FILM ROOM: Jordan Obi does the little things right on both ends of the floor

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Welcome to KSR’s fourth edition of the Film Room series, a weekly series where we’ll be taking a look at each player on Kentucky’s 2024-25 roster and breaking down their film. This time, we focus on Penn transfer forward and 3x All-Ivy selection Jordan Obi.

You can also view our other Film Room breakdowns by clicking below.

In her three years at Penn, Obi excelled at really everything a player could do on the court. Last season specifically, she averaged 14.8 points per game on 38.6% shooting from three-point range while averaging 7.7 rebounds per game on top of that. Obi had to play as a small-ball five for the Quakers — something she won’t have to do at Kentucky. Still, she brings a level of versatility that will be invaluable to next year’s squad.

Being able to knock down the open three

For starters, Obi is a very solid three-point shooter. She has improved on that in each season of her career thus far, making a 10% jump from her freshman season to last year. Year-to-year, Obi has improved her shot, expanding her range along the way.

Mainly, she finds the holes in the defense and spots up for a quick shot from the perimeter. While she is capable of creating her own shot with some ball handling, it’s not her go-to. Instead, she’s going to move without the ball in her hands and ultimately be rewarded for it in the end.

As a post player, her ability to shoot from deep was pivotal for Penn. Oftentimes, their offense struggled, and it took Obi to get the Quakers out of the slump. Additionally, her being such a threat from the three-point line also enabled other scorers to get themselves opportunities. When she’s on offense, the defense has to be aware of what she’s doing, and that opens things up even more.

Playing solid defense in the post

Playing at the center spot, Obi also had to take on the opposing team’s biggest players. Now, Obi isn’t necessarily a small player, standing at 6-foot-1, but there were definitely times when she was undersized compared to her matchup.

Similarly to Clara Strack, Obi just has this great feel for what the opposing player is going to do. If they pivot one way, she can sense it and go with them. Even when people try to put a spin move on her, she stays square and doesn’t give up her leverage.

Again, Obi won’t be playing the five at Kentucky, but there will be times this season that she’s asked to play some post defense, most likely on a bang-bang play or something spontaneous. It’s good for Obi to have that in her bag of tricks, especially if (and hopefully, this is not the case) the frontcourt sees some injuries.

Having a high IQ and being able to make the right cuts

Perhaps where Obi’s game will translate the most at Kentucky is just the little high IQ plays she makes. The most prime and clear example of this is her cutting. So many times, Obi has made her way to the perimeter and just as the defender loses focus, she cuts back to the basket for an easy layup.

When you look at most teams, you see players make boneheaded plays. Whether it be a nonsense turnover or a pointless foul, you see it all the time. However, Obi doesn’t seem to have those mishaps. She almost plays like a WNBA veteran, which applies to a very small amount of players in college basketball.

Don’t be surprised if Obi takes on some sort of leadership role on the team next year. With her, it seems like all of her focus revolves around improving herself and making the right plays on the hardwood. On a team full of experienced players, Obi may show her experience the most on the court.