Football season ramping up means basketball season is only right around the corner – and it couldn’t come sooner for Arkansas fans who’ve already experienced their fair share of heartbreak on the gridiron.
Regardless of whether or not Sam Pittman gets things on track, plenty of attention will be on new Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari and his debut season leading the Razorbacks, which unofficially starts with an exhibition game against Kansas.
An eventful offseason full of highly-touted high school recruits and notable transfers bringing their talents to The Hill has landed Arkansas firmly in the conversation to be a top 25 team to start the season.
None of those transfers are bigger – literally – than Jonas Aidoo. Listed at 6-foot-11, the Tennessee transfer is three inches shorter than Zvonimir Ivisic, but five pounds heavier, according to the official Arkansas basketball roster.
An All-SEC performer for the Volunteers, Aidoo is the current favorite to earn the starting center job for the Razorbacks. His size and ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball is a major reason for that, but it’s possible he’s still being underrated among Arkansas fans and experts alike due to the sheer amount of new faces joining the team next year.
Jonas Aidoo Scouting Report
The former Volunteer played himself into a pair of notable SEC honors last season, landing on both the All-SEC second team and the SEC All-Defensive Team. He averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds to go along with 1.8 blocks, 0.7 steals and nearly 52% shooting from the field as a junior at Tennessee.
Aidoo has enough size and strength to contend with nearly any center on a night-to-night basis, but he’s not going to overwhelm most opponents with strength or athleticism.
Instead, Aidoo’s superpower comes in his feel for the game on both sides of the ball. He continually puts himself in positions to be successful and impactful with or without the ball in his hands. He’s not an elite post scorer by any means, but he does display a strong ability to work his way into great position in the paint, which in turn allows him to make a quick move over either shoulder and finish with a hook shot or power finish at the rim depending on how poorly his defender is playing him.
While not a prolific outside shooter, Aidoo is adept at feeling when his primary defender is in drop coverage after he sets a screen and stopping early to give himself an open midrange look. He also hits these midrange looks at a decent enough rate to warrant respect from the defense.
While Zvonimir Ivisic and Trevon Brazile are both capable of soaking up center minutes, Aidoo is stronger than both and projects as more of a true center than either of them. Using that frame and strength to be a solid screener and understanding where to be after the screen could be the difference maker in terms of overall minutes played between him and other center options on this upcoming Razorback roster.
Continuing with the theme of great off-ball positioning, Aidoo is also excellent at positioning himself for offensive rebounds. He doesn’t possess the type of athleticism that allows him to go over the top of bouncier rebounders like Trevon Brazile, but his relentless pursuit and understanding of where to be helped him wrack up nearly three offensive rebounds per game last season.
Similarly, on the defensive side of the ball, Aidoo is a great rim protector and virtually always positions himself well to contest shots in the paint. Beyond that, he’s grown in his ability to defend guards out of pick-and-roll sets. He’s not on the level of former John Calipari big man product Bam Adebayo, but Aidoo can move his feet and recover well enough to deter shots in the paint even if guards do get a step past him on the perimeter.
It’s his overall defensive ability that made him such a notable transfer this past offseason and will likely make him the favorite to earn the majority of center minutes for the Calipari-led Hogs this upcoming season, but it should be added that he has struggled against elite talent in the past.
Last season, Aidoo faced 21 “big” opponents (not named Zach Edey), defined by their combined height and size and star power. The list includes difference makers like Hunter Dickenson, Armando Bacot, DJ Burns, Johni Broome and Tolu Smith, along with some physical standouts like Ole Miss’ Jamarion Sharp (7-foot-5) and Syracuse’s Naheem McLeod (7-foot-4).
Aidoo held these 21 players to only 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 48% from the field. Of course, these numbers improve slightly when looking at only a select few of the best stars like Dickenson and Bacot, who combined to average 15.0 points and 12.0 rebounds against Aidoo.
The Tennessee big man also spent most of his two matchups against Zach Edey on the bench due to foul trouble. He tallied a total of five points and three rebounds across both games to go with eight total fouls while shooting 14% (1-of-7) from the field. Of course, it’s not typically fair to only judge players for the matchups against one of the most dominant collegiate players in the modern era, but it’s certainly a concern worth mentioning for the Hogs considering their lack of strength at backup center.
Potential defensive question aside, it’s Aidoo’s offense that could determine exactly what the minutes split between him and the other two bigs on the roster looks like. Both Ivisic and Brazile are more capable shooters and have shown flashes of shot-creation offensively that Aidoo lacks.
