NBA Draft Notebook: Oklahoma State vs. Baylor

Baylor and Oklahoma State faced off Tuesday night in Big 12 play, with NBA Draft on SI in attendance.

The Big 12 is far-and-away the best conference in basketball, as even its unranked teams provide tough covers for one another.

Baylor boasted two NBA Draft hopefuls in Tounde Yessoufou and Cameron Carr, both of which have looked like offensive superstars through early-season slates with the Bears. Oklahoma State has a quintuple of double-digit scorers on the season, any of which are capable of filling it up.

Ultimately, the Bears left with a 15-point win, pouring on too much offense for Oklahoma State to handle.

Cameron Carr

The Rundown:

A 6-foot-5 wing, Carr has seen a breakout season with Baylor after two non-factor seasons with Tennessee. His game is highlighted by his blistering 3-point shooting and high-flying athleticism, both of which were on display against the Pokes.

Carr trailed only Yessoufou in points, adding 19 points on an efficient 50% shooting from the field, and a blistering 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. He saw one of his best play-making games to date, adding six assists to just two turnovers, with one steal.

Notes:

Carr brought the energy from the get-go, showing activity on both ends while looking to get his teammates involved

He hit two threes to get Baylor started, without need much space to get either off

Carr was engaged throughout the entirety of the game. He was vocal on defense, even being communicative with his team from the bench, calling out coverages and rotations

He picked up a second early foul, putting himself in foul trouble, likely getting too physical on a simple inbounds play

Carr wasn’t tried much as a on-ball defender, but was attentive off-ball and rotated well

Baylor subbed him in and out frequently, sitting him in favor of better defensive options a few times

With OSU surging, Carr found a clean 3-point shot. He didn’t rush or speed up his mechanics with the crowd back into the game, a good sign despite the miss

Carr’s assists weren’t flashy, though he was an avid ball-mover, and had a few nice looks as the pick-and-roll handler

Carr gave up a back-cut late in the game, then failed to grab the rebound on the missed free throw

Tounde Yessoufou

The Rundown:

A 6-foot-5 wing, Yessoufou’s game is largely built on just how physically ready he is. He’s a blue-chip true freshman, though his physicality looks more like that of an NBA player already. He has long arms and is capable of impacting both sides of the ball.

Yessoufou was, impressively, the leading scorer on the night, going for 23 points on 11-for-17 shooting. He shot just 1-for-4 from beyond the arc, though he added five rebounds and three steals.

Notes:

Yessoufou was relied upon to create shots early and late in the game with intensity high

Yessoufou’s physicality was apparent from the jump, with opposing players completely unable to bump him off spots, and losing most 50-50 plays against him

Yessoufou saw plenty of chances in the mid-range, creating great separation for his size

He is a keen defensive play-maker, turning defense to offense with ease

Yessoufou doesn’t have twitchy athleticism, but he’s not easily deterred as a drive and can be hard to get around when he fans out with a 6-foot-8 wingspan

Yessoufou was loose with his handle in several late-game situations

He registered zero assists to two turnovers, and was moreso looking to create for himself a vast majority of the time, even missing open teammates on a few occasions

He showed great awareness for getting out in transition and crashing the boards