Daniel Oturu has made a HUGE JUMP in his ability to affect games.. I am not sure you can qualify or quantify that through statistics, though Daniel's stats have gone up dramatically. Yes some of the increase in production by Daniel, this year, is filling the void left by the loss of Jordan Murphy and Amir Coffey, both in scoring and rebounding.. Plus Daniel's minutes have increased this year, so naturally his stats should increase.. But I think it is more than that and that stats aren't the total indicator, in his case..
Everyone that had watched Daniel play, last year, knew that he had to get stronger.. There were glimpses of the ability he has shown this year but he would get pushed around.. His body would get turned around in the low block and moved to where he had trouble with positioning, at times. It affected his rebounding and low post scoring. Even passing out of a double team. The shoulder injury from previous years did not help Daniel in being able to do something about that lack of strength.
Well, he gained weight in strength in the offseason. It is easy to tell it was "good weight', in muscle.. AND YOU CAN TELL A HUGE DIFFERENCE... He can square to the basket, down low, where contact does not affect him nearly as much.. He can square his feet to the basket and opponents, for rebounding, scoring, and defending down low. He can compete for positioning, so much better, on both ends of the floor. STRENGTH AND BALANCE are SO INTERTWINED, as anyone that has lifted weights or gain strength also understands.. Watch how much better Daniel's balance is, both on his inside and outside games. Both offensively and defensively It is incredible the difference. Gaining strength is something I believe every player should try to attain in all their college years, that play basketball
That extra strength has allowed the game to 'slow down' a bit for him and he can make better decisions.. Last year, if he held the ball for more than a second, you were afraid the opponent would take it out of his hands... NOT GOING TO HAPPEN THIS YEAR... Now, he can use that length and athletic ability to influence both sides of the floor, without the opponent being able to affect him with ball pressure.
I make a lot of comments talking about a player's skill, size and length.. To me, that is important in recruiting.. BUT I THINK AS IMPORTANT is a player that is CONSTANTLY ASKING THE QUESTION "How can I get better, for the team???".. A player cant control how he grows in height or how long are his arms.. They cant really make a complete transformation in the makeup of their athletic ability in terms of leaping and speed. BUT THEY CAN WORK ON THINGS LIKE BODY WEIGHT and WHAT TYPE OF WEIGHT THEY ARE CARRYING.. As well as DEVELOPMENT OF SKILL....
In Minnesota's case, I will mention a few that have made HUGE STRIDES in their development, whether it be strength or skill development.. I really believe that Kevin McHale, Bobby Jackson, Damien Johnson, and Jordan Murphy are guys that were transformed in their games with increased strength and developed skill.. Murphy was really raw when we got him.. He may not have improved his outside shot that much but his instincts on rebounding are 2nd to none and he improved his FT shooting and passing.. Even ball handling and certainly his body mass, to an extent...
I THINK A KEY THING IN RECRUITING IS ASKING THE PROSPECT'S HS COACH IF THE PLAYER IS OBSESSED(OR CLOSE TO IT) IN LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE THEIR GAME.... THEN, HAS THERE BEEN DEMONSTRABLE THINGS THAT A HS COACH CAN POINT TO IN THEIR IMPROVEMENT, THAT WAS DRIVEN BY THE WORK OF THE PLAYER THEMSELVES??... To me, that becomes as important as their length, athleticism, and skill level.. It indicates their character and desire to be responsible to their team... DANIEL OTURU HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT THIS YEAR, and that is why people are saying he is a potential first round pick in the NBA.
Everyone that had watched Daniel play, last year, knew that he had to get stronger.. There were glimpses of the ability he has shown this year but he would get pushed around.. His body would get turned around in the low block and moved to where he had trouble with positioning, at times. It affected his rebounding and low post scoring. Even passing out of a double team. The shoulder injury from previous years did not help Daniel in being able to do something about that lack of strength.
Well, he gained weight in strength in the offseason. It is easy to tell it was "good weight', in muscle.. AND YOU CAN TELL A HUGE DIFFERENCE... He can square to the basket, down low, where contact does not affect him nearly as much.. He can square his feet to the basket and opponents, for rebounding, scoring, and defending down low. He can compete for positioning, so much better, on both ends of the floor. STRENGTH AND BALANCE are SO INTERTWINED, as anyone that has lifted weights or gain strength also understands.. Watch how much better Daniel's balance is, both on his inside and outside games. Both offensively and defensively It is incredible the difference. Gaining strength is something I believe every player should try to attain in all their college years, that play basketball
That extra strength has allowed the game to 'slow down' a bit for him and he can make better decisions.. Last year, if he held the ball for more than a second, you were afraid the opponent would take it out of his hands... NOT GOING TO HAPPEN THIS YEAR... Now, he can use that length and athletic ability to influence both sides of the floor, without the opponent being able to affect him with ball pressure.
I make a lot of comments talking about a player's skill, size and length.. To me, that is important in recruiting.. BUT I THINK AS IMPORTANT is a player that is CONSTANTLY ASKING THE QUESTION "How can I get better, for the team???".. A player cant control how he grows in height or how long are his arms.. They cant really make a complete transformation in the makeup of their athletic ability in terms of leaping and speed. BUT THEY CAN WORK ON THINGS LIKE BODY WEIGHT and WHAT TYPE OF WEIGHT THEY ARE CARRYING.. As well as DEVELOPMENT OF SKILL....
In Minnesota's case, I will mention a few that have made HUGE STRIDES in their development, whether it be strength or skill development.. I really believe that Kevin McHale, Bobby Jackson, Damien Johnson, and Jordan Murphy are guys that were transformed in their games with increased strength and developed skill.. Murphy was really raw when we got him.. He may not have improved his outside shot that much but his instincts on rebounding are 2nd to none and he improved his FT shooting and passing.. Even ball handling and certainly his body mass, to an extent...
I THINK A KEY THING IN RECRUITING IS ASKING THE PROSPECT'S HS COACH IF THE PLAYER IS OBSESSED(OR CLOSE TO IT) IN LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE THEIR GAME.... THEN, HAS THERE BEEN DEMONSTRABLE THINGS THAT A HS COACH CAN POINT TO IN THEIR IMPROVEMENT, THAT WAS DRIVEN BY THE WORK OF THE PLAYER THEMSELVES??... To me, that becomes as important as their length, athleticism, and skill level.. It indicates their character and desire to be responsible to their team... DANIEL OTURU HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT THIS YEAR, and that is why people are saying he is a potential first round pick in the NBA.
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