Assessing Lachlan Olbrich, Izan Almansa, and Ben Henshall in the Illawarra-Perth Game

May 20th, 2025

By Alan Lu

Illawarra’s 6-10 center, Lachlan Olbrich won an NBL championship this past season and he also has played very well in the NBA pre-draft camps lately.  This time around, I decided to watch him play in a December 22nd game against Perth, which also featured two other prospects in Izan Almansa and Ben Henshall, and I was able to see this game with thanks to YouTube via Game Time.  This was another opportunity to see them play to get another assessment of their skills.  Here are my thoughts on how they fared, as well as how their games may translate to the NBA.

Lachlan Olbrich had a solid showing to help his team to a double-digit win over Perth.  He is a strong, mobile big man that excelled at making hustle plays to help his team on both ends of the floor.

Olbrich showed a knack for scoring inside the paint.  He excelled at scoring on hustle plays, as he was able to slip into the open space past defenders to score at the rim early on.  He also ran the floor to score on an emphatic, two-handed dunk.

He also showed off fairly solid low post scoring skills.  Olbrich was able to score on contested jump hooks, and while his moves looked a bit mechanical, he was effective at scoring from the block.

He also showed off satisfactory playmaking skills.  Olbrich is a skilled passer, especially out of the post, as he was able to spot an open cutter and shooter to notch a pair of assists.  He is a patient player that can ably find the open man, and he can get the ball to his teammates on the move.  He also would set screens to help his teammates get open jump shots to set up scores for them.  On one play though, he dropped a pass off of a short roll and fell, which led him to commit a turnover that time.

Also, he did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.  Olbrich was able to haul in multiple boards on both ends of the floor, and he also bought the ball up off of a defensive rebound to show some ball handling skills.  Plus, he also defended very well.  Olbrich did a great job of rotating to block shots, as he was able to swat a shot off of a drive, and he also blocked a corner three to a teammate.  He would stay in front of opposing ball handlers and use his length and positioning to contest shots to force misses. 

In general, Lachlan Olbrich played very well in his role to help Illawarra get the win in this game.  He is an energetic big man that plays well in his defined role, as he primarily excels as a rim runner and rim protector, and he also showed off some passing skills.  Olbrich will need to continue to work on his outside shot and expand his game, but he is an intriguing prospect that could be a second round pick in the 2025 draft, as he could project to be an solid rotational big man similar to San Antonio Spurs’ big man, Sandro Mamukelashvili in the NBA.

Perth’s 6-10 big man, Izan Almansa had a fairly solid showing in their team’s tough loss to Illawarra.  He is a mobile, skilled big man that showed off some offensive skills, and he played energetically when he was on the court.

Almansa did an adequate job of scoring out of the post.  He can score on jump hooks and turnaround jumpers, and he showed the ability to make shots all the way out to the mid-range.   He was effective at making mid-range jumpers, and he also ran the floor to score on the break. Sometimes though, he would take tough, contested shots that would lead to misses.  Sometimes he would try to draw foul calls, which would lead to some awkward misses when he wouldn’t get them.

He looked to be about average at best as a playmaker in this game.  Almansa would make the extra pass and get the ball to his teammates on dribble handoffs.  However, sometimes he would struggle to secure or handle the ball after getting it on the move, which would lead him to get balls knocked away by defenders.  Another time, he tried to post up, but he fell and threw a wayward pass that spiraled out of bounds.

He also was able to get his fair share of boards, and while Almansa didn’t grab enough defensive rebounds, he was able to grab multiple offensive rebounds in this game.  Defensively, he looked to be about average at best.  For the positives, he was able to intercept an errant pass to get a steal.  He also would use his length and positioning to close out and contest shots to force some misses.  However, he would sometimes not move his feet very well, and he would get beat off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.  Other times, he would be late on his rotations, and he wouldn’t pick up a man on time on the defensive end.

In summary, Izan Almansa played fairly well in his team’s loss to Illawarra, and he is an energetic big man that can score out of the post and make mid-range shots.  On the other hand, he will need to diversify his offensive game and add a reliable three-point shot to his arsenal, and he will need to be a more disciplined defender in games.  Currently, he is a second round prospect for the 2025 draft. Almansa will need more development and seasoning to hone his game, but over time, he could end up being an effective role player similar to Brooklyn Nets’ forward, Trendon Watford in the association.

Perth’s 6-5 guard, Ben Henshall had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Illawarra.  He is a crafty, skilled combo guard that can score and pass the basketball, but he struggled to knock down outside shots, and he showed off some shaky handles in this game.

Henshall showed a decent ability to score off the dribble.  He was able to use a crafty pump fake to score on a subtly quick drive.  He also was able to make a smooth, pull-up mid-range jumper.  However, he didn’t shoot well from the outside.  He would take some tough, contested shots from the mid-range that would lead to misses, and he also missed both of his three-point shots.  He also had a couple of his outside shots blocked, and he will need to do a better job of getting his shots off cleanly.

He also displayed adequate playmaking skills.  Henshall is an unselfish player that can make timely passes to consistently find the open man, as he can get them the ball in a wide array of ways to set up plenty of scoring chances for them.  He has solid court vision, and he operates well as a secondary ball mover.  On the downside, often times when he would drive to the hoop, he would stumble and shuffle his feet, and it seemed that he would often get away very questionable footwork, as it looked like he was traveling nearly every time he would drive to the hoop.  He also would tend to over-dribble, which would sometimes lead him to commit turnovers, as he dribbled the ball off himself and lost it once, and he also threw a hasty pass that got intercepted another time.

Also, Henshall was able to chip in to get a board on each end of the floor, and he also pushed the pace after getting a defensive rebound.  He also played adequate defense in this game.  Henshall would defend physically to cut off penetration, and he would actively contest outside shots to force misses.  On the downside, sometimes he would take bad angles and gambles, which would lead him to wind up out of position and allow scores to his opponents.

Overall, Henshall had his ups and downs in this game.  He is a promising combo guard that has shown above average playmaking skills, but he will need to be a more consistent shooter and defender in games.  Currently, he is a second round prospect for the 2025 draft. He’ll need more time to hone his game, but with continued development, he could develop into a versatile combo guard off the bench at the NBA level.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Olbrich, Almansa, and Henshall fared in this game.  Thanks for reading.