African rookies look to emerge

The more I watch the NBA the more I see myself, at least 20 years back. The best basketball league in the world has always been inclusive, highlighted more after the 1992 Barcelona Olympics where the likes of Toni Kukoc came to global prominence.
Fast-forward to 2018 and this kid from the continent still can’t believe that I’m seeing my fellow compatriots sweat it out on the hardwoods of the association. Surreal as it is, there’s no denying that the continent always possessed the talent to take over the world and maybe it’s perfect timing or serendipity that I’m writing this piece just before the opening of the movie Black Panther. Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo paved the way and now we are setting the world on fire.
The crop of young players taking over the league is amazing but should also not be taken for granted. NBA players, just like any athlete in any professional sport, are perishable. They are here for a short while, so we better appreciate their talents while we can still enjoy them. How can I forget Hakeem the Dream pulling the strings on ‘The Admiral’ David Robinson in the post. How many times I wish I could see him lace them up for just one more game.
Today we take a look at four African rookie players trail-blazing their way to successful careers in the association. Where else to start but the Big Apple where Frank Ntilikina is making a big splash. The young French point guard by the way of Rwanda, has become somewhat of a revelation in New York solidifying the point-guard position for the Knicks. It wasn’t always this way as concern grew over his durability. Twice injured in the summer league didn’t exactly inspire confidence.
The teenager (that’s right) is a player you would peg for the future. His stats don’t jump at you like a mugger in NYC, but at 6-foot-5 he has proven he can be a worthwhile investment at point guard. He can be a disruptive force when playing against smaller guards and if he develops his midrange game, he can be as deadly on the offensive end. His court vision has impressed his teammates and coaches and he’s looking to build on that. In a year rookies such as Utah Jazz point guard Donovan Mitchell has emerged, the pressure is on the eighth pick of the 2017 Draft.
We are not finished yet with Nigerian-American Edrice ‘Bam’ Adebayo grabbing our interest as far as African rooks are concerned. The 6-foot-10 Miami Heat center, 14th pick from the University of Kentucky, has caught the attention of many as Hassan Whiteside’s backup. Though limited offensively, I have seen some spark in the young center, enough to prove that he is more than a mere flash in the pan. Defensively he is solid, displaying lateral quickness alien to most in his playing position. He is a center who can stay in front of a one guard or two guard in a pick-and-roll situation and has shown some versatility as a rim protector. On offense he relies on scraps and second-chance opportunities. Very adept at playing the one-two game on the pick-and-roll culminating with him converting on a lob, but unlike any other rookie center this season he makes up for his offensive inadequacies with his assist ratio—three assists per 100 possessions to be exact.
Still in the Eastern Conference, hulking Boston Celtics Nigerian-American power forward Semi Ojeleye features front and center. It’s hard to be dismissive of the 6-foot-7 tower of muscle. He’s built like a freight train but is as agile as your premium SUV. The Hulk, as his teammates affectionately call him, has earned his stripes, as it were, due to Gordon Hayward’s injury and his defensive tenacity. The former Duke and SMU alumnus, picked 37th in the Draft, can guard all five positions on the court at any one time. His numbers don’t speak to his abilities but his quickness and strength at his height have helped him overcome his offensive inadequacies. It’s rare for rookies to be thrown into the fold almost immediately upon debut but head coach Brad Stevens has taken to him. Normally players are eased into their roles in the first team, but injuries in the squad and grit get you noticed and the young man is certainly reveling in the attention.
As I mentioned earlier, this is the season of the rookies and no one embodies this statement as much as the Toronto Raptors’ Nigerian-Briton OG Anunoby. He is the epitome of calm and poise and for a first-year player that is impressive. One of the other qualities his team appreciates is the fact that he is not scared of the moment. Head coach Dwane Casey is awed by the young player, so much so that he earned his first start against, of all teams, the Houston Rockets. He rewarded that trust by dropping 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. That’s where the poise description came from. A player not scared of the big moment and playing at an effective level. But he’s not perfect. He has missed defensive assignments and sometimes there’s a lack of communication during switches that will irk the coaching staff. The Raptors are, however, going to be patient with him as they see a future superstar in the making and will allow a little wiggle room to enable that. Defensively he is an asset with the Raptors allowing just less than 10 points per 100 possessions while he is on the floor. Shooting 45 percent from the field definitely doesn’t hurt.