| Diogu Is An Impressive Rookie Authored by Payam Jahromi - November 28, 2005 - 2:05 pm
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I like Ike.
The Warriors’ first-round pick has made an impression on the Warriors and their fans with his inside presence and toughness.
I’m not surprised that Diogu has been able to get low-post position, score and get to the foul line. After all, that is exactly why Chris Mullin drafted him.
What is surprising is his immediate impact. Remember, we’re talking about a rookie who did not play any of the preseason or first 12 regular-season games because of a broken finger, yet he has jumped right in and contributed like a five-year vet.
There was no “just wait until he gets into shape” or “just wait until he gets adjusted to the NBA” time period. The minute he entered the game, there was a big impact.
So big that he has already established himself as part of the regular rotation, something Andris Biedrins, Zarko Cabarkapa and Chris Taft have failed to do.
In three games, Diogu is averaging 12.3 points and four rebounds on 66.7 percent shooting in only 17.7 minutes per game. He’s also averaging 3.7 free-throw attempts at 82%.
It’s not Diogu’s numbers that are important – it’s HOW he’s getting those numbers that make him so valuable to this team.
The 6-foot-8 forward has been able to establish low-post position on whoever has guarded him, scoring or getting to the foul line at will it seems.
He’s also run the court surprisingly well, finishing on a few fast break baskets.
Diogu’s left hand has been on display as well. The right-handed player has finished with his left on numerous occasions, including a finger roll on a beautiful spin move against Utah.
He has also grabbed a few offensive rebounds, an area where the Warriors are ranked No. 20 out of 30 teams.
The comparisons to Elton Brand aren’t far off but they’re not dead on either. It’s too early to say if he plays like a certain player. But from what I’ve seen, he reminds me of a combination of Brand, Danny Fortson and Zack Randolph.
One might gasp at the Fortson comparison, but Fortson is an undersized power forward who can get to the free-throw line (and make his free-throws), rebound in traffic and impose his size and toughness in the paint.
And so far there are no signs that Diogu has any of Fortson’s bad attributes.
Diogu’s toughness is what has impressed me the most. He does the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet, like when he gave a hard foul to Chris Bosh after Bosh blew past Troy Murphy. Or the way he imposed his strength on Utah’s Kris Humphries on every possession during the second quarter of that game.
It is obvious that Diogu loves and invites contact. For a Warriors fan who is frustrated with Murphy’s lack of low-post presence or Mike Dunleavy’s lack of aggressiveness, seeing Ike throw his weight around is a breath of fresh air.
Diogu was so physical against Utah that Jarron Collins – who is three inches taller – was flopping and trying to take charges instead of actually playing defense. That’s what happens when somebody out-muscles you.
Against Toronto, Diogu scored his first basket in the post against Bosh, Toronto’s best defender. He later scored and was fouled against Charlie Villanueva. Against the Spurs, Diogu scored most of his points against Nazr Mohammed.
The funny thing is, all those players are taller than Ike. For all the talk about Diogu being an undersized power forward, let’s not get carried away. He’s not that undersized. Charles Barkley was 6-5 and Larry Johnson was 6-6. Diogu is a legit 6-8 with super long arms. In an era of undersized centers and power forwards, Diogu will be fine.
He’s even played some center already. At one point in that Utah game, the Warriors had a lineup of Diogu, Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, Derek Fisher and Mike Dunleavy.
Something else I love about Diogu: He’s the type of player nobody wants to guard. If you’ve ever played street ball, he’s the guy who is always on your body, using his strength to back you down or grab the rebound. He’s the guy who gets his position down low and either scores or makes you foul him and there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s something the Warriors haven’t had since, well Danny Fortson.
Again, not too many fans miss Fortson, but he did bring a certain toughness. Diogu doesn’t have the big contract or the pressure of being one of the team’s best players that Fortson had. Nor does he have the bad attitude.
If the early results are any indication of the future, Warriors fans will love Ike Diogu.
Fast Fact – One encouraging stat of the young season is that the Warriors have not lost consecutive games.
Assuming they don’t close out the month of November with back-to-back losses to the Hornets and Kings at home, it would be the first time the Warriors finished an entire month without consecutive losses since February 1994, when the Warriors won 50 games and made the playoffs.
Last year, March was the only month the Warriors didn’t have at least one three-game losing streak.
If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me at pjahromi@sbcglobal.net |
