I wanted to start doing incoming cane breakdowns again! And there is no better way to start than covering a fellow Canadian. Let me know what you think about my breakdown and what agree with or don’t. Not sure if this has already been done as I haven't been active for awhile now.
Michael Nwoko:
#19 C
#20 player in Califonia #5 C in California
6’9/10 240lbs
Future: Starting Centre, Elite Rebounder, reliable scoring option
Michael Nwoko is a very talented high-motor athlete. He plays for Prolific Prep in Napa California, with fellow Canadian 5-star Aden Holloway (whose dad is an amazing Candian Football Player) who they share a close bond with each other. His hometown is Milton Ontario same as WNBA play Kayla Alexander and Canadian Gold medalist Adam Von Koeverden. Michael is very athletic and has a somewhat refined skill set. He is a physical player who doesn’t run from contact.
For this breakdown, I will be using FIBA footage from the U18 Americas championship of his best (3rd place vs Argentina) and the Nike Hoops Summit. Throughout FIBA competitions he averaged 12.2pts 8.3rbs 0.5 steals and 0.8 blks in 22.3 minutes a game while shooting 66.7% from the field and 77% from the line. These numbers in FIBA are quite good with the way the game is called and played. On this line what stands out is he is very efficient from the field not wasting many shots.
Size:
He is listed as 6’9 on 247 but 6’10 by Team Canada. I can’t find his wingspan measurements, but from my eye test, it is at worst a net 0 Wingspan.
Athleticism:
A fast jumper and uses his athleticism to muscle opponents. Two-footed aggressive jumper.
-46:52- 46:56: Above the rim finish on an alley-oop on the fast break.
27:25- 27:31: After the contest, he gets out on the break, and finishes the alley-oop. Canadian to Canadian.
Shooting:
Doesn’t take many jump shots, but is a good free-throw shooter. Which is an indicator of an ability to develop an outside shot in some capacity. I’m hopeful that he can develop a semi-reliable shot. Might not develop one until after his college career.
Finishing:
A very good above-the-rim finisher, as well as a good post-scorer. He will need to work on adding counters and more moves to his game in the post but he has a great hook shoot, patience and decent footwork, but this will come with experience.
–16:56: Grabs the rebound and doesn’t bring the ball down but goes right up for the strong dunk.
- 25:39- 25:43: Example of needing a counter, rolls to his left looking for the hook shot the defender jumps times his contest well, and Nwoko forces a panicked shot.
- 1:30:50- 1:30:55: Speaks for itself. Will not be denied.
51:05-51:10: I know he can hit the hook shot, but with the small on him I would like to see him body up before giving the defence what they want and trying to get into the paint more.
1:18:10-1:18:15: Shows his go-to move the jump hook.
1:18:47-1:18:54: Goes the post and hits the hook shot.
1:26:44-1:26:55: Aggressive finish through contact.
Defence:
The part of his game that needs some improvement, is in the 3rd place game Argentina put him in a lot of pick and roles and motions ( not just him but team Canada as a whole). He got lost in the motion, counter motions, and cuts as well as on screens. He has great on-ball defence but his off-ball and team defence needs improvement. But defence is not a talent or skill but effort + communication and will come with great coaching.
-18:13 - 18:15: If his teammate didn’t foul he was not in a good position to stop the drive. His teammate got beat off the dribble and Nwoko should’ve rotated over to be able to contest the drive. He rotated over late and allowed the offensive player to get deep in the paint before the foul.
-31:08 - 31:15: Great defensive possession, switched on the screen got back to his man with hands up to prevent an entry pass, rotated to contest without fouling on the sideline.
1:25:00-1:26:15: Great defensive sequences from him!
-32:03 - 32:08: Did a good job containing the guard who makes a great pass, not sure what else he could’ve done maybe add more pressure?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDQoMNqeR_A&ab_channel=USABasketball
-27:14- 27:25: Great defensive rotation not flat-footed. Played coverage excellently and got back to his man after the switch for the contest, something he struggled with 10 months ago with Team Canada.
-32:10-32:31: I thought he moved his feet well and stayed vertical not sure why they called foul. I thought it was great defence.
1:18:26-1:18:30: Was a fraction of a second late, but impressive weakside help defense.
