The Case For……Omar Samhan

Our next subject in “The Case For…” is a big man who burst on to the national scene this past March with his quick wit and some game that makes you take notice – Omar Samhan, Center from St. Mary’s (6’11, 260).

The Good– Samhan is a very agile big man with a solid set of post moves, including a nice baby hook and an up-and-under which draws a good amount of fouls.  He has a soft touch around the rim, can hit from 8-10 feet, and is a better than average free throw shooter.  He does a good job going after rebounds on both ends and has secures the ball well.  Defensively, Samhan uses his body well pushing defenders off the blocks and has no problem playing physical.   He has improved his shot-blocking ability and does a good job getting his hands in passing lanes. 

The Not-So-Good– Samhan is not very athletic, and has a tendency to play flat-footed.  He doesn’t react quickly to double teams and often gets trapped.  He needs to improve his screen-setting as he tends to release too soon.  Defensively, he is prone to getting beat by quicker big men, often leading to silly fouls. 

The Verdict –  While Samhan is skilled on both ends of the floor, his lack of athleticism is a large enough negative to  prevent him from being drafted.  He has a great attitude and he would be ideal for the the Developmental League where he can work on improving his athleticism while staying on NBA teams’ radars.  I expect to see him on a NBA roster at some point next season.

Tune in next time when “The Case For…” checks out the Draft chances of Aubrey Coleman from Houston.