ACC Basketball: Projecting each team’s key player production for 2021-22

Pittsburgh: Daniel Oladapo and Femi Odukale

Decrease in production: Daniel Oladapo

There are not a lot of impact players from last season to choose from when trying to determine one whose production will decline. Not only did Ithiel Horton start 18 of 22 games, but he is also the only returning player to start over eight games.

So, all that remains is to look toward a player who will be playing in the Petersen Events Center for the home team for the first time. The player will be the Oakland Golden Grizzlies’ third-leading scorer Daniel Oladapo who averaged 13 points while playing over 33 minutes per game with Oakland. Oakland, however, had little depth to speak of with nobody over 6’7 that averaged over seven minutes.

Starting alongside 6’5 Femi Odukale, 6’3 Ithiel Horton, and 6’4 Nike Sibande, Oladapo will still be slotted as a power forward, except he will not be benefitting from playing with a Horizon League First Teamer and will not have the benefit of playing in the Horizon League.

Increase in production: Femi Odukale

As a freshman, the 6’5 guard started just five games while averaging 20 minutes per game. Odukale’s 6.6 points per game average were highlighted by a 28-point performance in a start versus Miami and an 18 point performance in a start versus NC State.

With the transfers of Xavier Johnson to Indiana, Gerald Drumgoole to Albany, and Au’Diese Toney to Arkansas along with Justin Champagnie moving on to the NBA, there is suddenly a lot of room for Odukale to start in the backcourt and have ball-handling duties if head coach Jeff Capel wants top three-point shooter Horton to stay on the perimeter. With a solidified starting role and increased minutes, expect Odukale to break the sophomore curse and increase his production in 2021-22.