Kyle O’Quinn
After opting out of his deal with the New York Knicks, Kyle O’Quinn hits the market as a player that can add a lot to a winning team. It’s really kind of a shame that he spent the first six years of his career in NYC and Orlando, where he didn’t so much as sniff postseason play.
O’Quinn’s got strong physical tools for a modern NBA big. He’s 6-foot-10 and 265 pounds with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, is incredibly strong and still manages to show deceptive mobility and fluidity of movement. That make-up serves him well on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, he’s a guy that will finish at the basket, but his skills go beyond simply throwing it down. He’s a career 47-percent shooter from 10 to 16 feet from the basket, making half of those shots last season, and also knocked down 26 of his 59 attempts from 16 feet away out to the 3-point line in ’17-18.
He’s also willing and able as a passer.
Defensively, he brings energy/motor. He’ll get his hands on loose balls, which is great, but he brings even more value as a shot-blocker. Over the last two seasons, he rejected nearly three shots per 36 minutes and in ’17-18, he boasted a block percentage of 6.1. For comparison, the Stifle Tower checked in at six percent flat.
On top of that, O’Quinn is one of the game’s true characters, with a personality that would seemingly fit the Jazz’s happy-go-lucky locker room like a glove. The Knicks will likely seek to bring him back, however.
Next: Channing Frye