Omer Yurtseven Top-10 in the nation on the offensive glass

It wasn’t all that long ago that Omer Yurtseven was struggling to stay on the floor for the Wolfpack. He was foul prone, he was being pushed around and he just wasn’t really putting up the type of rebounding numbers NC State fans had hoped for.

Over the first 4 games of the season, Yurtseven had grabbed only 16 rebounds (4 per game).  Certainly not the type of number you want to see from you 7-foot center. But something clicked for him during the trip to the Bahamas.

Since that trip began, Yurtseven has been a different player. He’s been much more aggressive and much more physical on the blocks. Just look at the numbers. Over the past 5 games, he has grabbed 47 rebounds. That’s good for 9.4 boards per game.

One area he’s been extremely impressive is on the offensive glass. His ability to get NC State extra possessions and easy putbacks have been huge for team. In fact, Yurtseven is ranked #9 in the nation in ‘offensive rebounding %.’

This is an important stat and one that is much more telling than simply looking at the total number of offensive rebounds. To calculate this statistic, divide the total number of offensive rebounds secured by the total number of rebounds available by the player/team. Meaning, this sidesteps all the variables such as the number of games played or the number of shots taken/rebounds available.

So why is this such an important number? Well, offensive rebounds, in general, are important because they take away a potential defensive rebound. They also give your team an extra possession and take a possession away from your opponent. This usually leads to more points for the team that is doing better on the offensive glass. It’s no wonder that many in the basketball-data community view OR% as one of the four pillars of true efficiency along with eFG%, TO%, and FT rate.

Yurtseven has been getting a lot of pub lately for his 6-7 (86%) from 3pt range and his nearly 13 ppg, but if he can continue to dominate on the offensive glass, then his scoring will just be icing on the cake. The big man from Turkey is finally showing Wolfpack fans why he came over with such high praise and why NBA scouts have been keeping a close eye on him. If he keeps this up, it will give NC State yet another dimension that no many thought they’d have in the preseason.