2025 Rookie Observation (13): Cretton s Big Five Center shouldn t be worth a first-round pick, right?

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Team: Creton University (NCAA)

Date of birth: January 2002

Birthplace: Florist, Missouri, United States

Position: Center

Height: 216cm

Weight: 118kg

Wandspan: 226cm?

Grade: Big Five

National High School Student Ranking (2020): On3 ranked 96th (four stars), 247 ranked 107th (four stars), ESPN ranking no (four stars), Rivals ranked 95th (four stars)

Expected Market: Last round to Second Round

Template: Collin Castleton, Luke Kornet

Honors: Second Team of the All-American Best Team of the 2025 USBWA and NABC, Third Team of the All-American Best Team of the 2025 AP and SN, Kareem Abdul Kareem Award (Best Center Award), 2025 NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches Best Defensive Player, Big East League Best Defensive Player in 2022-2025, Big East League One Team 1 in 2023 and 2025, Big East League Two Team 2024, Note 1: Calken Brenner's wife is former Creton University backcourt Rachael Saunders, who played at Creton University from 2018-2023 and has become a starter in his first five season.

Note 2: Mother Lynn Kalkbrenner (formerly Frank) played at St. Louis University from 1990 to 1994 and was the center of the team.

Season data:

35 appearances, 34.4 minutes per game, 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds (2.4 frontcourt rebounds), 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.7 blocks, 1.5 turnovers and 1.4 fouls, shooting percentage of 65.3% (7.7/11.9), three-point shooting percentage of 34.4% (0.6/1.7), and free throw shooting percentage of 68.1% (3.1/4.6).

Advantages:

Kalkenbrenner is a tall, strong and skilled big inside player. Kalkenbrenner has very good inside scoring and finishing skills on the offensive end. His inside footwork skills are also good. He dares to fight in the inside, and he can maintain stable offensive efficiency after the confrontation. Kalkenbrenner is good at pick-and-roll and can score by down after pick-and-roll. His ability to move without the ball and position is also quite good. As a big inside player, he also has a certain ability to shoot from mid to long distances.

Kalkenbrenner has excellent frame protection skills on the defensive end. He can effectively guard his own inside line. He is not afraid of confrontation. He has obvious advantages in height and wingspan. Whether facing a traditional big center or an inside player with excellent athletic ability, he can meet the restrictions on his opponent. Kalkenbrenner also performed quite well in defensive awareness and defensive position selection, and he is also a very smart defender. Kalkenbrenner has the ability to become an excellent inside defender, and his defensive ability in the inside cannot be ignored.

Disadvantages:

Kalkenbrenner has obvious shortcomings in athletic ability, bounce, impact and explosive power. His movement rate is relatively slow, which will affect his offensive performance in higher-level games. His efficiency at the basket may also decline when facing higher and faster defenders. Kalkenbrenner lacks enough face-frame threats, and his ability to hold the ball is somewhat average. Kalkenbrenner is not unable to shoot, but his shooting stability is not high. He does not shoot many times in each game. His shots are relatively slow, and his free throw shooting rate is not high. Whether he can develop stable shooting ability in the NBA arena is also a question mark.

Kalkenbrenner's inside defense ability is unquestionable, but after all, his shortcomings in movement speed and athletic ability are very obvious. He may encounter big trouble when facing faster, more athletic and more flexible outside players. In other words, once you encounter a switch to defense, Kalkenbrenner may be targeted by your opponent.

Kalkenbrenner's passing ability and support ability are relatively limited, and his assist and turnover ratio is very bad, which also makes it difficult for him to undertake more other tasks on the offensive end.

Expected market:

Kalkenbrenner's performance this season has been further improved compared to previous seasons. His threat on the offensive end has been further improved, and his scoring ability has been fully reflected. He has maintained a strong team on the defensive end. He has also won many national awards and has attracted widespread attention. Kalkenbrenner's draft market is also improving as the season deepens. Judging from the current situation, Kalkenbrenner has a chance to be selected in the final of the first round, but he may also slide into the second round zone. After all, Kalkenbrenner's strengths and weaknesses are very distinct. It is normal for him to have a great difference in his talent and future development..

Personal prediction:

Personal belief that Kalkenbrenner's draft market should be from the first to the middle of the second round. Kalkenbrenner is obviously not a player with a high ceiling. It is basically an unrealistic thing to expect him to be the team's starting lineup. His characteristics and style of play determine that he is unlikely to do this. Of course, for some teams that need to strengthen their inner strength, especially those that need a frame-protecting interior, Kalkenbrenner, who has outstanding maturity and instant combat power, is also a good choice. But with such characteristics, such age and such limitations, it sounds a bit outrageous to choose Kalken Brenner with a first-round pick. However, when it comes to the second round, many teams may pay attention to him, and the probability of Kalkenbrenner being selected in the early stage of the second round may not be too low.

Target teams:

Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder

The above teams are all teams that are short of people in the interior, especially the Lakers, who don’t even have a qualified starting center. However, for the Lakers, it may be a bit difficult to make Calken Brenner as the starting center. Both the Raptors and Bulls may choose a center with the first round pick, and they may not necessarily choose another center in the second round, and they are also traditional centers. For teams with relatively good record performances such as the Clippers, Bucks and Thunder, choosing a center with a higher level of maturity with a second round may also be a good choice.