Reusse says a year from now Oturu will be such a force he'll be early NBA candidate

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per Shooter:

Gophers 6-10 freshman Daniel Oturu weighs 225 pounds. Coach Pitino would like to see him add 20 pounds.

“That would be good; put on some weight and I think he’s going to be a monster in this league,” Pitino said last week. “You see him miss a lot of dunks, where he’s close, and I think that’s just a little bit of strength through contact, things like that. He’s got the talent, wants to win and is a great kid.”

https://www.twincities.com/2018/12/...d-mike-shanahan-get-best-out-of-kirk-cousins/

Go Gophers!!
 

Pretty easy to see the potential of that happening. A year older with nutrition and weight training is going to make him pretty intimidating. The awareness and experience he gets this year, with the summer to strengthen his plusses and minimize his weaknesses all suggests he'll take big jump. Freshman to sophomore is often the biggest leap forward in many players careers.
 

And let’s not forget Daniel missed a big chunk of off-season training time due to shoulder surgery and subsequent rehab, so he should be able to benefit big time next year and beyond if he gets that full time on and off the court.
 

I'm buying Oturo stock. He's got a lot to work on, but he has great footwork and seems to have a good feel for the game.
 


Count me in as a believer. He looks like he has more potential than any player we have had in a long time.
 

Who's more likely to make it to the NBA - Oturu or Coffey? (or both?)
 


Both if they play to their potential. This team should be win a lot of games this year if they get curry back and work out their issues.
 



GopherJack said:
Who's more likely to make it to the NBA - Oturu or Coffey? (or both?)
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Oturu easily. Small forwards and shooting guards tend to be among the most elite NBA athletes in terms of the combination of athleticism and skill. Coffey doesn't compare especially well to those players on either dimension. Big men come into the league as less athletic and skilled players and they take longer to develop. I think Oturu can compare favorably to other drafted big men.
 

upnorthkid said:
My not so bold prediction. Amir is a mid second rounder, Oturo just misses the lottery.
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Amir - maybe but I'm not as confident as you.

Oturu - maybe but the longer he stays in school after next year, the lower he goes in the draft - usually seems to work that way.
 

Oturu will play in the NBA. Strength is holding him back this year.
 

Let’s enjoy him while we can. Get stronger prove your worth good things will happen for him.
 





Don't get me wrong I really like O's upside and he's a solid freshman, but I find it highly unlikely that he will have developed his offensive skills enough by the end of next year to be a top 20-25 draft choice. He would get drafted but he could have an early exit from the NBA if he doesn't develop an offensive game - everyone can dunk in the NBA. He has a very limited offensive game, not that strong and hasn't demonstrated he is a beast on rebounding. That said, he may mature beyond my imagination over the next 3 months.
 


If you look across the NBA, there’s a number of guys making a pretty penny with a similar skillset to Daniel’s. Rudy Gobert, Clint Capela, DeAndre Jordan, Bam Adebayo, Tyson Chandler and then you have a guy like Daniel Gafford at Arkansas who’s a fringe lottery pick. I’d agree that I’m not sure about Oturu making the jump after next season as he’s very thin but after a year or two in the weight room and time to work on his post game he has the chance to be a force. You can’t teach the length, fluidity and natural shot blocking ability he has. I wouldn’t count on him being here all 4 years.
 

GopherNuts said:
If you look across the NBA, there’s a number of guys making a pretty penny with a similar skillset to Daniel’s. Rudy Gobert, Clint Capela, DeAndre Jordan, Bam Adebayo, Tyson Chandler and then you have a guy like Daniel Gafford at Arkansas who’s a fringe lottery pick. I’d agree that I’m not sure about Oturu making the jump after next season as he’s very thin but after a year or two in the weight room and time to work on his post game he has the chance to be a force. You can’t teach the length, fluidity and natural shot blocking ability he has. I wouldn’t count on him being here all 4 years.
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Yep. Willie Cauley Stein and Nerlens Noel are comes to mind as well along with Taj Gibson and Gourgui Dieng. You don't have to have a jump shot or outside game as long as you can run the floor, rebound, catch lobs, finish in transition and get cleanup baskets.

Also the NBA is transitioning to small ball and is starting to prefer centers who can run so you don't have to be a 7-0, 260 pounder to play the 5 anymore either.
 

His stroke from the freethrow line actually looks relatively fluid as well so I have hopes of being able to develop some midrange game at some point. Even if we can't teach him, I think NBA development coaches could.
 

The NBA loves potential. Daniel will be dramatically better next year...stronger with greater awareness. After his sophomore year would be the best time for him to go.

Coffey to me would need one team to love him...I don't see him as an NBA player. Happy he is a Gopher but I believe his future is in Europe. I have not seen Coffey on anybody's Top 100 type list. Oturo is not either but I think he eventually will be.
 

Don't forget that Oturu wasn't able to fully participate in a weight program do to his surgery. With ten more pounds of muscle he would be able to power through quite a bit more.

Hopefully he gets between 240-250 and works hard on improving his vertical jump and his jumper. I do think he will be a 3 year player here at a minimum.
 

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