Olivier Nkamhoua Scouting Report

The 5th year senior is a late bloomer that could be a big 3&D wing

Rich Stayman

Apr 10, 2024

Name: Olivier Nkamhoua

Birth date: May 2, 2000

Height/Weight: 6’8/229 (2023)

Wingspan/ standing reach: 7’0 ¼/ 8’10 ½

Hand size: 10 ½

Position: Forward

Pre-Draft team: Michigan

Tools: Shooting upside, athleticism, versatility

Background: Awkward fit at Michigan; played the 5 a lot on both ends, hanging at the rim as the final line of defense, as well as the dunker spot. While he may play the dunker spot often, he is more suited for a five out offense like NBA teams run. Born in Finland and reps Finland in the international setting. Was involved in a Tennessee volunteer leadership program. Missed the end of the season at Michigan with a left wrist injury, and underwent surgery that is expected to keep him out for at least part of the pre-draft process.

Season stats: 14.8 PPG 7.1 RPG 2.7 APG 0.6 SPG 0.8 BPG 2.8 TOPG on 51/33/67.

Pros:

High release on jumper that makes it hard to block
Post jumper is reliable; could translate up as a mid-range weapon in NBA sets
Subtly athletic. Has a wide catch radius
Big frame that should allow him to successfully play both forward spots in the NBA
Good feel for the game. Comfortable decision-maker
Moves well against perimeter drives with good footspeed and balance
Plays hard with a good motor
Good finisher at the rim thanks to above-the-rim finishing ability

Cons:

Rebounding awareness needs to get steadied out. Can be turnover-prone on rebounds and miss box outs.
Doesn’t force a lot of turnovers. Low steal percentage throughout every year of college.
Still growing into his shot; can mistime his release, often looking uncomfortable on some shots

Swing Skills:

Needs to get to the free throw line more
Is he just a shooter? If so, how does that change his outlook?
How good is he at attacking closeouts? College spacing limited this element of his game, especially at Michigan, but he showed a couple flashes of it in FIBA 2023.

Summary:

Olivier Nkamhoua is an intriguing shooter with an underrated post scoring ability. Nkamhoua’s ability to abuse mismatches and use his versatility to his advantage makes him more than just a shooter, but rather a big shooter that has situational uses elsewhere on either end. His poor fit at Michigan held him back as part of one of Michigan’s worst seasons in school history, which makes him a sleeper candidate as an auto-eligible senior prospect.

While an older prospect at 24 years old on draft night with an underwhelming career free throw percentage at 67% and three point percentage at 35%, Nkamhoua could profile to be the exception to the rule. With mobility defensively to guard multiple positions, athleticism to finish above the rim, and a growing shooting ability with good mechanics and a high release, Nkamhoua profiles as a late bloomer.

Defensively, Nkamhoua plays up or down to the level of his team’s defense. His individual traits, including mobility to guard multiple positions and to defend post-ups with his strength, as well as his athleticism to keep him in plays, makes him a strong candidate to see improvements in the NBA context compared to a crowded college game. As a team defender, Nkamhoua elevates his game as a defender with a good surrounding core around him, but could drop if he goes to a team lacking much of a defensive culture. For example, if Nkamhoua went to Orlando or Minnesota, his defense is much more likely to translate up than if he went to a bottom tier defense.

How Nkamhoua learns NBA schemes and how to perfectly rotate into the next play will be key in his defense translating. Another area that he needs to clean up is his rebounding. While he averaged 7 rebounds per game at Michigan and 5.8 rebounds per game over his last three collegiate seasons, Nkamhoua can be lazy on box outs and miss crashing rebounders. This could be the pitfall in Nkamhoua’s game, giving a reason for coaches to easily yank him from meaningful minutes if he is prone to mistakes on closing out possessions.

Offensively, Nkamhoua’s growing shot at his age gives him a brief window to become a great shooter, and he will need to learn to attack closeouts. With a high release on his jump shot with overall fluid mechanics, the only question mark around his shot revolves around his touch and consistency, stemming from his free throw numbers and low collegiate jump shooting volumes. With a huge frame, Nkamhoua could be a big wing shooter that can eventually post up against smaller players on mismatches. Nkamhoua has a strong post game, which he can utilize in the NBA in quick offense to form mismatches by getting down the court fast and early. In his post arsenal is old school bully-ball, drop steps, and a fantastic post fadeaway or turnaround jumper. With a quick and high release, his shot is nearly unblockable, especially on any form of mismatch. The key to fully unlocking his shot, beyond simply reps, is gaining consistency in timing his release and comfortably shooting over hard contests.

To address the negative assist to turnover ratio, I believe a lot of this stems from him simply being mistake-prone against double teams and overall tight pressure. While he is unlikely to see many double teams as a fourth or fifth option on an NBA floor, being trapped in tight spots can make him more vulnerable than the average player. In his last game in college, against Michigan State, this was incredibly apparent. Michigan State used Tyson Walker as a trapper in the post, forcing either a ball pickup or an errant pass, which led to eight turnovers in the game. Additionally, in other games when he grabbed an offensive rebound, he was quickly surrounded, which led to mistakes. Beyond scoring, Nkamhoua will need to make reducing mistakes against pressure a priority in order to be trusted for minutes by NBA coaching staffs.

Look for Nkamhoua to fit in as an analytical dream at both forward spots offensively, playing as a spot-up shooter on the perimeter and at the rim as a play finisher. In an NBA that continues to favor star power and those stars setting up role players efficiently, Nkamhoua fits the profile well of an ideal forward role player. In transition, he can win post-ups against mismatched guards or be a spot-up shooter both in the half-court and transition. One of the reasons that Nkamhoua may surprise people is that Michigan and Tennessee ran slow offenses, both ranking in the bottom half of tempo the last two years. In the last three years, Nkamhoua took only 20 transition 3s, which is a number he would easily eclipse in the NBA even if he only gets a two-way contract.

If Nkamhoua can become a quick shooter and easily adapt to NBA tempo as a shooter, he can easily slot into an NBA rotation. Again, he will have to fix some tendencies on the defensive end and become more aware as a rebounder, but in a minimalist role with his size, he has immediate value as a big wing. Spacing and tempo will mean Nkamhoua has to make quick decisions with the ball in his hands, and if he is healthy for pre-draft workouts, that will be a top priority. With a shortened pre-draft process regardless due to injury, Nkamhoua is likely to end up in the G League in 2024. While there, Nkamhoua can work on adapting to NBA tempo, playing an analytical and defined role, and improving negative habits to impress GMs enough to earn a call-up.

Projected draft range: 50-undrafted

Expected role: Shooter with versatility around the edges (post game, defensive ability at times)

Unplayable if: Jump shooting never develops into a consistent threat.

Exceeds expectations if: Defense ends up at least average, and he becomes a good shooter while having a poor free throw percentage.