 In the pace-and-space modern NBA and in professional leagues around the world, the lane is less congested and there’s more space to fly in and fight for offensive rebounds. Keeping possessions alive on the offensive glass is a valuable, often overlooked skill. Though length and athleticism certainly help one’s chances of bringing down an offensive board, much of the art of offensive rebounding is tied to technique and effort. In our first Film Room Friday installment of the 2019-20 scouting season, the PBC scouting team has sifted through game film to identify prospects with potential to translate as tenacious offensive rebounders and putback threats. To provide some context, let’s first lay out a few examples of NBA players that excel at crashing the offensive glass and converting on second chance opportunities. NBA Rookies/Sophomores: Mitchell Robinson, Devontae Cacok, Brandon Clarke NBA Veterans: Andre Drummond, Montrezl Harrell, Enes Kanter Recent NBA Retirees: Nikola Peković, David Lee, Al Jefferson These lists are not meant as rankings, and are certainly non-exhaustive, but serve the purpose of providing some familiar examples of NBA players that exemplify this skill set. Within the 2020 NBA Draft prospect pool, there are a handful of prospects that stand out as projectable putback artists. Among those ranked in the top 45 on consensus big boards are James Wiseman, Obi Toppin, and Reggie Perry. In last year’s putback-focused Film Room Friday, we identified Toppin and Vermont’s Anthony Lamb as translatable putback threats. Below, we will highlight three 2020 NBA Draft eligible prospects ranked outside of the top 45 on consensus big boards with the potential to add value on the offensive glass at the next level: George Conditt IVBig | 6’10’’ | 223 lbs. | Soph. | Iowa State | #4 PBC Consensus Ranking: 100+ George Conditt IV is a young big for Iowa State who has displayed great touch around the basket and has been highly active on the offensive glass. Conditt ranks in the 97th percentile on putbacks by converting at a rate of 1.656 PPP. Even though the sample size is small this early in the season, it’s apparent that Conditt is able to use his length to his advantage to pull down offensive rebounds and then puts his soft touch to good use with quick putback finishes. In addition to his touch, Conditt does a nice job timing the ball off the rim and high-pointing the ball in the air to beat others to the rebound. Nathan KnightBig | 6’10’’ | 253 | Sr. | William & Mary | #3 PBC Consensus Ranking: 100+ Nathan Knight is a very intriguing big man prospect for the William & Mary Tribe. He’s typically the biggest guy on the court standing at 6’10”, weighing 250+ lbs, and boasting a reported 7’2” wingspan. He really makes full functional use of these physical tools when it comes to crashing the offensive glass. He’s generally stronger than his opponents, so he’s able to bully his way to offensive rebounds and put it back up. Even when he misses a post-up attempt, he’s able to get his own offensive rebound by using his strength to fight through an off-balanced defender that just exerted a lot of effort trying to fight for post position and contest his shot. Knight ranks in the 95th percentile on putbacks by converting at a 1.571 PPP clip. Although he won’t have as stark of a size/strength advantage in the pros as he does in the CAA, Knight still projects to be a strong offensive rebounding threat at the next level. Emmitt WilliamsForward | 6’6’’ | 230 | Soph. | LSU | #5 PBC Consensus Ranking: 100+ Emmitt Williams plays much bigger than his 6’6” stature and is wildly impressive on the offensive glass. He’s one of the best in college basketball when it comes to snagging offensive boards and converting putbacks. Williams has a unique blend of brute strength and length and is able to use this hybrid of physical attributes, along with a high motor in the paint, to track down his teammates’ misses despite being shorter than most opposing bigs. He’s very active, always moving, and crashes the paint like a heat-seeking missile once he identifies a shot’s likely miss trajectory. Williams ranks in the 89th percentile on putbacks, which is very impressive given his size. While each of these prospects currently sit outside the top 100 on consensus 2020 NBA Draft boards, their offensive rebounding prowess could serve as a catalyst for increased draft buzz as their seasons/careers progress. *Stats courtesy of Synergy Sports Technology
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