Rebounding:
This guy gets rebounds, very similar to Omier where they use their athleticism and position and combine it with a desire to grab every rebound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kUAFvABYLQ&ab_channel=FIBA-TheBasketballChannel
-17:17- 17:24: After the ball is released he doesn’t wait for it to hit the rim but attacks his defender using a swim move to get inside position then grabs the board, gets up quick and doesn’t wait to put the ball back up.
-26:51- 26:56: His rebounding presence has Argentinian defenders mark him on the shot. Got to love having a rebounding gravity presence on your team.
-48:48- 48:53: His rebounding gravity free’s up his teammate for the offensive rebound.
-1:47:53-1:47:58: Misses the dunk but excellent spin move to get into position for the rebound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDQoMNqeR_A&ab_channel=USABasketball
30:16-30:24: Finds great position and boxes out his opponent. Goes right back up to get fouled.
50:21-50:26: Again gets position and grabs the offensive rebound. Boxing out is a lost art but he has known it.
1:24:43-1:24:54: His relentless motor.
All in all:
Nwoko is a phenomenal prospect who has a high ceiling and is coming in with a great floor. I think he isn’t boom or bust, but can either be a bench rotation piece like Ant Walker for his college career or become a star on our team. Nwoko is a modern big man with an efficient motor and the potential to expand his game outside the paint. Terrific athlete and a hard worker. He is a magnet for rebounds they seem to follow him everywhere he goes. Smart position player that uses footwork to beat opponents as well as his strength and athleticism. Great finisher around the rim, and likes to finish above the rim.
He will fit well into any offensive scheme, but I personally think any scheme where it is a 5 out, 4-1, or a run-and-gun type of scheme he will thrive. I’m a believer, I don’t know how much playing time he will get but I can see him in a Casey role next season being the 3rd big off the bench, or being the backup depending on who we bring in. But it will be hard to not give him minutes.
Pro comperason: Mason Plumlee, Bam adebayo.
Cane comparison: Norchad Omier, Kamari Murphy?
Bonus thoughts:
Michael Nwoko:
#19 C
#20 player in Califonia #5 C in California
6’9/10 240lbs
Future: Starting Centre, Elite Rebounder, reliable scoring option
Michael Nwoko is a very talented high-motor athlete. He plays for Prolific Prep in Napa California, with fellow Canadian 5-star Aden Holloway (whose dad is an amazing Candian Football Player) who they share a close bond with each other. His hometown is Milton Ontario same as WNBA play Kayla Alexander and Canadian Gold medalist Adam Von Koeverden. Michael is very athletic and has a somewhat refined skill set. He is a physical player who doesn’t run from contact.
For this breakdown, I will be using FIBA footage from the U18 Americas championship of his best (3rd place vs Argentina) and the Nike Hoops Summit. Throughout FIBA competitions he averaged 12.2pts 8.3rbs 0.5 steals and 0.8 blks in 22.3 minutes a game while shooting 66.7% from the field and 77% from the line. These numbers in FIBA are quite good with the way the game is called and played. On this line what stands out is he is very efficient from the field not wasting many shots.
Size:
He is listed as 6’9 on 247 but 6’10 by Team Canada. I can’t find his wingspan measurements, but from my eye test, it is at worst a net 0 Wingspan.
Athleticism:
A fast jumper and uses his athleticism to muscle opponents. Two-footed aggressive jumper.
-46:52- 46:56: Above the rim finish on an alley-oop on the fast break.
27:25- 27:31: After the contest, he gets out on the break, and finishes the alley-oop. Canadian to Canadian.
Shooting:
Doesn’t take many jump shots, but is a good free-throw shooter. Which is an indicator of an ability to develop an outside shot in some capacity. I’m hopeful that he can develop a semi-reliable shot. Might not develop one until after his college career.
Finishing:
A very good above-the-rim finisher, as well as a good post-scorer. He will need to work on adding counters and more moves to his game in the post but he has a great hook shoot, patience and decent footwork, but this will come with experience.
–16:56: Grabs the rebound and doesn’t bring the ball down but goes right up for the strong dunk.
