Would he be ready to play immediately? The term "combo forward" doesn't exactly fill me w/ confidence. We need a rebounding beast - can he fill that need?
While he is not the big bruising post player we need, Katenda will definitely raise the talent level on the team and is a good rebounder from the wing. He would easily be the headliner for the 2011 class.
He was 240 pounds before getting his appendix out last summer and dropping 30 pounds. He's working hard to regain the weight and should be in the 230-240 range by the time the season starts.
Here's ESPN's take on him.
Strengths:
Katenda is a long and athletic hybrid forward who has a very high ceiling. He runs the floor very well, moves well laterally, is extremely bouncy, and plays high above the rim. He has a good skill base facing the basket as he is very smooth handling the ball in the open floor or facing up and attacking his man in the quarter court. He has a soft touch in the mid-range area and can even step out and knock down the occasional three-pointer. His mobility is a major weapon defensively and he is already a good shot blocker and high volume rebounder.
Weaknesses:
While Katenda is very skilled for a player his size, he gets a little too enamored with the perimeter at times. He is much more comfortable facing the basket then playing with his back to it and would do well to capitalize on his athleticism more consistently in the post instead of settling for so many long jumpers. He isn't a big fan of contact inside the paint on either end of the floor and needs to develop the killer instinct to be great.
Bottom Line:
Katenda is an undeniable talent with great size, length, athleticism, and skills for a player his size. He needs to become a little more physically assertive and concentrate on impacting the game more in the paint instead of constantly trying to prove his worth on the perimeter.
Notes
Native of Cameroon...