Top Inside Players for the 2024 Class Part II
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With three-point shooting taking over the basketball world these last ten years the inside game has somewhat been forgotten. It’s important to have players who can grit and grind their way inside the painted area to open up opportunities for…
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Continue ReadingWith three-point shooting taking over the basketball world these last ten years the inside game has somewhat been forgotten. It’s important to have players who can grit and grind their way inside the painted area to open up opportunities for three-point shooters. Here are my top inside players for the 2024 class part II.
Godwin plays like a center in a small forward body because of his dominant presence down low. Since Godwin is already a great defender he can block shots and be the first one to score in transition. He can rise and dunk over anyone and will look to put a body on a defender when driving into the paint. He can finish strong with both hands and will look to go to a bag of moves to create space around a defender.
Ihekwaba is a force in the painted area standing at a tall 6’10”. His strong upper body allows him to get physical and push defenders around to go up for easy dunks. He runs the floor like a guard and even has a nice hop-step move he uses when looking to score on the fastbreak. Ihekwaba is a great shot blocker that can turn those blocks into easy transition points. If he develops a consistent post-hook shot he will be nearly unguardable.
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Kelly is a rim-running machine in transition and if your a defender and see him coming downhill full speed you’d better get out of the way. He will not hesitate to try and jump over someone if he could with his bounce. Kelly plays aggressively when looking to score inside. He can finish through the contact over multiple defenders for the three-point play. His crafty finishes around the rim make it difficult for defenders to try and block it while in the air.
Unangst is a player that can score in all areas but where he excels is inside the painted area. He can play with his back to the basket and hit you with different post moves or look to put the ball on the floor and drive it inside. He can make some very impressive layups with defenders swarming him all around. Unangst is great at forcing the refs to call the whistle giving him many free-throw opportunities throughout a game.
Highlights
Oberti is a very intimidating force down low in the paint as he stands at 6’10” with a long wingspan. Defenses do very little to affect his shots as for the most part he can just turn around and rise for the easy layup. His timing on offensive putbacks is excellent coming up with multiple offensive rebounds throughout a game. Oberti has a soft touch around the rim that gives him the ability to get easy baskets over smaller defenders.