Player Profile: Semi Ojeleye
Semi Ojeleye has tremendous potential. The Boston Celtics picked him in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft with the 37th pick. He’s a 6'7", 235 lb forward that can play the 3 or the 4, and his most important skill is that he is mobile enough to switch pick and rolls and also hit the three on the offensive side of the floor.
A ceiling comparison would be Draymond Green, but let’s not put that kind of pressure on this kid. Draymond is a one of a kind NBA defender, and Ojeleye can be a Dray lite. He doesn’t have the passing skills or elite wingspan, but he has similar lateral foot speed, with the ability to cover lots of ground to contain guards on pick and rolls, while also being big enough to bang with smaller bigs inside.
Semi Ojeleye is one of the most athletic guys in this draft. He possesses a 6'9 wingspan for his 6'7 frame, with a nice little shooting stroke, on display at Summer League last night. He’s a nice shooter off the catch, which is what he needs to focus on right now as he develops, and can hit off a pick and pop or on a weak-side pass to the corner where he can be highly successful and open up the court if he shares the court with another big or a guard like Marcus Smart that struggles to shoot.
Semi Ojeleye has a bright future in this league as a high end role player, and the shot and the defense are there right now, and as a second round pick, that’s incredible value for Boston.
His development hinges on if he can:
— finish at the rim against bigger NBA centers
— beat those same bigs that he pulls out to the 3 point line, off the dribble and under control.
In all, Semi Ojeleye is a guy that has great potential to be a key contributor on this Celtics team in the future, but also immediately, especially if they move Jae Crowder to acquire a superstar. His 3 point shooting and switching on Defense will be loved by Brad Stevens,which has been lacking a 2 way big like Semi in recent years.
I’m all aboard the Ojeleye hype train. Watch out NBA point guards when you run into him off a pick….
