Assessing Oscar Tshiebwe, Tyrese Haliburton, and George Conditt IV

February 5th, 2020

by Alan Lu

Today, I decided to watch Tyrese Haliburton and Iowa State play against Oscar Tshiebwe and West Virginia in a Big 12 basketball game.   I wanted to take another look at how well Haliburton would perform against a very good college basketball team, and it also presented a chance to see Tshiebwe play live. Both prospects had solid performances, and Tshiebwe was the standout performer of the game, but West Virginia jumped on Iowa State early to win in a rout.

West Virginia’s freshman big man, Oscar Tshiebwe had a tremendous showing to lift his team to a win over Iowa State. He really excelled at scoring in the paint, and he also rebounded the ball very well to help get his team the victory.

Tshiebwe did a very good job of scoring in the post. He would often get deep position, as he was able to score on a dunk off of a give and go, he also scored on a jump hook, and he also used a spin move to score off the glass. He also would barrel in from the high post to get scoring opportunities, as he managed to score once while drawing free throws another time.

Plus, he showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays. Tshiebwe was able to score on an off-balanced jumper off the glass off of a roll to the rim, and he also caught a long pass to score in transition. He also frequently scored off of put backs, and on one play, he was able to rip a ball away to grab an offensive board while throwing down a thunderous put back dunk to get the score.

However, he did miss on a couple of mid-range jumpers. It was said in the broadcast that he can make shots from that range, but he was unable to make them, as he tended to miss shots more when he was further away from the basket.

He also was quite turnover prone on offense. On one good play, he was able to throw a no-look pass to find a cutter from the post to set up a scoring chance for a teammate. Tshiebwe also was able to set a good on-ball screen, as he has a wide, strong frame that allows him to set firm picks to free up his teammates on offense. However, he also would tend to throw passes that would get deflected, and he also threw one pass that sailed out of bounds. He also was called for a lane violation when his teammate was shooting a free throw on a separate occurrence.

Tshiebwe did a great job of rebounding the basketball. He would often haul in numerous boards to help his team on the glass, and he is a strong, mobile big man that would get tough boards in traffic.

He also played decent defense. Tshiebwe was able to block a shot off of a drive, as he has above average foot speed and quickness, and made a good recovery to swat the shot that time. He also excelled at defending in the post, as he has great strength to hold his ground down low, and he would contest shots to force misses. He also managed to contest a drive to force a miss on a separate play. Sometimes though, he would not aptly contest shots in time after rotating on drives, which would lead his team to allow scores. Other times, he would commit fouls around the basket. On a separate play, he was late to get back, as his team ended up allowing a score in transition.

In general, Oscar Tshiebwe put forth a very good performance in his team’s win over Iowa State. He is a big, physical player that possesses solid inside scoring and rebounding skills, and he especially excelled as a scorer in the post as well as on off-ball motion plays. He will need to continue to improve his jump shot and playmaking skills, but even still, he is a productive player that could be a very good pick for an NBA team in the late first round range of the 2020 draft, as he could end up being a solid role player akin to Washington Wizards’ center, Thomas Bryant in the association.

Iowa State’s sophomore point guard, Tyrese Haliburton played very well in his team’s loss to West Virginia. He showed off solid all-around skills, and was by far his team’s best player on the court throughout this contest.

Haliburton showed a solid ability to attack the basket to garner scores. He showed a good ability to score off the dribble as he can use either hand to do so, and he can score on runners as well as layups around the basket. He also used a behind the back dribble move to draw free throws in transition. Plus, he also scored on a reverse layup in transition after getting a steal. Haliburton changes directions well and has good lateral quickness, which enables him to get to the basket whenever he decides to take the ball to the rim. However, he also missed on a couple of runners off the dribble.

He also excelled at knocking down jumpers to provide floor spacing for his team on offense. Haliburton was able to make a deep, spot-up three from beyond the arc, and he also pulled up to make a mid-range shot from around the left elbow. He was able to make a spot-up three-point shot when he had ample time and space to shoot the ball, and he showed a good ability to make pull-up jumpers off the dribble.

Plus, he also showed off solid playmaking skills. He is a smart, cerebral playmaker that has very good court vision, and he would often kick balls to open shooters to set up scoring chances for them. He also did a good job of finding teammates on the move, and he was able to throw a lob pass to a roll man to set up a score for him. However, his teammates would often miss on open jumpers right after he would kick it out to them, so many of his good passes would go unconverted. He also picked up his dribble too early on one play, and he ended throwing a tough pass that got intercepted. Another time, he was called for a charging foul when trying to pass off of a drive, though it appeared that his opponent had flopped in order to do so.

Also, Haliburton did a good job of rebounding the basketball. He would often run in to collect defensive boards, and he would tend to push the ball up the court afterwards.

He also played solid defense. Haliburton did a terrific job of intercepting passes, as that enabled him to get a plethora of steals, and he also was able to tip a pass to a teammate to collect another. He also managed to block a three-point shot due to possessing good length, athleticism, and timing, and he also was able to fight through a screen to stay with an opposing ball handler another time. Sometimes though, he would caught ball watching, and on one play, he was late to rotate back as he trailed his man, which led his teammate to rotate to foul the opponent on a drive.

