Osetkowski helping Longhorns stay sharp
AUSTIN — Dylan Osetkowski plays the game like a man displaced in time.
His herky-jerky movements and dizzying array of post moves are relics. His footwork is choreographed, ballet-like. His protracted backdowns, which sometimes start near the arc, provide such a stark contrast to the modern game that they can seem like a novelty amid a barrage of 3-pointers and showy dribbling maneuvers and breathtaking dunks.
Osetkowski has, as a necessity, embraced the contemporary basketball world’s insatiable desire for floor-spacing big men. He attempted 4.3 threes per game a season ago and has hoisted 70 through 25 games during this season.
As a career 27 percent 3-point shooter at Texas, Osetkowski will never be confused for, say, sharpshooting Spurs forward Davis Bertans. Over his last 11 games, the 6-9 senior has shot just 2-for-27 from deep.
But the rest of the 6-9 senior forward’s anachronistic skillset is vital to the Longhorns’ success.
“When Dylan is locked in on being in attack mode, I think that’s when he’s at his best,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said Thursday. “The game doesn’t have to be a thing of beauty from him all the time. It can be a grind-it-out game. He’s been effective that way when he’s just continued to be relentless.”
As a bulkier kid with little lift, the San Diego native couldn’t simply explode up and over the defense. Osetkowski had to be cunning down low, so he took to studying two of the most genius post players in NBA history.
Osetkowski has spent years feasting on old clips of Kevin Garnett and Hakeem Olajuwon, two masterful low-post operators. They were dexterous giants who blended ferocity and grace at a time when banging down on the block was mandatory.
Dating back to middle school, Osetkowski would sit with his trainer and absorb hours and hours of footage of the former NBA most valuable players.
“I watched a lot of young Kevin Garnett when he was with the Timberwolves just a lot of his back to the basket stuff,” Osetkowski said Friday. “Some Hakeem Olajuwon stuff out of the long post, face-up. Both of those guys are just extremely crafty down there. They know how to use angles, know how to use their feet.
“I’m not really a guy that’s just going to just back you down and rise up and dunk. I’ve got to use my pivots, shot fakes, ball fakes, all the stuff they did.”
Osetkowski was also drawn to the selfless nature displayed by both Olajuwon and Garnett.
Too overpowering and adroit to be handled by one defender, both typically attracted double teams and other sorts of help. Their brilliant passing often made doubling a lose-lose proposition for the opposition.
Osetkowski doesn’t command Garnett or Olajuwon-type attention, but opposing coaches have started to key in on him, especially when he’s attacking a mismatch.
He averages only 1.2 assists per game, but Osetkowski’s post passing often starts a chain reaction resulting in an open look for another teammate. Smart reckons the big man leads the team in hockey assists.
“My dad was always big on me, when I was younger, to pass the ball, find my teammates,” Osetkowski said.
Osetkowski was at the center of the Longhorns’ 73-63 victory over 11th-ranked Kansas on Jan. 29. It was a game Texas needed after dropping five of six. The Tulane transfer orchestrated a players-only meeting before the game and tried to impart upon his teammates how crucial every single possession would be going forward. He went out and backed up everything he said during that 30-minute confab.
Osetkowski scored a team-high 16 points on 50 percent shooting and a 6-for-6 showing from the line. He also grabbed three offensive rebounds, same as his season average. Those rebounding numbers have been just as important as anything else Osetkowski does on the court. He shed some fat and replaced it with lean muscle over the summer, sacrificing a bit of bulk for greater athleticism.
If anything, it’s made him more tenacious and able on the glass. He ranks fourth among Big 12 players in both total rebounds and offensive rebounds.
With his career winding down and Texas perched on the NCAA tournament bubble, Osetkowski’s infectious energy and vocal leadership is as important as ever. And he’s got his eyes set on revenge Saturday when Texas (14-11, 6-6 Big 12) takes on Oklahoma State (9-1, 2-9) at the Erwin Center.
Osetkowski managed only nine points on 4-of-11 shooting, including 0-of-5 on 3-pointers, and four rebounds in a 61-58 loss at Oklahoma State on Jan. 8.
“I try to help him understand, the analogy I use is, he makes our horns sharper,” Smart said. “We’re the Longhorns and he’s the guy who determines how sharp those things are. When he’s been at his best, he’s really helped our team in that way.”