NBA Combine: Oscar Tshiebwe confident team will "love what I do"

Oscar Tshiebwe is expected to be a late second-round draft pick at best heading into the 2023 NBA Combine.

Many scouts believe Tshiebwe’s style of play won’t translate well to the pros and is undersized at 6-foot-7 (without shoes) to play the five at the next level. The NBA craves size and the ability to shoot the basketball — both are qualities that Tshiebwe lacks.

Still, the ever-positive former Kentucky star expects to find a team that will draft him. Prior to the combine, Tshiebwe worked out for the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings.

“I believe there will be a team in the NBA that will love what I do,” Tshiebwe told New York Times sports writer Adam Zagoria. Now, it is up to Tshiebwe to prove his doubters wrong before the draft in June.

As it turns out, Tshiebwe knocked down 12-of-25 threes (48 percent) in a shooting drill at the combine on Wednesday. He also had the fifth-best standing vertical reach among centers and the sixth-best max vertical reach.

Tshiebwe averaged 16.5 points and 13.7 rebounds per game on 56 percent shooting this past season for Kentucky. He played 66 games in Kentucky blue, scoring 1,117 points and hauling in 953 rebounds and finished his two-year Kentucky career with numerous All-American and SEC accolades.

There is also the looming decision he has to make in the coming days. Tshiebwe has until May 31 to decide whether to keep his name in the draft or to return to college for his final season of eligibility.

It helps that top transfer Hunter Dickinson ended up deciding to go to Kansas — the gate has opened for a fifth season of college basketball for Oscar Tshiebwe.

A Tshiebwe return would put Kentucky great Dan Issel’s career rebounding record (1,078) in trouble. Tshiebwe currently stands No. 6 all-time on the UK leaderboards and with a 14.4 rebound per game career average, is in serious contention to break the record altogether.

If not, Tshiebwe will have to put his trust into NBA general managers when the 2023 NBA Draft rolls around on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn inside the Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks. The latter of which would be the one to call Tshiebwe’s name — if he gets drafted.