In summary, Tyrese Haliburton had a solid showing in his team’s loss to West Virginia. He is an unselfish player that did a good job of making shots efficiently, and he also passed and handled the ball well in this game. He also was quite active at crashing the glass to get rebounds. If he just had better teammates who could make outside shots far more frequently, he would have had far more assists in this contest. Right now, Haliburton looks to be a solid candidate to go in the top 5, and he could end up being a solid player in the NBA.

Iowa State’s 6-10 sophomore big man, George Conditt IV did not play enough in his team’s loss to West Virginia, and while he didn’t have his best game, he was able to have some good moments in this game.

Conditt generally excelled at scoring on hustle plays. He primarily excelled as a scorer on rolls to the rim. He would roll hard to the basket, which enabled him to catch a lob to score on an alley-oop dunk, and he also scored on a powerful jam another time. He also managed to draw free throws on another roll to the hoop. Plus, he also drew free throws on a put back attempt. He also ran the floor to get a scoring opportunity on the break, but ended up missing on a reverse layup off the glass weakly that time.

He also really struggled to score in the post. He had trouble scoring in one-on-one situations, as he would tend to miss on jump hooks, and he also had a ball knocked away out of bounds a separate time. He did manage to draw a non-shooting foul when dribbling left from the post on a separate play, but Conditt generally struggled to score when he would look to do so from the block.

On the downside, he was fairly turnover prone in this game. On one good play, he was able to pass the ball back to a teammate on a dribble handoff to help set up a score for him. On the downside, Conditt had a tendency to bobble passes in the post, as he lost the ball once out of bounds, and he also had a ball taken away on a drive. In this game, he generally struggled to protect the basketball, and he did not handle the ball very well when he was on the floor.

He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball. He was quite active at crashing the glass, and he also was able to get some tough offensive boards in traffic.

He also played above average defense. Conditt was able to alter a shot off of a drive after making a good rotation to get there, and he also deflected a pass out of bounds. Plus, he also would close out on shooters to force them to miss shots. However, there was one play where he was late to rotate to a shooter, which caused him to allow his man to score on a corner three. Another time, he got beat down court, as he allowed his opponent to score on a fast break.

Overall, George Conditt IV had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to West Virginia, but he was able to at least throw down some very athletic dunks in this game. Right now, he will probably need to stay in school to hone his game, but his size and solid athletic gifts could enable him to be a second round pick in the 2021 draft.

Other Notes:

West Virginia’s 6-7 sophomore forward, Emmitt Matthews Jr. played very well in his team’s win over Iowa State. He excelled as a shooter and scorer off the dribble, and he also played very good defense. He made threes, blocked a shot off of a drive, jumped passes to get steals, and he also contested a corner three to force a miss. Overall, he is an athletic, skilled swingman that could project into a 3 and D type of role at the next level, and he could be a player to watch in the future.

West Virginia’s 6-10 sophomore center, Derek Culver also played well in his team’s victory over Iowa State. He primarily excelled as a scorer in the post, as he would often get deep position to score on plenty of jump hooks, and he also would score on strong high post drives to the basket. He also managed to find a cutter to notch an assist, and he also blocked a shot off of a drive. Sometimes, he would be late on his rotations and would struggle to defend off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores. Overall, Culver is a tough, mobile big man that can get numerous scores in the paint, and he is a skilled, offensive-minded player that could be a potential second round pick for the 2021 draft.

Iowa State’s sophomore guard, Rasir Bolton played well in his team’s loss to West Virginia, as he excelled as a shooter, scorer, and defender in this game. He made spot-up threes from well beyond the arc, and he showed a decent ability to score on strong drives to the basket, although he did also have a couple of his shots blocked. He also drew free throws on a cut to the basket. Defensively, he would jump on loose balls and intercept passes to get steals, and he also blocked a shot out of bounds. Overall, Bolton is a a fairly athletic, skilled player that can put up points in a hurry, as he did so in the middle of this game, and he could project into a microwave type of scorer role at the next level.

West Virginia’s 6-3 senior guard, Chase Harler had a solid showing in his team’s win over Iowa State. He excelled as a spot-up shooter off the catch, as he would make threes to space the floor for his team, and he also excelled at scoring on hustle plays as he scored on a cut and on a quick put back another time while getting an extra free throw afterwards. Overall, he is an energetic combo guard that can score the basketball, and he could end up being a solid addition to an NBA team’s summer league roster later this year.

West Virginia’s 6-7 senior forward, Jermaine Haley also played well in his team’s win over Iowa State. He excelled at scoring on hustle plays and aggressive drives to the hoop, and he also intercepted a pass to get a steal.

He is an above average athlete that will make energetic plays on both ends of the court, but will need to improve his jump shot and perimeter skills. He’s a player that may be in between positions and his lack of a jump shot may hurt his chances to make an NBA team at the next level, but his ability to produce in games could allow him to make an NBA team’s summer league roster either later this year or sometime down the road.

Iowa State’s 6-6 junior swingman, Terrence Lewis excelled as a scorer in transition, as he played very well late in this game in his team’s loss to West Virginia. He showed great body control and good foot speed to score on a drive in traffic on the break, and he also ran the floor to get another score while getting an extra free throw.

Lewis is a good athlete that can garner plenty of scores around the basket, but he will need to improve his jump shot. Still, he is an athletic basketball player that possesses the ability to score and defend, and Iowa State probably should play him more. Right now, he hasn’t seen the floor nearly enough in games, but he is a player that could be worth watching for the 2021 draft.