Texas Tech basketball: Scouting incoming 7-foot center Vlad Goldin

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An NCAA official readies the ball for play after a time out during the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma Sooners. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

Is Goldin ready to be an immediate contributor?

What all Texas Tech basketball fans want to know is whether or not Goldin will be able to help next season’s team win games. I think he will but in a limited capacity.

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Goldin is already built like a full-grown man. He has broad shoulders and plenty of muscle meaning that once he spends a few months with strength and conditioning coach John Reilly, he will have more than enough size to trade blows with big men at the Division I level.

Also, his international experience could pay dividends for him the way it did for Davide Moretti. He’s already played against older players so being intimidated shouldn’t be an issue.

Where I worry though is with his overall offensive game. Until I can see him hitting shots from outside the lane, I will wonder if he will be able to be trusted with significant minutes.

We saw last year with Chris Clarke and T.J. Holyfield both being reluctant to shoot the ball at times how one offensively limited player can cause the entire motion offense to suffer as teams are afforded the opportunity to clog the lane and cheat towards other players. Goldin can’t be just a passenger on offense so he’s going to have to show that he will have more to offer than a traditional post-up game, especially considering that grad transfer Marcus Santos-Silva also spends most of his time on offense right around the basket.

But when comparing Goldin to the other Putnam big men that have come through Lubbock in the Bear era, he appears to be a step above. Much more physical than Ondigo and more skilled than either Mballa or Tchewa, the Russian doesn’t have the look of a long-term project like his Putnam predecessors did when they arrived.

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Look for Goldin to fight for minutes this year and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him crack Beard’s rotation. However, this roster is loaded (even in the post) meaning that there remains plenty of work for the newest Red Raider to do before he can expect to just jump into a key role.

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