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Player profile: Patrick O'Bryant

Email|Link|Comments (10) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff October 25, 2008 12:11 PM

This is the 13th in a series of profiles for all 15 players on the current Celtics roster. We'll profile at least one player each day leading up to the season opener on Tuesday.

Patrick O'Bryant

Patrick O'Bryant blocks a shot by Knicks center Eddy Curry during the second half of their preseason game in Boston. (AP)

Born: June 20, 1986
Height: 7 feet 0 inches. Weight: 250
College: Bradley
Years pro: 2
Acquired: Signed as free agent in 2008 (Drafted No. 9 overall by Golden State in 2006)
2008/2009 salary: $1.5 million
Signed through: 2009-2010
Last year's numbers: 1.5 ppg, 0.2 apg, 1.2 rpg in 24 games

Strengths: As Jay Bilas would say, O'Bryant is long. He uses his length to post up over smaller players, and it also allows him to recover and block shots on defense. It was evident this preseason that O'Bryant (what a name for a Celtic, huh?) is no 7-foot stiff. He has solid footwork and good hands. And he's got a good shooting touch from 8-10 feet out.

Weaknesses: When the No. 9 pick in the NBA draft plays just 40 games in his first two seasons, as O'Bryant did in Golden State, questions about work ethic and motivation are bound to crop up. He seems to have the necessary skills, but O'Bryant hasn't proven anything at the NBA level. He's built more like Pau Gasol than Kendrick Perkins, so some added muscle might go a long way.

What to expect: The Celtics aren't blessed with depth at the center position; O'Bryant is really the only true center on the roster after Perkins. That's not to say that Kevin Garnett, Leon Powe, and Glen Davis won't man the middle at times, but O'Bryant's going to get minutes. It'll be interesting to see what he does with them. Don't be shocked if the Celtics use the combination of Powe and Davis in lieu of the 7-footer.

Check back tomorrow for another player profile, and give us your expectations for O'Bryant in our comments section.

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10 comments so far...

If O'Bryant can hustle, play some intense "D", give Perk some rest and not get hurt, that would be huge. I do question his ability to bang down low-he's "long" sure, but there's not much bulk to him. Toughness and not backing down will be the key.

Posted by KobeWearsAPurpleThong October 25, 08 02:48 PM

Patrick is going to have to dedicate himself to a weight training program to add bulk.
If he can give the C's a solid 15 minutes every night, that would be a huge bonus.

Posted by Victor October 25, 08 04:03 PM

I think we're going to be pleasantly surprised. With Bradley basically being in my backyard (he and I were students there at the same time!), I can tell you he has the potential. He -- and we -- will be okay. Let's throw our support at him fully! He's no Pervis Ellison!

Posted by Ryan October 26, 08 12:19 AM

Patrick will get minutes because Perk is a guaranteed fouling machine.

Posted by Mike October 26, 08 12:28 AM

Patrick, you've got a call from the Wizard... he says he's got your heart.

Posted by Twinkie defense October 26, 08 01:33 AM

I don't like the karma. He was born on the day we woke up to discover Len Bias had died.

Posted by jack sanford October 26, 08 02:27 AM

Best of luck to him, but the guy lacks the mental makeup. He might look like a player, but after watching him for two years, he's not. One of those guys who got pushed into ball because of his height, but who just isn't wired to kick tail. If I am Rivers, I play him until the stretch run just to keep our guys fresh, and then drop him from the rotation as the games start to matter. If he is playing big minutes in the playoffs, I don't like our chances... at all.

Posted by buzz October 26, 08 02:35 AM

Its nice to have a true 7 footer on the squad. Camby proved that a slender long can play solid defense but Camby also spent a lot of time on the bench with injuries.

Posted by gene bocknek October 26, 08 09:16 AM

The writeup suggests he might be a better backup for Garnett - blocks, rebounds and good shooting down low.

Posted by VermontAl November 24, 08 11:10 AM

PO'B is going to be a solid NBA player. We need the hight and shot blocking. Develop this kid now and he'll only get better. C's are old as team, and in case anyone forgot, we won the Championship last year because of overall heart and effort--and we had a better bench.

To date, we don't have a bench that's anything but mediocre. I believe the guys we have can be great--not good, but great.

Posted by tjWoods January 16, 09 01:10 PM