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Texas Tech basketball: 3 players that may benefit from Ntambwe’s departure

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 25: Forward Tyreek Smith #10 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders points to a teammate the second half of the college basketball game against the Northwestern State Demons at United Supermarkets Arena on November 25, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 25: Forward Tyreek Smith #10 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders points to a teammate the second half of the college basketball game against the Northwestern State Demons at United Supermarkets Arena on November 25, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 25: Forward Tyreek Smith #10 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders dunks the ball during the second half of the college basketball game against the Northwestern State Demons at United Supermarkets Arena on November 25, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 25: Forward Tyreek Smith #10 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders dunks the ball during the second half of the college basketball game against the Northwestern State Demons at United Supermarkets Arena on November 25, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Smith could be the biggest beneficiary of Ntambwe’s absence

At some point this week, I had planned to take a look at the early-season work of redshirt freshman forward Tyreek Smith because he has shown flashes of being an intriguing player so far this season.  Now seems like the perfect time to do so because he stands to benefit more than anyone else from Ntambwe’s departure.

Tech is going to need another big body to play behind Marcus Santos-Silva and Smith looks to be the logical choice.  In fact, had Ntambwe remained part of the team, I’m not so certain that Smith wouldn’t have eventually overtaken him in the rotation at some point this season.

Make no mistake, Ntambwe and Smith are vastly different players.  Whereas Ntambwe is a skilled offensive player who typically plays below the rim, Smith is a pure athlete who gets most of his offense on dunks and off of offensive rebounds.

What’s more, Ntambwe is considered a below-average defender and he’s never going to be confused for a shot-blocker.  Smith, on the other hand, may already be Tech’s best rim protector and he has all the makings of an elite defender once he learns what is expected of him in the Red Raider system.

But though they are vastly different players, both Ntambwe and Smith play the same position and they were essentially competing for minutes at what we could traditionally consider the power forward position.  Now, we can expect to see more of Smith moving forward.

This season, he’s averaged 10 minutes per game.  In that time, he’s putting up 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds.  Those numbers are likely to go up in the coming weeks, however.

With Smith playing more minutes thanks to Ntambwe’s departure, Tech will be substituting offense for defense and that’s going to be a concern.  But Smith could wind up being more of a Chris Beard type of player in the long run and that might make this team better both defensively and overall, especially if the next player on our list can shoulder some of the offensive load.

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