Playing for one of the best teams internationally, 18 year old James Nnaji has turned heads around the world with his physical prowess and dominant defense.

Offense

Offensively, Nnaji is a very basic player. Over 98% of his attempts in the last two seasons have come in the paint, showing how little versatility he has to his offense. He is exclusively used as a rim runner and screen setter. Setting screens, rolling hard and boxing out for offensive boards have been the majority of Nnaji’s role offensively. He has shown the ability to perform DHO’s and be a bit of a short roll passer. However, he hasn’t been great on this end by any means.

His limit offensively should be worrying to NBA teams. Unlike some other premier rim runners, Nnaji doesn’t offer the defensive versatility or folds to his offensive game to stand out. What teams can point to, to have some hope for progress, is that Nnaji is one of the younger players in the draft, and likely has plenty of time to develop. His international status could also make him a good stash option as well, allowing him the time to develop his offense elsewhere.

Defense

Defense has been the strong suit for Nnaji early in his career. He’s been great as a weak-side rim protector and has a huge frame for an 18 year old. He’s able to outmuscle players for boards, or hold his ground when backed up in the post. Nnaji has struggled a bit against more finesse bigs. Recently matching up with Marc Gasol against Girona, he was consistently a step slow in the post, although against one of the better post players of this generation. However, considering his performance in the paint against average bigs, Nnaji definitely imposes a presence down low.

Nnaji is often used as a hedge and recover big. His 7’7″ wingspan eats up space and blows up driving lanes. His recovery is adequate, as he normally is able to just block off passing lanes to the roller with his arms. However, he often gets back slowly and doesn’t give a ton of effort to reattach to the roller. Nnaji has also been switched onto guards a few times this year, and has had some flashes of being able to stay in front of shiftier guards. His long arms take up a ton of space and also help him chase down blocks. If he can work on his foot speed, he could become a much more versatile defender.

Overall

Right now, Nnaji is probably not an NBA level big, as he just lacks the discipline and is too raw. However, he could be a great draft and stash candidate due to his young age, or could be benefit from some time in the G League. His grown strength puts him ahead of the curve of a lot of his peers physically. With additional reps and a better understanding of the game, Nnaji could become a good rotation big at the next level.

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