Patrick O'Bryant

Joseph Treutlein: How have you been preparing for the draft so far?

Patrick O'Bryant: Just same thing as everyone else, working out all summer, getting ready.

Joseph Treutlein: Is there any part of your game in particular that you’ve been working on?

Patrick O'Bryant: I’d say a lot of footwork stuff and post moves, that kind of thing.

Joseph Treutlein: Is there any skill you can offer that we perhaps haven’t seen in college?

Patrick O'Bryant: I don’t think so.

Joseph Treutlein: How many teams have you worked out for?

Patrick O'Bryant: I have worked out for four. Well, actually all of them technically.

Joseph Treutlein: For the rest of your workouts, what range of picks are you planning to work out in?

Patrick O'Bryant: Lottery, pretty much.

Joseph Treutlein: So you think you’re a lottery pick?

Patrick O'Bryant: Yeah.

Joseph Treutlein: If I’m a general manager, why should I pick you?

Patrick O'Bryant: Because I’m long, athletic, work hard, good shot-blocker, good rebounder.

Joseph Treutlein: You said that you work hard. Some people have questioned your drive or your motor. How would you respond to that?

Patrick O'Bryant: I mean, why would I be here if I didn’t want to work at it? This is the best league in the world, why would I come here if I didn’t want to work at it?

Joseph Treutlein: Of the players you’ve worked out against, who has impressed you the most?

Patrick O'Bryant: I would say probably Shelden [Williams]. He’s just a big strong guy and really good.

Joseph Treutlein: What was your best workout for a team? Is there any team you think you particularly impressed?

Patrick O'Bryant: I would say New Orleans. They just seemed to have the best feedback.

Joseph Treutlein: Is there any team in the NBA that you think your style of play fits in with well?

Patrick O’Bryant: Not really any in particular, no.

Joseph Treutlein: You don’t think your game is more suited to a half-court or full-court type game for example?

Patrick O’Bryant: I think I could play in either one, really. I could do well either way.

O'Bryant is a player we watched a few weeks ago in person for the first time and came away extremely impressed from. Since then, his conditioning has clearly improved, as has his frame which has already absorbed a few pounds of extra weight in his upper body. O'Bryant ran a very impressive 25 full-court sprints in the 3 minute Celtic Run last week in Boston, emphasizing just how hard the 7-footer has been working here over the past few weeks since we last saw him.

His feet are still extremely quick and he’s surprisingly agile moving around in the post. While no one would describe his skill-set as being “polished,” there isn’t anything in terms of raw skills that you don’t see out of this 19 year old center. In the post, he shows great touch around the basket and has become very adept at using the glass from either side of the basket with both his hook shot and baby jumper.

In the shooting drills, you could tell that the mechanics on his jump-shot looked fairly poor, releasing the ball from in front of his chest a la Shawn Marion and getting little to no consistency on his footwork or release point. He does get it off fairly quickly, though, and it was pretty tough to argue with the overall results when he was actually making an effort to shoot it correctly.

Shooting the ball from mid-range, from approximately 14 feet and off the glass, O'Bryant hit 18 of his 20 shots from the left side, and 16/20 from the right. From 17 feet out he was 14/20 and then 12/20 on two separate occasions. Stepping in on his jumper from the right side about 16 feet out, he knocked down 13/20 from the right side and then 15/20 from the left. Pulling up off the dribble from the free throw line, he shot 6/10. In other shooting drills he didn’t seem to be taking things too seriously and just tried to throw it in off-balance rather than gather himself first. This led to results like 3/14 from the elbow on one set or 2/11 on another. He seemed to get bored with all the shooting drills fairly quickly once he started missing, losing his focus a bit and not really putting in too much effort until he was given the opportunity to do things that he likes, like dunks or hook shots.

In all fairness, this was a pretty informal workout that was intended to keep the players loose in anticipation of their big workout the next day, and no player no matter how big or small likes to be forced to do something (in this case, shoot long-range jumpers) that they clearly aren’t very good at and might not ever have to become anything more than average in. When it was time do more fun things like show off his ball-handling skills in the half-court, O’Bryant didn’t look half bad doing so. All in all, O’Bryant showed off his terrific potential once again with the way he moved with his impressive 7-foot frame and incredibly long arms, his raw fundamentals in the post and the soft touch he gets once he’s there.

