I echo what everyone has been saying in this thread. Lots to be genuinely excited about in this kid, so many positives to take from his game even this early in the year.
Defensively, he has absolutely tremendous instincts. He is a little over-aggressive on going for blocks, often falling for pump fakes. Once he learns to use his length without jumping, he will be a FORCE.
As others have said in this thread, it speaks volumes that Ollie had Amida in there on that final possession. Not only is Amida impressive defensively, but his rebounding has surprised me. He may not be strong enough to box out effectively yet, but he knows how to use his big frame and his positioning is pretty impressive already (probably already better than Olander, who is always out of position for rebounds). That game-saving rebound on the last possession vs MD was beautiful. He one-handed it with that long reach and forcibly gathered it into both hands to secure it. From what I've seen so far, his hands are pretty decent for a guy his size. He is not uncoordinated when he receives the ball, and I have yet to see him mishandle a pass or rebound. Very fluid and coordinated for a guy his size.
Not only does Amida run the floor like a gazelle, but he has a tremendous motor to pair with that as well, so he is constantly working to get up and down the floor on both the offensive and defensive end. When he was trailing the play on that fast break turnover from Boat, he was running full speed when he received that pass for the dunk. I was genuinely concerned that if he dunked he would not be able to control his momentum considering his large frame and the speed he was running at. But he dunked that ball both effortlessly and aggressively... that's a tough combination to have. I think he is underrated athletically, maybe because he is so thin and long, but I don't doubt his athleticism.
I love how he attacks the rim. On the possession where he traveled, he wanted to get to the rim as soon as he received it and dunk with authority. Great to see that decisiveness from a big guy. He knew he made a dumb mistake by not taking a quick dribble before exploding to the rim, and was beating himself up about it. I know he won't make that mistake again.
Small things like that travel show, in my opinion, that we need to get Amida as many minutes as possible NOW (fouls permitting). He needs to experience as much as possible so that come March, he is as seasoned as he can be. No other big on our roster has the upside that he has. Pair his upside with his tools and his motor, and you have something special. Now, he just needs the experience. Starting the game doesn't matter. In fact, I like Nolan starting and then bringing AB off the bench for an injection of his energy and defense. But AB needs to be on the floor as much as possible.
I can't remember being this pleasantly surprised and excited with a freshman as I have been with Amida. We knew how talented most of the recent incoming freshmen were (Daniels/Drummond), but Amida has been a pleasant surprise and he is EXACTLY what this team needs in the low-block.
