Iowa's Gabriel Olaseni Playing For Miami Heat in Summer League

Gabriel Olaseni will be making his mark this summer in the NBA Summer League, suiting up for the Miami Heat team. Olaseni, a four year player for the Iowa Hawkeyes, will hope to bring rebounding, defense and toughness in his hopes to make an NBA roster. Scouts will be interested to see whether the 6'10 player from London, England will showcase a few things he didn't at Iowa, such as an improved jumpshot and a new arsenal of postmoves.

At Iowa, Olaseni played his role to perfection, coming off the bench to back up Adam Woodbury and Aaron White. He will be comfortable playing in any role, and could contribute to an NBA team as the third or fourth big man. Olaseni's best NBA comparison is probably Festus Ezeli, a player with the Golden State Warriors who won an NBA championship this past season. Ezeli is an inch taller than Olaseni, but Olaseni is probably a more gifted rebounder and runs the floor better.

Even if Olaseni does not stick in the NBA in his first season, I believe he'll take a chance at playing in one of the top leagues in Europe, such as Spain. This will allow him to become an extremely successful player in his first few seasons, and maybe once he gets his bearings in professional basketball, there's a chance he could come over as a reserve to pursue his presumed dream of playing in the NBA.