Ntambwe is a rangy defender but can be pushed around by larger post players
Given the way that the 2020-21 Texas Tech basketball roster is currently put together, Ntambwe will be the second-tallest player on the team at 6-foot-9. Only 6-foot-10 JUCO transfer Esahia Nyiwe is taller.
But don’t expect Ntambwe to look like your typical 6-foot-9 forward. And after watching him play against a big Utah State team, we will all be glad that the Red Raiders brought 250-pound VCU grad transfer Marcus Santos-Silva to town because Ntambwe isn’t built to slug it out with true big men.
As a freshman, Ntambwe played at 220-pounds. Given his long frame, he is an extremely lanky player and even after a year in the Texas Tech basketball strength program, he probably isn’t going to be a guy that mixes it up down low against the likes of West Virginia’s 6-foot-9, 258-pound forward Oscar Tshiebwe or players of that same build. Though at times, he is going to have to wrestle with players of that size meaning that his development in the weight room over the last year might be as important as any aspect of his game.
In fact, Utah State had a player in this game who reminded me quite a bit of Tshiebwe in 7-foot, 245-pound Neemias Queta. When Queta, who was also a freshman at the time, had the ball, he was able to overpower any UNLV player, including Ntambwe, who spent no time trying to check the big man one-on-one but who did lose some rebounding battles to him.
On the other hand, Ntambwe did come up with a couple of nice help-side defensive plays to alter Queta’s shot and that’s something that he will need to continue to do in Lubbock a la T.J. Holyfield last season.
But whereas the 6-foot-9 Holyfield or the 6-foot-8 Norense Odiase in 2018-19 were broad enough to engage in hand-to-hand combat in the paint, Ntambwe didn’t show that type of strength in this game. And it is tough to picture him becoming a banger down low, even if he adds some much-needed bulk.
The good news is that he moves remarkably well as an on-ball perimeter defender. His length is problematic for ball handlers and in this game, he didn’t get beat off the dribble once that I saw. When his man did score, it was typically off of catch-and-shoot opportunities where Ntambwe was not in a position to contest the shot. That’s something Beard and assistant coach Mark Adams can teach.
I would have liked to see Ntambwe compete on the glass more than he did in this game as well. His 5.5 rebounds per game indicate that he can rebound but against Utah State, he didn’t mix it up much after misses as he came up with only three boards. That was likely a cultural deficiency in the UNLV program as the entire Runnin’ Rebel program seemed to just cower when Queta and the Aggies punched them in the mouth and they lost the rebounding battle 39-28.
Ultimately, Ntambwe needs to learn how to become a street dog and that’s something that being around the Texas Tech program for a year will helpfully have instilled in him through osmosis. The good news is that the length and athleticism are in place to allow him to be a versatile defender who should be more than capable of guarding any player on the perimeter. But at his size, he needs to get stronger physically so that he can team with Santos-Silva to give Tech some quality physicality in a conference where just about every team has monsters in the lane.