LAS VEGAS—No one expects Ulrich Chomche to become a consistent NBA player this season, least alone the Raptors, but the strides the teenage big man has taken should foster good feelings for all connected with the team about the long-term future.
His game is more fluid, more instinctual, more relaxed. He moves at the pace of the game rather than being overwhelmed by it; it’s as if all the plans they laid out for the Cameroonian centre are playing out perfectly .
“He’s been incredible, man,†teammate A.J. Lawson said of Chomche. “His development’s been, honestly, amazing. He’s been really into the defensive level, being there defensively for us, being our anchor right there. Blocking shots, talking to us on defence, calling out the pick-and-rolls and stuff. I feel like he’s been really dialed in trying to get better. I really am appreciative of that, for sure, because I’m seeing the progress.â€
Make no mistake, there’s still much work to be done and there should be no expectation that the six-foot-10 prospect will make any discernible dent in the Raptors rotation.
But where he is now compared to where he was a year ago is light years. In two Summer League games, Chomche has been a presence in the defensive paint, an active rebounder and was setting the right screens at the right spot on offence.
All the raw bits in his game a year ago as the Raptors got him out of the NBA’s Africa Academy, the first player from that training centre ever drafted, are being smoothed out.
“When we drafted Ulrich, we knew that it was going to be a two-year project,†Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said last week. “I think that he made big strides in Year 1 and playing a lot of minutes with 905.
“He’s healthy. He’s doing a great job. He improved his body. This is going to be just a great check point to see all the gains, all the improvements that he made and what the plan needs to be going forward.â€
Chomche got all the work on his game last season with the G League Raptors 905 but that process was delayed when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in February.
In some respects, that was part of the process, moving Chomche’s learning process from the court to the classroom.
ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ takes chance on player whose parents wanted him to focus on education, and not play games while in school.
ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ takes chance on player whose parents wanted him to focus on education, and not play games while in school.
“The injury was part of the process because I learned a lot from it,†he said on Sunday. “I was sitting on the side working on my game, watching film. I think that helped me a lot to understand the game better. I just have to keep it up and keep getting better.â€
The Raptors are still working with Chomche on the rudimentary aspects of NBA play. Offence right at the rim, active rebounding, the right way to set screens are the first aspects before they expand his skillset.
“I’ve been working on my touch, catching the ball, and finishing at the rim,†he said. “I’ve been watching video of Yao (Ming) setting screens. I’ve been watching that and how to set a good screen, too.â€
“The point (to learning how to set screens) is to get (his teammate) open for a shot whether it’s Immanuel Quickley or Jamal (Shead).
“I have to make sure I set good screens for them because Jamal is very quick attacking the rim and Quick is very good with shooting. So angle of the screen is very important.â€
The rest of his offensive arsenal, such that it is, is scoring near the rim. He and assistant coach Mike Batiste work on little jump hooks and floaters on the paint, part of a detailed process devised a year ago by Rajakovic.
“Now he has to use the gifts that God gave him,†Raptors assistant and Summer League head coach James Wade said. “You can’t teach size, you can’t teach height, but you can teach skill, and that’s what he’s improving every day.â€
If there’s one thing that Chomche has learned, it’s not to rush the process. He knows what he is, where he is on his developmental curve and where his place is in the Raptors ecosystem.
“I have Immanuel Quickley. I have Brandon Ingram. I have Scottie (Barnes), I have a lot of guys to shoot threes,†he said. “I just do my job. I’ll catch rebounds. I’ll set good screens. The three is going to come after, not now.â€
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