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| Team: Baylor, Junior |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 10"
W: 240 lbs
Bday: 05/20/1987
(22 Years Old)
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Current: PF/C
NBA: PF
Possible: PF/C
| Round: 2 Pick: 6 in 2011 Mock Draft
Rank 80 in Top 100 Prospects
RSCI: 153
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High School: Santa Fe
Hometown: Edmond, OK
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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| Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big 12 (Part Two: #6-10)
September 7, 2009
Jonathan Givony
After sitting out all of last season due to transfer rules following his move from Michigan to Baylor, Ekpe Udoh will now have an excellent opportunity to show what kind of progress he’s made over the past year.
Standing 6-10, with a great frame, long arms, and solid athleticism, Udoh’s intrigue will always start with his rare physical attributes. These tools manifest themselves mostly in the form of his shot-blocking and offensive rebounding ability at the moment, although it will be interesting to see how much polish he’s been able to add as of late.
Based on the film we were able to take in from the 2007-2008 season while playing for Michigan, Udoh appears to be a fairly limited player offensively, which was reflected in his low scoring output and poor shooting percentages. He doesn’t possess much of a back to the basket game, mostly being relegated to catching and finishing or catching and shooting due to his poor footwork and non-existent left hand, and rarely getting to the free throw line in turn. He doesn’t have great hands and didn’t always appear to know his limitations from what we could tell.
Udoh did show some potential as a jump-shooter, though, even knocking down 6/15 3-point attempts, which is not what you would expect from most 6-10 shot-blockers. He has good form and nice touch on his shot, leading you to believe that he may show much more in this area in a larger offensive role for Baylor this season. The fact that he only managed to convert on 59% of his free throw attempts in 07/08 shows that he obviously had a ways to go in this area, though.
On the offensive glass is where Udoh will be able to help Baylor immediately, as his excellent size and length gives him a big advantage at the college level, and he also shows solid hustle pursuing the ball and coming up with rebounds out of his area. He’s a surprisingly average defensive rebounder, though, as he doesn’t always seem to box out his opponent (chasing blocked shots instead), not showing quite the same determination to make his presence felt as he does on the other end of the floor.
Defensively is where Udoh will make a name for himself this season most likely, as he may have a chance to emerge as one of the top shot-blockers in college basketball. His incredible reach is a huge asset, as it allows him to contest, alter and most importantly reject plenty of shots around the rim, at times showing impressive timing in the process. He ranked 8th amongst all shot-blockers in our database in 2007-2008, and definitely has the potential to improve even more in this area.
From a fundamentals standpoint, Udoh has some work to do based on what we saw at Michigan, as he tends to give his man too much space while allowing him to establish deep post position on him. This is partially due to his lack of lower body strength, but also because of his inclination to just wait for a shot to go up and then go and send it back—something that obviously won’t work in the NBA.
On the perimeter is where Udoh struggles the most like almost all big men, often looking flat-footed trying to stay in front of quicker big men who can handle the ball, and being relatively ineffective defending the pick and roll. Udoh’s length helps him compensate for his average lateral quickness in a major way, though, and it’s not rare to see him recover quickly after already getting burned and still manage to meet an opponent at the rim for an emphatic block.
Udoh is gathering some quiet buzz around Baylor already for the way he’s reportedly looked in practice, as the coaching staff appears to be extremely pleased with the progress he’s made from what they told us personally. Despite the fact that he’ll be turning 23 in May, Udoh may have made a wise decision to leave Michigan, as he was never going to be a fit in John Beilein’s slow, perimeter oriented offense, and already saw his role and production shrink from his freshman to sophomore years. It will be very interesting to see how he looks this upcoming season, as there is always a demand for 6-10 long and mobile shot-blockers in the NBA.
 [Read Full Article]
Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big 10 (Part One: #1-#5)
October 16, 2007
A raw, but intriguing big man, Ekpe Udoh was the third post player in the lineup for Michigan during his freshman season, and showed nice flashes of potential against Big Ten competition. This season, he will be more heavily relied on by new head coach John Beilein, on a Michigan team that will look much different from last season. Udoh can be labeled as a project for the time being, but has the raw tools to attract attention from scouts at the next level.
Udoh’s intrigue as a prospect starts with his promising shot-blocking ability. During his freshman campaign he averaged 4 blocks per 40 minutes (pace adjusted), ranking him 10th in the country amongst returning draft prospects. The sophomore big has a monster wing-span, and shows good anticipation both on the ball and coming from the weak-side. The talented big man can block shots with either hand, and avoids foul trouble surprisingly well for a young shot-blocker.
Offensively, Udoh remains raw, but can step out and hit the mid-range jumper with decent consistency. He lost confidence with his jumper during some portions of his freshman season, but shot the ball more accurately as he adjusted to more playing time later in the season. From the low block, Udoh has yet to become a scoring threat due to his lack of strength. In addition, better footwork will be a necessity for him to develop a back to the basket game. Udoh did show a little potential shooting a hook shot last season with both hands. Unfortunately, he really lacked touch on this shot, and sometimes resorted to turning and wildly releasing it, without gaining the proper position first.
Udoh must really focus on increasing his strength over the next couple of seasons. The lack of strength hurts him badly on the defensive glass, where he often loses the inside position to stronger players. He does rebound the ball effectively on the offensive end, showing good hands to compliment his terrific wingspan. A better body will allow Udoh to finish strong inside, rather than shying away from contact like he did last season.
Ekpe Udoh has the tools to make it to the NBA down the road, but he still remains a raw prospect at this point. Over the next couple of seasons, he must focus on becoming stronger while further developing his offensive game. It will be interesting to gauge the progress he makes this season playing against Big Ten competition, though it is likely that Udoh will have to stay at least a few more years at Michigan, depending on how long it takes him to add bulk and polish up his skill-set.
[Read Full Article]
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