One of the keys to building a successful NBA franchise is identifying draft talent like Minnesota Golden Gophers sophomore Daniel Oturu.
Considering so much of the mock draft buzz comes from honorary games like the McDonald’s All-American Game or from the nation’s most dominant AAU teams, players like Oturu who did not have those experiences can fly a bit under the radar. The 6-foot-10 big man is also not playing at a blue blood program, though he did have offers from Kansas and Memphis.
Oturu, whose 5-foot-5 father played ping pong for the Nigerian national team, has been a star under head coach Richard Pitino — the son of former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. The 20-year-old center now brags the third-best Player Efficiency Rating (29.7) in the Big Ten, a major conference.
The Bucks, Knicks, and Mavs will have scouts watching Daniel Oturu and other #Gophers and Clemson Tigers tonight. Also at the Barn: noted #NBA Draft expert @franfraschilla, who’s calling the game for ESPN 2.
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) December 2, 2019
He is averaging 17.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, highlighted by double-doubles in six of his first ten appearances as a sophomore. That kind of productivity helped him lead the Golden Gophers past then No. 1 overall Ohio State on December 15.
Given that he has a 7-foot-3 wingspan, he is a tremendous defensive stopper who currently has an absurd 3.4 blocks per game. In fact, only seven players in the NCAA have recorded more blocks in 2019-20. His block percentage (10.9 percent) and his defensive rebound percentage (26.6 percent) both rank Top 10 among all underclassmen.
But he is more than just a rim protector and defensive presence. He has been remarkably efficient on offense, shooting 81.2 percent at the rim. It was there where he first made his impact known as a prospect in high school. Oturu put down a marvelous alley-oop at the buzzer to defeat Duke’s Tre Jones for the Minnesota state title.
Cretin-Derham Hall tops Apple Valley on an alley-oop with half a second left pic.twitter.com/Q0my5EfqpT
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) March 25, 2018
These days, his most valuable skill that projects well to his forecast his future as an NBA player has been his ability in pick-and-roll sets.
Oturu averaged 1.3 points per possession on pick-and-pop opportunities as a freshman last season, per Synergy, which ranked in the 90th percentile.
This year, he has improved that mark to 1.42 PPP (88th percentile) on pick-and-pop possessions. That ranks Top 15 among all qualified D1 players so far in 2019-20.
He clearly has something going for him with his jump shot, which has been a major improvement since his collegiate debut.
For example, Oturu attempted just two three-pointers as a freshman last year. This year, however, he is nearly matching that each time he steps on the floor with 1.4 long-range attempts per game.
Overall, the big man is 5-for-14 (35.7 percent) from beyond the arc and has shown he is not afraid to take open looks off the catch. Even if his stroke is not something that continues, his ability to spread the floor has been integral for Minnesota.
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