Post by jhb on May 28, 2021 12:32:02 GMT -5
Benoit Benjamin
C
7'0"
250
20
Creighton
Many of the high-end shot-blocking threats that have matriculated into TMBSL so far have been considered high-end shot-blocking threats simply because they were far over 7' tall and by virtue of their height they were expected to be able to alter shots...but many of them were poor athletes or simply not good basketball players that happened to be able to block shots. That's not so much the case for Benoit Benjamin, who still possesses great size at 7' 250 lbs but combines it with excellent athleticism and some real basketball skills...and he comes to TMBSL after averaging over 5 blocked shots per game in his final two college seasons.
There are some questions how Benjamin will translate from the weak competition of the MVC to TMBSL, but most scouts agree he has the length, instincts, footwork, and explosiveness to continue to play high level defense without issue. He seemingly has very good positional awareness and plays very good team defense. He does an excellent job on the ball when defending, working well in the post and possessing the lateral quickness to switch and handle staying in front of perimeter players. He also is a tremendous help-side rim protector and spent his college career erasing what his opponents thought would be easy chances at the rim. There's more concerns about how his rebounding will translate, as he was below average to plain bad on the defensive glass his first two years in college before making that a focus going into his final season and evolving into an elite rebounder seemingly overnight. Is it true growth in his game or was it a "money year" type of situation?
Offensively, Benjamin did a very good job of being efficient as a college athlete. He cleaned the offensive glass for easy put-back opportunities and did a good job of finishing in the lane when called upon (though he occasionally struggled with having stone hands when receiving the ball in the lane). When given space he can elevate and deliver the emphatic slam. The major concern here is that while he did have the athleticism to do that without developing much variety in his post game in college, will he be able to adapt and add some counters when facing better defenders? He's shown a drop step that has been successful, but will he be able to add on the turnaround or a hook shot when opponents try to take that away? He might need to continue to work on upper body strength as well to fully maximize his low post game. The good news is that he does have a smooth jumper and when he gets to the free throw line he's incredibly efficient for a 7-footer, making nearly 75% of his free throws his final two years of college.