Playing two of them together, however, could offset deficiencies of one specific player.
NBA Player Comparison for Jonas Aidoo
It can be difficult to find a perfect one-for-one comparison between college and NBA players – especially a player like Aidoo, who has stuck around college for so long in part because his game doesn’t necessarily project to translate well at the next level.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of players who have a similar playstyle and role on their respective teams that Aidoo projects to have for the Hogs this season.
WIth players like Johnell Davis, Boogie Fland, Karter Knox and even Trevon Brazile on the roster, it’s not likely that Aidoo will have many responsibilities with the ball in his hands, but rather be relied upon to impact the game off the ball. This should work out in his favor considering the high off-ball IQ and skillset discussed in the section above.
A few NBA players have a similar ability and role on their teams, but few have capitalized on that role as well as Clint Capela with the Atlanta Hawks. It may seem like a long time ago when he was catching lobs from James Harden in Houston while contending to lead the league in rebounding – a feat he achieved once in the 2020-21 season – but Capela still remains an effective lob threat and screen-setter, as well as a top shot blocker.
Capela possesses a bit more raw athleticism and ability to get up to catch lobs than someone like Aidoo, but the Razorback big man makes up for it with a superior midrange jump shot and touch from a little further out in the paint than Capela.
The NBA veteran has made a living as a lob catcher and rim protector playing alongside players like Harden and Trae Young throughout his career. Aidoo has a chance to do just that this season alongside Davis and Fland. His ability to feel what his defender is doing in pick-and-roll situations could lead to a lot of finishing opportunities both at the rim and in the midrange – which in turn will open up better driving lanes for the other ball-handlers on the court.
Other players that have excelled in this role in the NBA include big men like former All-Star and NBA Champion DeAndre Jordan and two-time NBA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Javale McGee. Both of these players are better known for their exceptional leaping ability, something Aidoo doesn’t quite live up to, but their roles as off-ball game changers can be compared to what will be expected of Aidoo this season.
Projected Fit with Arkansas Basketball
With the guards and wings on the roster, there are virtually endless possibilities in terms of lineup construction, playing time, role on the team, etc. – even with only nine high-profile players making up the core rotation.
Even guys like Trevon Brazile and Zvonimir Ivisic, who are more than capable of playing multiple positions, have more question marks attached to their projected role next season: How much small ball will John Calipari roll out compared to two-big lineups? Can either hold significant minutes at the four spot? Are both capable of holding down the paint as a true center and the only big on the court?
Aidoo, meanwhile, is the presumed starter given his experience. But can he perform well enough offensively to stave off any challenges from Ivisic or Brazile? Can he continue his solid defensive presence against elite offensive talent on the other side of the ball?
If the answer to both of these questions are “yes,” Aidoo could be in line for 28-plus minutes per game next season as the team’s primary center and mainstay in most lineups.
In this best-case scenario, Brazile would likely be the primary power forward with Ivisic spelling both players at both positions for periods of time. Both of these two shoot well enough from the outside and have enough mobility and length that playing alongside Aidoo shouldn’t cause significant problems – the biggest potential issue being isolation perimeter defense when two of these players are on the court.
But when considering the combined length of any combination of these two players beside wings like Adou Thiero, Karter Knox or Billy Richmond, the court should theoretically be crowded enough to deter even the most talented of opposing guards from having an easy path into the paint.
The most likely alternative path for Aidoo would be a significant step forward from Ivisic limiting his overall minutes. Big Z has shown plenty on the offensive side of the ball and as a help-side shot blocker, but if he gains some weight and becomes a truer, all-around defensive presence next year, his versatility as an offensive playmaker could make him the team’s starting center.
In this case, Aidoo might see his minutes per game drop down to around 20 or so, but he’d still get plenty of opportunities to take the court and impact the game. Even if Ivisic starts, he’d still be a candidate to soak up minutes at the four when Aidoo enters the game at the five.
A less likely outcome is Aidoo becoming a true backup and spelling Ivisic at the center position for only 12-15 minutes per game. With only nine high-profile recruits, virtually everyone on the roster is set up for endless opportunities this season.
No one’s path to consistent minutes is clearer than Aidoo’s, though, if he continues his defensive presence and provides enough intangibles on the offensive side of the ball.
Other Arkansas Basketball Player Breakdowns
Love this analysis of Jonas Aidoo? Check out our other similar breakdowns for this season’s Arkansas basketball team:
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