defender in college, he may face a different breed of power forward at the next level, so he’ll need to prove his ability to stay with guys with an offensive game outside of the paint.

Read the rest of this entry »