Big 12: Kansas' Kelly Oubre Has Obstacles To Clear

It’s no surprise that the Kansas Jayhawks are yet again the favorites to control the Big 12 Conference, just as it’s not any surprise that the shoulders of some freshmen will be in large, the reason Kansas will be expected to have so much success in 2014-15.

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There shouldn’t be any doubts when it comes to how well Cliff Alexander will transition to the college game and his dominance will likely continue, but where there’s a cause for concern is how much Kelly Oubre must improve upon as a freshman to become a college star.

Of course, he doesn’t necessarily ever have to become a star or an elite caliber player at the college level, but when you come into your freshman season after being named as a McDonald’s High School All-American, performing at an extremely high level is something that is to be expected. That said, here are the more notable areas that Oubre could definitely welcome some needed improvement.

Ball Handling/Going Right

Overall, Oubre is a pretty average ball handler, but there are some areas where he could really learn to take better care of the ball and have more control. The most obvious is his lack of willingness to go right and finish right. He can do so when absolutely necessary, but he relies far to heavily on his dominant left hand and that will become a focal point of game plans when looking to defend him.

Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports /

Then the need to make his ball handling tighter will be an important obstacle because with some great defenders in the Big 12, this loose ball control will result in more turnovers than Bill Self will like and in such a competitive conference, this could ultimately be the difference in winning or losing a crucial game.

Shooting

By now, you’ve probably seen some of Oubre’s highlight videos and his ability to knock down the long ball with ease is something that should rightfully stand out. But there are some issues, such as his consistency. When Oubre is hitting, he’s a lethal offensive weapon, but as of now, he’s just not doing that consistently enough to be regarded as a huge threat on offense as a freshman.

A lot of this inconsistency could be credited to his inconsistency in his shooting mechanics, where he struggles to square his shoulders and set his feet at times. Also, you can throw in shooting off the dribble because that’s a near non-existent factor of his game thus far.

Defensive Effort

This is an issue that can be both minute and colossal and it’s sure to drive his coach crazy until it’s resolved. In high school, there were plenty of times when Oubre seemingly didn’t even care about playing competitively on defense and often let opponents waltz in for easy buckets. This is an easy fix with some solid coaching, which he will receive at Kansas, but it’s also something that if he can’t improve upon will get him some extra minutes watching from the sideline.

Strength

I saved this for last because it should be the least of Oubre’s worries, although, his strength is something he will need to work on in order to impose his will in any defense. He’s as explosive as they come as an athlete and can beat most defenders off the dribble with a quick first step, but from there, his lack of strength can sometimes become a roadblock when running up against bigger, more powerful defenders in the paint, which he will see plenty of during his first season at Kansas.

Despite all of his weaknesses and areas needing improvement, Oubre will be ale to survive in college on his athleticism and scoring instinct alone at first. There’s a reason many project Oubre to be an early lottery pick in next year’s draft and that’s because of his tremendous upside and room to continue getting better, but these are all issues that will need to be resolved in what could be his only season in college if he wants to reach that star status and hear his name called amongst the earliest when NBA teams decide who to take a chance on in 2015.

Big 12: Kansas’ Kelly Oubre Has Obstacles To Clear

By Cody Daniel | Oct 15, 2014