Watching Patrick O'Bryant practice in person for an hour would have made this trip worth the price of admission even if he was the only player to be seen in the Tampa Bay area all weekend long. It was very hard not to come away excited by how much potential this young monster in the making has in him, and after seeing him with my own eyes, it was even harder not to go overboard with where we have him slotted on the mock draft (currently 9th).

First you need to start with his physical attributes, which absolutely put him in a class of his own as far as this draft is concerned. He’s a legit 7-footer, with an incredible 7-5 wingspan and 9-4 standing reach. His frame is perfect and will carry just as much weight as he needs to in the pros, as his shoulders are high and wide and his lower body is solid. He ran the court like a deer early on in the workout before tiring a bit towards the end, which was understandable considering that he had just arrived a few days prior. In the post he’s extremely mobile, fluid in his movements when he knows what he’s doing, quick with his feet, and fairly explosive getting off the floor. He got off the ground impressively to dunk from just a foot inside the free throw line in one drill, and used his already big body to establish position and work his way around the post at will against the shorter and slower Jamison in the one on ones. Once he established himself around the rim, he barely has to jump to dunk the ball thanks to his reach. Abunassar was working with him on his foot-work, and it was evident that he’d be able to get off his jump-hook at will in the NBA due to his height and length.

1334

Early in the one on one drill his inexperience began to show as Jamison forced his will on him and made him shot some tough fade-away jumpers rather than let him use his body to get deep inside the paint. But to his credit, O'Bryant quickly adapted himself and used his nimble feet to spin around him or just shoot the ball over the top of him with a soft touch. Once he learned what Jamison wanted to do offensively, which did not take him very long, he put a lid on the rim and refused to give him anything easy. Jamison is a savvy veteran and has all kind of crafty moves in his arsenal he can go to, but O'Bryant picked up on his tendencies and slid in front of him time after time to bother his shot.

Despite his apparent dominance, it was obvious that O'Bryant is still a fairly raw prospect who will need patience from the team drafting him. He still lacks polish in the post with his footwork, and noticeably favors going to his right hand. Watching him shoot the ball from mid-range reminds a lot of Joakim Noah in the way he releases the ball from his chest--just not as violently--but regardless the accuracy from almost any distance outside of 12 feet--except for the baseline--just wasn’t there. His free throw shooting was also very poor. What might hold him back the most would be his conditioning, though, at least early on in his career. He still has some work to do with his phenomenal frame, in terms of adding weight in the right places and improving his core strength.

What’s most impressive is just how little he gets by on at this early point in his career at age 19. Two years ago he was barely a top 300 high school recruit who most mid-major coaches wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole. Now, it would be shocking to see him fall out of the lottery. The only concerning thing coming from this workout--and this could be either a positive or negative considering how good he looked regardless—was the fact that he seemed to be in 3rd or 4th gear for most of the time. Part of this has to do with how long he was here at IMG for, and part of it has to do with the nature of the workout, but it was hard not wondering at times whether he’s a little too nonchalant for his own good. This is something we saw from him during the regular season as well, as he’s not really the type of big man who will want to rip your heart out if you get in his way, and doesn’t have the kind of chip on his shoulder you like to see in a player who still has a considerable amount of improvement to make.

Regardless, O'Bryant has a world of upside at his fingertips, and it can not be forgotten just how much he’s improved over the past two years playing at Bradley. People who saw him do warm-ups during the summer in AAU competition (since he wasn’t good enough then to actually play in the games) said that he was so awkward and uncoordinated that he would just carry the ball to the basket in layup lines and dunk it with two hands. The coaches at Bradley have obviously done a fantastic job with him. This type of improvement speaks highly of his work-ethic and likelihood to continue to improve over the next few years, and if he remains focused once he reaches the NBA, it’s scary to think just how good he can be. Off the court, his attitude looked excellent as well.

After an impressive display against Aaron Gray of Pittsburgh that really opened up the eyes of both NBA scouts and the national media, O’Bryant came back down to earth and struggled with an opponent who more closely resembles an NBA player, at least in terms of physical attributes.

Thick and athletic Joey Dorsey of Memphis gave Patrick fits all game long, and the Bradley center looked like a completely different player compared with what he showed last time out. Towards the beginning of the game, O’Bryant had a few good looks from the field, but after an impressive tip dunk with 7:10 to go in the first half, he started to struggle. He was unable to hold his position on the block against Dorsey, and his teammates stopped looking to him to score. As a result, O’Bryant appeared to become passive, and struggled to contribute on either end of the floor. He started to move out further away from the basket, and looked to pass it nearly every time he touched the ball.

