Marquette Golden Eagles forward Oso Ighodaro will be in the 2024 NBA Draft. He will also invited to the NBA Draft Combine along with teammate point guard Tyler Kolek. Ighodaro is 6’11” and weighs 235 lbs. He is also 21 years old.
In 36 games played this past season for Marquette, he averaged 13.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.3 BPG, and 1.1 SPG. Ighodaro was a really good defensive player around the rim for the Golden Eagles this past season. He shot 57.6% from the field and he only shot 62.3% from the field.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor Has Marquette Golden Eagles Oso Ighodaro As a First-Round Pick In the 2024 NBA Draft
Ighodaro has been floating around different NBA mock drafts as either a late first-round pick or an early second-round pick. Kevin O’Connor has him as a first-round selection in his latest NBA Mock Draft. The team he has him going to is the Boston Celtics 30th overall.
Oso Ighodaro’s NBA comparison is Al Horford. Horford is 37 years old and it is possible he retires from the NBA if the Boston Celtics win the NBA Championship this season. Boston has a great chance to and they have done well lately drafting later in the first round.
The reasoning that O’Connor gave as to why the Boston Celtics would make this selection is because:
“Ighodaro, a high-feel big man who can facilitate and play selfless basketball, just feels like a Brad Stevens pick. He could learn a lot from Al Horford and fill different roles his team needs in the years to come.”
Luke Kornet and Sam Hauser are some of the backup big men on the bench for the Boston Celtics. It feels as if they wouldn’t be the long-term answer to replace Al Horford if he did retire. Oso Ighodaro would have more upside than those players on the roster unless Xavier Tillman could take over that role.
Some of the positives about Ighodaro’s game is that:
“Well-rounded defender best suited in a switching scheme next to a rim-protecting center. He has the quickness to play out on the perimeter, and the size to help at the rim. He brings mobility, intelligence, and grit to a defense. Playmaking hub for Marquette who could be a connective piece in the NBA with his feel in two-man actions. He loves to fire bounce passes from the elbows to cutters, and he often threads the needle with pinpoint passes. There’s a flair to his game, too. And he produces highlights while limiting turnovers.”
Some of the weaknesses are:
“Undersized as the lone big on the floor, unless it’s a small-ball lineup. He doesn’t rack up rebounds or offer elite rim protection.”
There have been times when the Boston Celtics have gone small, especially when it is Derrick White, Jrue Holliday, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford when Kristaps Porzingis is on the bench. Replace Marquette Golden Eagles Oso Ighodaro with Horford here and Ighodaro would have a chance to excel in the NBA with this franchise.