Oscar Tshiebwe had a Career Night on Oscar Night

As celebrities received Oscars in Los Angeles, Oscar Tshiebwe cleaned the glass in Utah. He played so well on Sunday night that one Jazz reporter wrote the following headline, “How the ever-smiling Oscar Tshiebwe nearly ruined a Jazz tank job.”

The Jazz needed to lose to stay ahead of the Pelicans as they chase a top pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. Tshiebwe was playing so well that they had to limit him to only 20 minutes of action. Even in that short amount of time, Oscar was back to doing the kind of Oscar things we saw often in Lexington.

Oscar Tshiebwe was 8-9 from the field, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in his first-ever NBA double-double. He set a new career-high in both points and rebounds. His only miss was his first attempt. Tshiebwe tried to dunk it, but the ball hit a splint on his ring finger and slipped out of his hands. He also had a steal and an assist in the 128-121 loss to New Orleans.

why would you watch the #Oscars when you can watch Oscar get a new career-high?!

12 points and counting for the big fella! 🤩#TakeNote | @Jesusiscallin20 pic.twitter.com/jPTnPy984d

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 3, 2025

“It feels good. It was a really great opportunity,” Tshiebwe said after the game. “I keep growing, getting better, so tonight was great for me. That was a good test.”

Tshiebwe has been a two-way player during each of his two professional seasons. He split time with the Pacers and Mad Ants as a rookie. This year, he’s appeared in five games for the Jazz and 16 with the Stars. In the G League, Tshiebwe is averaging 14.4 points and 17.1 rebounds per game.

He’s not facing guys like Zion Williamson during his time with the Stars. That’s why last night was such a great opportunity for Oscar.

“When you’re going at somebody like Zion, NBA guys, there’s not a lot of big men, but Zion’s got so much talent. He can dribble the ball well, he does everything. The only thing he’s not good at very much is shooting, but if you try to be up on him, he’s going to bully you. When he gets down there in the post, he turns, so you try to keep him up high,” he said. “But that boosted my confidence. Keep growing.”

The NBA is all about space and pace. Oscar Tshiebwe is not built like a modern big man who can light it up from long range. He’s a traditional power forward who grabs all of the rebounds and finishes around the rim. Carving out that niche is a challenge, but if he can continue to do it consistently, he will find a way to log minutes in an NBA uniform.