[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2024 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Ryan Kalkbrenner
Frame: 7’1″, 270 lbs
Position: Center
Team: Creighton Bluejays
2024 Draft Age: 22
Stats via www.sports-reference.com, www.barttorvik.com and www.espn.com

Offense

Kalkbrenner is a rim-running big who effectively seals his man down low and constantly gets his teammates open via screens. He scores most of his points on rolls to the basket, lobs, putbacks and establishing deep post position in the paint. Kalkbrenner likes to seal his man to get easy baskets (75.9 percent at the rim and 92.1 percent on dunks with a 68.5 percent true-shooting percentage, per www.barttorvik.com). Kalkbrenner likes to go to a post-hook in the paint and often follows his or his teammate’s shots for second-chance opportunities.

He needs to be more decisive in the post, as opponents sometimes poke the ball away when establishing post position. Kalkbrenner is a little slow, which limits his ability to generate his own looks, but if he establishes a deep post position, he can survey the floor and kick out to shooters or finish with a nice touch. He can hit the occasional open three but is not shooting them at a high clip, 30 percent on 1.6 attempts (up one three per game from last year). Kalkbrenner is solid from midrange and has a decent stroke that takes a little long to set up, though there is optimism he can improve his shot (72 percent from the line for his career). Most of his field goals are assisted (76 percent at the rim, 63 percent on other two-point field goals). Kalkbrenner needs to improve as a playmaker (1.3 assists to 1.5 turnovers) and face-up game, as he is too one-dimensional and relies on his teammates for most of his buckets.

Kalkbrenner is a strong screensetter who likes to change the angle to get his teammates open in different ways. He is persistent with his screen setting and will also set various off-ball screens. Kalkbrenner effectively utilizes the Gortat screen, which is when you seal your defender to clear a driving lane for the ball-handler.

Defense

Kalkbrenner is a dominant rim deterrent and a three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year winner and is second in the nation in blocks (3.1 per game). He excels at drop coverage and is very disciplined in contesting without fouling. Kalkbrenner uses his monstrous 7’5″ wingspan to contest vertically without leaving his feet. He doesn’t need to get blocks to affect a game, as he alters dozens of shots just by his presence alone. He reads the floor very well and can recover to his teammate’s man to get weak side blocks. Kalkbrenner is terrific at using his size in drop coverage and guarding the ball and his man. His blocked shots lead to fastbreak opportunities for his team, and he has a knack for getting the rebound off his blocks. 

But Kalkbrenner does have trouble switching onto guards where his foot speed becomes problematic. Ideally, you will want him patrolling the painted area where he is most comfortable. He sometimes gets stuck in no man’s land in drop coverage where he is unsure how far up to go on the ball-handler, leading to an open pull-up shot or lob dunk. However, a lot of this is due to him not having great defenders around him, leading him to cover for them constantly. Sometimes, he seems athletically overwhelmed against physical and more athletic bigs. Kalkbrenner can get pushed around in the paint by stronger players or outhustled for rebounds. His lack of foot speed can cause him to be late on contests at the rim. He is an average rebounder for his size (7.6 per game), as he is sometimes slow to track down loose balls.

Looking Ahead

Kalkbrenner has improved his efficiency and game every year and is willing to step out and take threes, which will be a priority for the next level. His size and interior defense will be his main selling points. Playing with elite or adequate-level defensive NBA players will make his defense more noticeable and his athletic shortcomings less glaring.

Kalkbrenner should be able to protect the rim and score easily due to his stature, screen-setting, and effective sealing in the post. He projects as a second-rounder in the NBA, with his swing skills being his three-point shot and his mobility on the perimeter in the defensive end.