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Position: forward/center Height: 6-10 Weight: 255 College: None (Nigeria) Born: May 11, 1981, Ibadan, Nigeria Opening day (2002) age: 21 Drafted: 2000, second round, pick 42, Seattle NBA exerience: Two years (two with Sonics) Hand: Right Acquired: Signed by Orlando on July 21, 2002 Nicknames: Dub-O, Oly, Big Tuna Contract status: Signed through 2002-03 season |
2001-02 in Review: After a disappointing performance with the Seattle Supersonics' summer-league team, forward/center Olumide Oyedeji entered training camp as a bit of an afterthought. Even after injuries tested the team's frontcourt depth, camp invitees Art Long and Antonio Harvey ended up playing -- and starting -- during November and December, while Oyedeji was the team's little-used 12th man. (Oyedeji did start one game, November 9 at Boston, but played just four minutes.) Halfway through the season, Oyedeji had seen only a handful of minutes with the game's outcome in doubt. He began to demonstrate improved play in the so-called 'garbage time' which was, to him, anything but. As a result, when the Sonics suffered through another stretch of injuries in March, Oyedeji actually was part of the rotation for a handful of games. Most notable was a March 29 matchup with San Antonio in which Oyedeji played 15 minutes, grabbing six rebounds, scoring four points, and forcing a pair of offensive fouls as the Sonics upset the Spurs 79-76. Oyedeji finished his second season with numbers remarkably similar to his first -- 221 minutes, 22 of 41 from the field, 55 points, and 79 rebounds.
Previous NBA Career: A native of Nigeria who played with Dirk Nowitzki's club -- Wurzburg -- in Germany, Oyedeji's athletic talent attracted the attention of NBA scouts when he dominated a team of elite American high-schoolers in the spring of 2000 during an exhibition game. Prior to the following June's Draft, many experts had Oyedeji as a lottery selection, possibly joining Nowitzki with the Dallas Mavericks. The Sonics, then, were thrilled when Oyedeji slipped to their second-round pick, number 42 overall. After an uneven performance during the summer and in training camp, Oyedeji found himself on the injured list to start the season. When Oyedeji was activated in December, he played sparingly until mid-January. With Patrick Ewing sidelined against the Sacramento Kings on January 21, Oyedeji was called upon to go up against Sacramento All-Star Chris Webber. Oyedeji stifled Webber defensively while scoring a surprising 10 points. Two nights later, Oyedeji again impressed in an upset of the Los Angeles Lakers. He then returned to limited action for the remainder of the season until the Sonics were eliminated from the playoffs. In the Sonics' final game, Oyedeji saw the most action he had in his young career, playing 30 minutes and grabbing an astounding 14 rebounds.
Shooting/Scoring: Oyedeji entered the NBA with a reputation for being almost a complete
non-factor offensively, but has not actually been that awful shooting the ball in his two years as a
pro. Over the second half of last season, he made 16 of 22 shots, a 73% clip. Most of those shots
are putbacks or layins in the lane. Oyedeji should not be playing more than about 10 feet away from
the basket, as he is no threat whatsoever from this distance. He is certainly not about to be
creating offense for himself or playing in the post.
Grade: D+
Floor Game: Simply put, Oyedeji should not be handling the ball. During his two-year
career, he has totaled six assists and 25 turnovers for a 0.24 assist/turnover ratio. Any time he puts
the ball on the ground, a turnover is likely to result -- the quicker he gets the ball out of his hands,
the better. Oyedeji did a good job in the pick-and-roll his first season, but is prone to committing
offensive fouls when setting a screen. He is athletic and gets up and down the court well.
Grade: D-
Rebounding: Oyedeji is as good of a natural rebounder as will be found in the NBA. Only
two players who played more minutes than Oyedeji last season -- Denver's Shawnelle Scott and
Golden State's Danny Fortson -- averaged more rebounds per minute. On a per-minute basis,
Oyedeji was a better rebounder last season than Detroit's Ben Wallace, who led the league in
rebounds per game. Over starter's minutes -- 32 per game -- Oyedeji would have averaged 11.4
rebounds. This was no product of playing limited minutes against untalented players; Oyedeji
has demonstrated this skill throughout his career and his best rebounding performance came in
the only true chance he has received.
Grade: A+
Defense: Oyedeji has the tools but not the experience or the savvy to be a good post
defender. His combination of size and speed allows him to contest virtually any power forward in
the NBA, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be successful. At this point of his career, Oyedeji
is a high risk-reward defender, as his aggressive style can work well at times or make him a liability
at others. He has a tendency to reach and slap with his hands, and as a result of this and little
respect from the referees would have trouble with fouls if he played 30 minutes a night. He is not
much of a shot-blocking presence, and should do better in this regard given his leaping ability and
size.
Grade: C
Intangibles: Oyedeji has been well received in the Seattle community and has never had
any apparent problems with the coaching staff despite his limited playing time over the last two
seasons. He seems to be a hard worker. If there has been a problem with the language barrier, it
has not been evident on the outside.
Grade: B
Overall: Fans wondered throughout the season with Oyedeji's rebounding ability whether
he might be the answer to the team's woes on the glass. Yet he continued to waste away on the
bench, which has to be taken as an indication of the quality of the rest of his skills at this time.
Oyedeji is clearly not a rotation player on a good team. He is only 21, so time is on his side. Given
his rebounding ability, it's not tough to see him being valuable if he can play solid defense and stay
out of the way for the most part on offense. What he probably needs is a chance to play regular
minutes, at least about a dozen per night, on a team that is willing to take a flyer on him. A change
of scenery might do Oyedeji very well, but to date it doesn't look as if one is coming. The Sonics
did not extend Oyedeji a qualifying offer by June 30, meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent
this summer. However, for lack of interest, it seems likely that Oyedeji ends up back with the
Sonics on a non-guaranteed one-year contract. If the Sonics lose Jerome James in free agency and
decide to cut bait on Vin Baker, dealing him for players who are not contributors, it might be
possible that Oyedeji becomes the team's fourth big man. Otherwise, it's likely back to the pine for
yet another season -- if not off to the NBA's minor leagues.
Grade: D
During his rookie season, Oyedeji was my favorite Sonic. Last year, however, my feelings for him
cooled considerably. I've tried to tell myself this was only because he was no longer new and Earl
Watson came along, but in all honesty it's because his poor summer performance really
disappointed me. The rest of KeyArena, however, remains on the bandwagon. Oyedeji is one of the
team's most popular players, judging by the applause he receives when entering the game and the
frequent calls for him to get more playing time. If he sticks around for a while, Oyedeji has a chance
to develop a Steve Scheffler-esque cult following.
July 21 Update: With the Sonics not fielding a summer-league team, Oyedeji joined the Orlando Magic to play in their Orlando Professional Summer League. In those games, he averaged 7.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in just under 25 minutes per game, impressing the Magic to the point where they signed him to what is believed to be a one-year contract. Terms were not disclosed.