Weekly Insight with Grant Hill - 2nd Edition - Crashing the Boards

Weekly Insight with Grant Hill - 2nd Edition - Crashing the Boards



I want to take a moment to talk about one of the most overlooked skillsets in the NBA – rebounding.  Why is it overlooked?  The style of offense may not dictate a need to crash the glass, perhaps the statistic itself is “unsexy”.  I can tell you this, however, each rebound is one more possession for your team and one less for the opposition.  Teams that control the basketball control the pace, and there is no better way to do that other than by securing offensive and defensive rebounds.  So, with that being said, let’s discuss a few of the early season rebounding leaders in all of collegiate basketball.

Noah Vonleh has shown instincts on both sides of the court.  This kid has some of the best footwork I’ve seen from a young power forward.  Vonleh possesses a huge 7'3 wingspan which gives him the ability to play bigger and more athletic, thus allowing him to work his way into the paint and towards errant boards.

Jerami Grant crashes the glass hard.  I mean hard.  Due to his size, there are questions about his ability to out-position larger, more physical post players for rebounds.  If he expects to grab boards at a high rate, he’ll certainly need to bulk up a bit.

I’ll tell you someone else I’ve been impressed with – Jack Cooley has been grabbing rebounds at a high rate for Notre Dame so far this season.  Every time the shot goes up, Jack is the first one that starts for the basket and he’s continuing to develop these instincts at a high level.

It should go without saying that both five-star big men have great instincts around the rim.  Joel Embiid is a great presence in the paint.  The former volleyball and soccer player is clearly a naturally gifted athlete, and his length and fluidity both translate very well to basketball and provide for advanced footwork at his age.  Steven Adams is one of the best hustle players I’ve ever seen.  I wouldn’t want to be responsible for boxing this guy out.  That being said, Adams has similarly shown glimpses of his inability to box out.  I would shy away from calling him erratic, but he definitely needs to work on his positioning down low.

Montrezl Harrell is an absolute beast on the offensive boards, relentless in seeking out rebounds.  The same thing is true on the defensive end where he has natural instincts for rebounds.

Several wing players in this draft also possess strong rebounding tendencies.   Michael Cobbins and Elias Harris have both shown a nose for the basket in a big way.

Finally, Rasmus Larsen rounds out the early season list of players who have shown the natural ability to rack up rebounds.  While it’s possible that only a handful of these players ever become true double-double threats on a night basis, each should go a long way towards helping secure the rock.

Cooley's size may hurt him as a CSL rebounder. Cobbins/Harris look like they will make solid SFs especially for teams lacking rebounding bigs.

Loved Vonleh at IU irl, he was just so raw. His wingspan is absurd and he's got to be the most athletic center entering the draft. Maybe a Javale McGee type?

Great read. Especially for someone who may be looking for another interior player to put next to Nerlens this upcoming season.