Kaleb Tarczewski | Arizona | Sophomore, 20 years old
C, 7-0, 255
Last season (22 MPG): 6.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 54% field goal percentage, 2.5 personal fouls, 15 PER
Pace-Adjusted Per 40 Minutes: 11.8 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 4.5 personal fouls
Breakdown:
A top-10 recruit coming out of high school, Kaleb Tarczewski had a revealing freshman season. He flashed glimpses of immense potential, and also showcased where he needs to improve.
Tarczewski is a supremely athletic and mobile center, running the floor smoothly and getting up to finish put-backs and infuse activity at the rim. His scoring contributions were mostly in the paint last season, where 99% of his shot attempts came from (58.4% around the basket; 40.3% Post-Ups). He shot a solid 58% around the basket, and made his mark felt on the offensive glass, where his 11.9% offensive rebounding percentage was second in the Pac-12 and 129th in the country.
On defense, Tarczewski held opponents to .57 PPP, an exceptional rate that ranked in the top 93% of the country. His mobility and length on the block, coupled with strong defensive instincts, have created for a very high defensive ceiling.
With a maturing frame and skill set, Tarczewski’s NBA prospects look very promising. He should play at least 30 minutes per game this season, and starting alongside uber-athletes Aaron Gordon and Brandon Ashley in the frontcourt should bring out the best in Tarczewski.
Let’s break down the “glimpses,” both good and bad, that we saw last season:
OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS (PUT-BACKS)
Tarczewski positions himself well and has the length/timing to grab a ton of rebounds, but he struggles to finish the second chance opportunities. His .931 PPP on put-backs ranked in the bottom 30% nationally, and even on video, it’s evident why. Tarczewski needs to improve his hand-eye coordination, and often seems to be “thinking” rather than playing instinctively. It’s almost as if he’s thinking “OK, I got the rebound. Let me regroup, bring the ball low, and now go up for a lay-up or dunk .” As he continues to repeat this process, he should gradually start reacting instead of thinking.
Also, when Tarczewski catches a put-back above the rim, he should never bring the ball down with him. At some point, put-back dunks (like we see in the last clip) should become routine.
PICK-AND-ROLL
Similar to his offensive rebounding, Tarczewski will need to improve his hand-eye coordination on the pick-and-roll. He finished a decent 1.273 PPP (88th percentile) on pick-and-rolls, and because he is a threat in the vicinity of the rim, defenses must always keep an eye on him. If Tarczewski can roll harder off the screen, he should get a ton of easy buckets next season. This is a potential breakout area for Tarczewski.
CONTESTING SHOTS
Because of his length and quickness, Tarczewski can contest shots both in the paint and on the perimeter. His length also allows him to keep his distance from the pick-and-roll ball handler (thus obstructing the roll man) while being able to contest a jumpshot from a foot away.
OVERALL
Tarczewski plays hard and looks like he can be a very good defender. The main question going forward is whether or not he can develop into a low-post threat — Put backs and pick-and-rolls have their respective value, but you need to have some semblance of an offensive game to make it in the NBA. With so much still unknown, this year will play an integral role in gauging Tarczewski’s NBA potential.