In the second half, O’Bryant made a few moves inside where he appeared to be afraid to take the contact, which led to bad misses. Even when O’Bryant does receive the ball in position to score, it’s rare to see him go up and finish a play strong if he’s being closely contested. After a breakout game against a slow but fundamental center, it was a struggle today for Patrick against a strong and athletic opponent. Conditioning was a factor in his effort today, as he appeared to be a step slower than he was when his team was beating up on powerhouses Pitt and Kansas.

Though he struggled, O’Bryant’s rebounding was very impressive. He fought hard for position, and used his long arms and excellent leaping ability to grab 14 boards. 5 came on the offensive end of the floor, including the aforementioned tip dunk that energized the entire Bradley team, and created a swing in momentum.

Patrick O’Bryant has very good long term potential, but showed once again he is quite raw today. He lacks the strength and footwork to be a consistent threat against athletic centers in the post, and his range of offensive moves is limited. As is the case for many inexperienced players, O’Bryant was easily frustrated, and lost his focus when Dorsey managed to limit his game. In the future, he will need to work on bringing intensity to the floor even when things aren’t going his way. Though O’Bryant would benefit greatly from another year of college, centers are hard to come by in the NBA, and it’s hard to imagine he would decline the opportunity to be a first round pick. If he does declare, a team will have a project on their hands, but Patrick O’Bryant does have all the tools to be successful in the NBA, especially if he can work on the mental side of the game.

Patrick O'Bryant made his name known to the entire country on Sunday afternoon, using his physical tools to completely outplay his counterpart, Pittsburgh center Aaron Gray.

O'Bryant was very impressive offensively, posting up Gray for most of his 28 points. He had no problem establishing position, receiving the ball very deep in the post on multiple occasions. He had a few easy lay-ins and dunks from the good positioning, but also showed he can work for his baskets from further out in the post. Over the course of the game, O’Bryant exhibited a turnaround jumper from a few feet out, a drop-step move on the baseline, and a jump hook across the lane, which seems to be his weapon of choice.

Defensively, O’Bryant had a pretty strong impact, showing bursts of good man and weakside defense. He was outplayed by Gray on a few plays in the post, but also blocked him once, stole the ball from him on another occasion, and contained him on quite a few other possessions. There were a few instances where he lost Gray in the possession, letting him get deep under the basket for an easy dunk or lay-in. He also played some pretty solid weakside defense, altering a few shots and making most of the necessary rotations. He uses his length and mobility especially well on the defensive end.

It should also be noted that O’Bryant stepped up huge in the clutch with the game hanging in the balance. He had a crucial rebound as the game was getting close with 2:11 remaining. He then hit 6-of-6 free throws as time winded down, helping secure the win for Bradley.

While there were a lot of positives for O’Bryant today, he has some significant weaknesses he needs to work on. He has no mid-range game to speak of, as he scores all of his points around the basket. He could be a much more effective player if he added this element to his game. O’Bryant’s effort also wavers throughout a game, not consistently showing the fire to be as good as he could. He seemingly never boxes out on rebounds and doesn’t fight very hard for them in general. He also seems to take a lot of plays off, simply going through the motions and not giving it his all. This could in part be due to conditioning as well as motivation, though.

O’Bryant has a great set of physical tools, possessing excellent mobility, length, and size. His athleticism won’t blow you away, but he’s very fluid and mobile and has all the tools one could want from a center. O’Bryant also has a sort of misleading strength. He looks pretty thin, but he makes good use of his frame. That said, his frame could stand to add quite a bit more bulk, and he could definitely use the extra strength. O’Bryant would probably be best served spending another year in college getting into better shape and developing a mid-range game, but considering the market for athletic and long 7 footers in a draft like this and the likelihood of ever getting the type of exposure he’s receiving right now after an unlikely Sweet Sixteen berth, it wouldn’t surprise anyone at DraftExpress to see him declare for this year’s draft.

While Patrick O'Bryant's name has become a fixture on mock drafts in recent months, his first nationally televised game came on Sunday in the championship of the MVC Tournament against Southern Illinois. The results were mixed, with O'Bryant showing off a package of size and athleticism unheard of at the mid-major level, but also clearly struggling with the nuances of the game.

