Name: Greg Oden Position: Center Height: 7-0 (2.13m) Weight: 280 (127kg) College Team: Ohio State Buckeyes Nationality: American Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana Birthdate: 1/22/1988 Drafted: Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round (1st pick overall) of 2007 NBA Draft.

2007 Pre-Draft Scouting Report by Matthew Maurer

Assets
One of those dominant centers that surfaces in the high school ranks every 10 or so years ... Has the size and NBA ready body that few his age possess … Great athlete who runs the court with ease and has excellent leaping ability … Gets great position in the post and most importantly gets his body wide to give guards a good target to pass into … Wherever the ball goes, Oden constantly works to get open in the lane … Does a great job of keeping the ball high away from opposing guards … Finishes well around the lane with authority via dunk, lay-up or put back … Defensively he is a top notch shot blocker … Possesses the lateral quickness to be an excellent help defender … Owns pro timing as he doesn’t bite on pump fakes easily … Plays the game with a calm and mature demeanor … Hands have a rare quality in that they are both soft and strong … Rarely does a pass get bobbled or do the ball stripped from his hands … Excellent rebounder who is not only good in his area but also terrific out of position … Post game has already shown good improvement since high school … Potentially, Oden has few peers and has yet to scratch the surface … Underrated passer who has shown decent court vision … Does a great job of recognizing double teams and reacting to them … Great character guy ... Despite all the publicity Oden has received from an early age, he has remained humble and hungry to improve as a player …

Liabilities
Offensively, Oden isn’t very polished with his back to the basket, nor does he possess a big assortment of moves … Needs to expand his shooting range, as of right now he is very uncomfortable facing the basket … Has struggled when playing against strong aggressive players although it’s to be expected when you consider his age … Still learning what he's capable of, especially against big and strong opponents ...Can go through periods when he doesn’t dominate and will often defer to his teammates … Post footwork could stand to refinement … From a fundamental stand point, he is still behind in development; relying on pure athleticism and size at the moment … Doesn’t always finish after contact … Can get into foul trouble when faced with physically aggressive players …