Oscar Tshiebwe, the 2021-22 National Player of the Year and one of the best rebounders the game of college basketball has ever seen, is “expected” to forgo his final season of eligibility and remain in the NBA Draft. An official announcement is expected from Tshiebwe at 5 p.m. EST on Wednesday.

Tshiebwe took a slight step back in 2022-23 compared to his junior campaign but was still a dominant force for the Wildcats last season. He averaged 16.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, leading the rebounds per game metric across the country by a significant margin.

He started his career at West Virginia before transferring to Kentucky in 2021. If reports are correct, he will leave Kentucky with 1 season of eligibility remaining.

Despite Tshiebwe being a dominant force in college, there are concerns to his ability to translate his game to the pro level. Big, physical players work against teenagers and 20/21/22-year olds, but history (Udoka Azubuike, Kofi Cockburn, etc) has shown that his lack of elite, next-level athleticism is a negative against NBA talent. Not to mention, Tshiebwe is approaching 24 years old.

And still, there’s something to be said about his uncanny ability to use leverage and his smaller (compared to 7-footers) 6-9 size to his advantage. There’s not much more the college game can teach a player like that, after all.

We’ll see what he officially decides shortly.