Name: Omer Asik (O-mair A-sheek) Position: Center Height: 7-0 (2.13m) Weight: 220 (100kg) Pro Team: Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul (Turkey) Nationality: Turkish Birthplace: Bursa, Turkey Birthdate: 7/4/1986 Drafted: Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round (36th pick overall) of 2008 NBA Draft.

Strengths: Mobile center that runs the floor like a guard and possesses agility that players his size rarely have … Tough-nosed player who will not back down regardless of the physical difference between him and his match-up … Loves to play in the high post where his foot speed allows him to operate the pick and roll with ease … Considered a late bloomer with a very good upside to improve … While he needs to improve on his body strength and weight, Asik will be able to add this without sacrificing his athleticism … Shows good touch around the basket and on put-backs … Physically, he has all the tools to remain a competent shot blocker in the NBA with his long arms and explosiveness … Has the ball handling ability to take one or two dribbles into the lane … Aggressive around the basket where he does a good job of creating contact … Possesses soft, strong hands that allow him to grab and keep any ball in his area; coupled with his athleticism and long arms, Asik is a formidable rebounder out of position … Quality help defender thanks to his solid lateral quickness … Does a great job of finishing around the basket by dunking the ball … Has the natural rebounding instincts you look for – Asik’s ball location skills are efficient in that he seems to be in the exact area where the ball will be … Understands the value of keeping the ball high when receiving it in the post … Plays within himself and rarely tries to exceed his strengths on the court …

Weaknesses: Must work on adding more weight and upper body strength to his frame … This could be one of the reasons he doesn’t always properly box out his man when rebounding in his area … This lack of physicality often prevents him from being able to set up in the low post without getting rooted out … From a fundamental standpoint, Asik should start getting his body wider to give teammates a bigger target … Offensively, he remains a work in progress as he doesn’t have a wide assortment of back to the basket moves … Other than a jump hook, Asik hasn’t shown much in terms of up and unders or drop steps … Poor free throw shooter, which prevents him from taking full advantage of any fouls he is able to draw … Timing on shot blocking isn’t bad, but he is prone to biting on pump fakes from time to time … Post footwork could use some refinement … Has little range when shooting the ball and is generally limited to scoring around the basket … Not a great passer from the post where he lacks the court vision to recognize teammates … Overall strength prevents him from absorbing contact in the lane and finishing … Still learning the game, which makes him prone to mental breakdowns, but to his credit he has improved since the beginning of the season … Will be a little bit of a project for any NBA team that drafts him …

Matthew Maurer - 2/4/08