- 25:39- 25:43: Example of needing a counter, rolls to his left looking for the hook shot the defender jumps times his contest well, and Nwoko forces a panicked shot.
- 1:30:50- 1:30:55: Speaks for itself. Will not be denied.
51:05-51:10: I know he can hit the hook shot, but with the small on him I would like to see him body up before giving the defence what they want and trying to get into the paint more.
1:18:10-1:18:15: Shows his go-to move the jump hook.
1:18:47-1:18:54: Goes the post and hits the hook shot.
1:26:44-1:26:55: Aggressive finish through contact.
Defence:
The part of his game that needs some improvement, is in the 3rd place game Argentina put him in a lot of pick and roles and motions ( not just him but team Canada as a whole). He got lost in the motion, counter motions, and cuts as well as on screens. He has great on-ball defence but his off-ball and team defence needs improvement. But defence is not a talent or skill but effort + communication and will come with great coaching.
-18:13 - 18:15: If his teammate didn’t foul he was not in a good position to stop the drive. His teammate got beat off the dribble and Nwoko should’ve rotated over to be able to contest the drive. He rotated over late and allowed the offensive player to get deep in the paint before the foul.
-31:08 - 31:15: Great defensive possession, switched on the screen got back to his man with hands up to prevent an entry pass, rotated to contest without fouling on the sideline.
1:25:00-1:26:15: Great defensive sequences from him!
-32:03 - 32:08: Did a good job containing the guard who makes a great pass, not sure what else he could’ve done maybe add more pressure?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDQoMNqeR_A&ab_channel=USABasketball
-27:14- 27:25: Great defensive rotation not flat-footed. Played coverage excellently and got back to his man after the switch for the contest, something he struggled with 10 months ago with Team Canada.
-32:10-32:31: I thought he moved his feet well and stayed vertical not sure why they called foul. I thought it was great defence.
1:18:26-1:18:30: Was a fraction of a second late, but impressive weakside help defense.
Rebounding:
This guy gets rebounds, very similar to Omier where they use their athleticism and position and combine it with a desire to grab every rebound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kUAFvABYLQ&ab_channel=FIBA-TheBasketballChannel
-17:17- 17:24: After the ball is released he doesn’t wait for it to hit the rim but attacks his defender using a swim move to get inside position then grabs the board, gets up quick and doesn’t wait to put the ball back up.
-26:51- 26:56: His rebounding presence has Argentinian defenders mark him on the shot. Got to love having a rebounding gravity presence on your team.
-48:48- 48:53: His rebounding gravity free’s up his teammate for the offensive rebound.
-1:47:53-1:47:58: Misses the dunk but excellent spin move to get into position for the rebound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDQoMNqeR_A&ab_channel=USABasketball
30:16-30:24: Finds great position and boxes out his opponent. Goes right back up to get fouled.
50:21-50:26: Again gets position and grabs the offensive rebound. Boxing out is a lost art but he has known it.
1:24:43-1:24:54: His relentless motor.
All in all:
Nwoko is a phenomenal prospect who has a high ceiling and is coming in with a great floor. I think he isn’t boom or bust, but can either be a bench rotation piece like Ant Walker for his college career or become a star on our team. Nwoko is a modern big man with an efficient motor and the potential to expand his game outside the paint. Terrific athlete and a hard worker. He is a magnet for rebounds they seem to follow him everywhere he goes. Smart position player that uses footwork to beat opponents as well as his strength and athleticism. Great finisher around the rim, and likes to finish above the rim.
He will fit well into any offensive scheme, but I personally think any scheme where it is a 5 out, 4-1, or a run-and-gun type of scheme he will thrive. I’m a believer, I don’t know how much playing time he will get but I can see him in a Casey role next season being the 3rd big off the bench, or being the backup depending on who we bring in. But it will be hard to not give him minutes.
Pro comperason: Mason Plumlee, Bam adebayo.
Cane comparison: Norchad Omier, Kamari Murphy?
Bonus thoughts:
- https://www.basketball.ca/news/meet-canadas-newest-young-duo-aden-holloway-and-michael-nwoko
- We should keep our eyes on his good friend Aden Holloway who committed to Auburn, he seems to listen a lot to what Nwoko has to say if you can pick up what I’m putting down.
