Patrick Ngongba, a new recruit at Duke, is getting closer to returning to the court following a foot break. In the senior class, the 6-foot-11 big man is rated as the No. 17 overall prospect. He has been making progress and communicating with the Duke coaches while recuperating.
“I’ll get an estimate for when I can get back on the court when I go to the doctor on March 8th,” he stated. “With Duke, things have gone fairly well during this time, and I’ve been in touch with them. They have helped me understand this injury, and I occasionally visit them to meet with their coaches and physicians.
Ngongba continued: “They’ve said to watch basketball, get my mind right and do the stuff I can do to get back better than ever. They’ve mentioned ball handling, shooting, lifting and things like that.”
Ngongba is impressed with how Duke uses sophomore big man Kyle Filipowski and the way the team is playing together in the little time he has had to truly observe the team.
“I believe they are doing well,” he remarked. They can do better, in my opinion. Despite a few difficult losses, I think they have a good chance of winning, but you never know.
Adam Finkelstein, director of scouting at 247Sports, gave a scouting report on Ngongba.
“Ngongba possesses an exceptional blend of stature, reach, and offensive prowess. He is almost seven feet tall, with very broad shoulders and a large build that give him a notable
presence on both ends of the floor. He has extremely soft hands and touch, equally impressive footwork, and a high release point around the paint. He provides a true low-post scorer, but is also an inside-out threat with developing shooting range out to the arc. He’s a good passer who is starting to punish double-teams, facilitate from different spots on the floor, and even deliver balls with both hands. He has versatility playing out of ball-screen actions and can also be effective operating in dribble-hand-offs. Overall, Ngongba is an exceptionally efficient offensive player (70% FG in the EYBL regular season), but one who is showing more signs of being able to anchor a half-court offense down the road. Durability and mobility are the key variables for him moving forward. He missed time with injuries early in his high school career and was not an especially fluid mover when he
back. Despite his progress, he is primarily a drop coverage big man with limited defensive adaptability at the next level. Though he still frequently has to shuffle his feet before rising, his physical presence in the lane offers him some value as a rim protector (1.3 blocks per game). However, his length and hands allow him to own his area on the glass, grabbing 7.8 rebounds in 19.3 minutes. Lastly, Ngongba has improved quickly since being well, which may be a crucial factor to consider when estimating his long-term potential.
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