O'Bryant began the game on fire, using his size, strength and incredible length to generally have his way in the paint, mostly on lobs and offensive rebounds. Southern Illinois' smaller frontline was unable to keep him from clearing out the lane and dunking at will. He scored 13 points in the first 14 minutes of this game, and appeared to be well on his way to a breakout performance in his first appearance on the national stage.

However, the Salukis are one of the top defensive teams in the country, and as all good defensive teams do, they made the right halftime adjustments. They packed in their defense around O'Bryant, denied him touches, and bodied up him. He got into foul trouble early in the second half, and was a changed player by the time he got back in the game with his team down by double digits. His aggressiveness was gone, his body language was poor, and he was dominated by 6'7 Saluki post man Randal Falker. O'Bryant outrebounded 16 to 4 by a player 5 inches shorter than him, looking highly apathetic at times going after rebounds right in his area that should have easily been his.

This was a disappointing end to what had been a fantastic "Arch Madness" for both Bradley and O'Bryant. The Braves dispatched of both Creighton and Wichita State in earlier rounds, with O'Bryant being the focal point. The regular season champ Shockers made it their gameplan to attack the big man in the middle early and often. O'Bryant met the challenge, altering the shot of standout post man Paul Miller almost every time he got a touch in the paint. By the second half, it was clear that O'Bryant had won the battle. Wichita State started looking away from the paint for their offense, and Bradley came away with a win that might have earned them an NCAA tournament berth. O'Bryant finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 huge blocks in the semifinal game.

In the end, O'Bryant proved why he is getting some significant NBA attention. 7-footers with his incredible length and athleticism are rare, and at the Missouri Valley level, he is going to dominate based on that alone. He runs the floor well, is a dominant physical presence on the glass most of the time, and has excellent timing as a shot blocker.

However, we also got to see first hand why O'Bryant should definitely be considered a 2007 prospect at this point. His offense is very raw, his effort is still spotty at times, his conditioning needs to improve, and he is very clearly still learning how to play the game. One has to like the way that he has improved over the past two seasons, but he still has a lot of work to do. He won't be able to dominate with size alone on the next level.

With Bradley sitting on squarely on the bubble looking in at the moment, it would be interesting to see what O'Bryant could do in the NCAA Tournament setting. Don't expect a breakthrough performance that could send him into this year's draft, but definitely keep an eye on Patrick O'Bryant's progress over the next year or two. He certainly has the potential to hear his name called in the first round as early as 2007.

Patrick O'Bryant entered his freshman season as a complete unknown, but made an immediate impact for the Braves. A 7-foot, 260 pound freshman scoring in double digits usually attracts professional attention, and that has certainly been the case for O'Bryant. O'Bryant has been discussed and ranked on our mock drafts for over a year now and was recently featured as one of the top mid-season additions in the nation, after he missed the first eight games of the season due to an issue with the NCAA.

Where other players on that list have taken time to work their way back into the lineup, O'Bryant has made an immediate impact. In his first game back manning the middle, his 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks led Bradley to an overtime upset win against conference favorite Northern Iowa. While the Braves fell later in the week to a solid Wichita State team, O'Bryant once again contributed with 14 points, 19 rebounds, and 3 blocks. A bulky 7-footer putting up these numbers as a sophomore? You better believe the scouts are watching!

O'Bryant has been blessed with your prototype NBA Center body. He is legitimately 7 feet tall, and he carries his 260 pound frame well. O'Bryant isn't the most agile of big men, but certainly doesn't have trouble getting up and down the court. Wichita State defended O'Bryant well, denying him the ball and swarming him when he did get a touch, yet the big man still managed to make a major impact on this game. His dominance on the glass was obvious in the second half, and he altered plenty of Wichita State shots around the basket. O'Bryant's offensive skills are a work in progress, but he was able to successfully execute several post moves against 6'10 Shocker big man Paul Miller.

Don't be surprised to see Patrick O'Bryant's name featured more and more often in the national media and in draft circles. The MVC doesn't have a lot of big men to put up a fight against a player his size, but remains a brutally competitive conference. It is rare to find a legitimately skilled 7-footer at any level of D1 hoops these days. If the Braves could make a run at the top of the conference, O'Bryant's stock could really shoot off.