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Texas Tech basketball: Scouting Joel Ntambwe and how he fits on the 2020-21 Red Raiders

By Matthew Conner

HONOLULU, HI - DECEMBER 23: Joel Ntambwe #24 of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels attempts to drive past Christian Williams #10 of the Indiana State Sycamores during the first half of their game at Stan Sheriff Center on December 23, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI - DECEMBER 23: Joel Ntambwe #24 of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels attempts to drive past Christian Williams #10 of the Indiana State Sycamores during the first half of their game at Stan Sheriff Center on December 23, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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Ntambwe will be a huge component of next year’s team

So how does Joel Ntambwe fit into the 2020-21 Texas Tech basketball roster?  In a word…naturally.

What I mean is that he brings elements to the court that Tech was lacking this past season, especially when he has the ball in his hands.  In 2019-20, Tech had to rely on Holyfield and Chris Clarke to be the primary forwards and both were limited offensively to the point that opposing teams often dared them to shoot.

While Holyfield did make teams pay at times, neither he nor Clarke were all-around offensive players the likes of Ntambwe.  He moves with the ball in a manner that made me think of former Texas Tech forward Jaye Crockett but he’s a much better outside shooter than the Clovis, New Mexico native ever was.

In late-game situations, it isn’t hard to picture Beard isolating Ntambwe at the top of the key and letting him create off of the dribble where he can abuse other forwards with his reverse spin move.  Howwonderful will that be to have as an option when Tech needs a bucket?

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His size and touch around the rim are matchup problems that are reminiscent of the way former Red Raider Kasib Powell used to attack other post players who could not match his athleticism.  But Ntambew has two inches on Powell so imagine just how hard it will be to stop him with one player once he becomes a street dog.  And that was my biggest takeaway from watching this game.

It was clear that all the pieces were in place for Ntambwe to dominate and at times that season, he did just that (such as when he hung 31 points on Wyoming or 22 on BYU).  However, the lethargy of the entire UNLV program seemed to infect him and though he played hard throughout the night, he didn’t play with any killer instinct.  Again, it is fair to wonder if that was also a product of being a true freshman.

On defense, he was somewhat miscast because the Rebels’ other starting forward played just ten minutes before fouling out.  Thus, Ntambwe had to guard some of Utah State’s broader forwards who made up for their lack of athleticism by muscling through him and he spent a significant portion of the evening getting up off of the floor.

There were flashes though when he was an alert help defender and though he rarely checked a USU guard, he has more than enough lateral mobility to be right at home in the switch-everything system of the Red Raiders.  Thus, he’s another of the positionless players that Beard is so fond of.

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Where Ntambwe’s greatest strides need to come are in the weight room and in his mentality.  All the basketball skills are already in place for him to be a critical component of a championship contender.  Once he learns to play every possession as if it is the final possession of the Final Four and embraces Beard’s street dog mentality, he will unlock his full potential and become a true force in the Big 12.

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