Enrique Freeman Scouting Report
An all-time Zips legend who grew from a walk-on to an NBA-ready big wing who will contribute on both ends on day one. What will be Freeman's draft range and his specific role? Find out below.
Every prospect has a different developmental path. And for Freeman, it speaks volumes to his dedication to the game and work ethic as he has grown from a walk-on as a freshman to the MAC Player of the Year. He solidified his status as an all-time Akron Zips great while preparing for a good NBA career.
In an interior-heavy scoring season where he put in almost nineteen points per game while all opposing scouting reports had him as their number-one priority remains impressive. However, in a less post-up-heavy NBA game, Freeman’s game will look different than what he was asked to do in college. This scouting report will solely focus on his NBA role and potential.
Physical Profile
At 6’7.5” in shoes, Freeman possesses the ideal size to play as a three on an NBA floor. With great upper-body strength, his 215 pounds solidify his NBA-ready body, giving him opportunities to play as a four as well. He has fluid hips with good foot speed. With good upper-leg strength, his mobility should translate quickly to the next level.
While testing out with a 33.5-inch vertical, the outcome confirms his vertical leap despite his bulky build. That helps him to guard against forwards and some centers at the rim. With a 7’2” wingspan his length is a difference-maker in switching from threes to a four and potentially a five on an NBA floor.
Freeman plays with a lot of toughness. At 2.8 personal fouls in 32.5 minutes per game, the numbers suggest situational foul trouble. However, in his case as a does-it-all type of forward in college, his toughness and strength advantage have led to him picking up foul calls earlier, contextualizing a part of the number.
Offense
Despite fewer post-up opportunities in the NBA, his advantage-creation in the old-school way has helped Freeman to open up his total game in college. When asked to score, he shows consistency in his go-to move where he uses his left shoulder to find a scoring angle while scoring with a hook using his right hand, as shown in the first two plays below.
While playing at a lower-ranked MAC conference, for Freeman to do it against an NBA-caliber center in the first two plays solidifies the feasibility of his go-to move as something to add to his scoring arsenal in the NBA. However, an area of development for Freeman as a play-finisher is his not lowering the ball to his waist to power up for his finishes.
In the third play below, Freeman gets hit with the entry pass down low, whereafter he has to earn two points from the line while being able to finish it easier if he kept the ball high enough not having to power up for the score. In that way, he left points on the board throughout the season. With the NBA’s emphasis on offensive rating and maximizing the amount of possessions, leaving points on the board in a lower-usage role is not going to help Freeman earn more NBA minutes throughout his career.
Another area that makes it feasible for an NBA team will allow Freeman to finish plays via entry passes is his fluidity. His offensive footwork is above-average in that regard, where he uses an aggressive pivot foot to open up his angles whereafter his quick jump solidifies his stance as a scorer, almost forcing defenders to bail themselves out by fouling him. The fourth play below is a good example. At 6.5 free-throw attempts per game, Freeman takes away the value of fouling him by converting them at a 72.8% rate.
At 1.6 assists per game, the numbers do not indicate plus value in terms of playmaking. However, due to Freeman’s scoring-heavy role, he was asked less to create for others. For his NBA role, growing from a role as a ball-mover to executing playmaking reads will be crucial to earning a second contract in a few years. Therefore, NBA decision-makers must put his numbers into the context, and focus on the flashes he has shown throughout his five years and how he has gotten better every year.
On NBA pace, Freeman must execute reads from inside the arc quickly. In the first play below, he leverages his strength advantage in the post-up to force help defense to commit. Hereafter he throws an effortless kickout pass quick enough to give the spot-up shooter enough time to convert the open jumper without the defense closing out timely.
Timing in Freeman’s passes is what stood out. In the second play, Freeman sees motion from the weakside after the entry pass, where he again forces the help defense to commit whereafter hitting the backdoor cutter with the quick overhead dump-off pass. Being a fifth-year senior helps Freeman’s case as a creator from inside the arc. His footwork in the third play below, while keeping the ball away from help defense and winning ground in the post-up is the base for his execution to find open shooters on the perimeter. The accuracy of his passes is a testimony to his hard work throughout the years, learning how to leverage his strengths to create advantages for others.
In a shooting-heavy NBA game, Freeman must convert open threes at a consistent rate. The positive is that he went from taking six attempts in four years to shooting over fifty of them as a senior. Therefore, the volume going up is a good indicator of Freeman developing a level of shooting touch, which is still in need of further development. The numbers are not relevant due to the low sample size. However, it is projectable that these will lead to becoming league-average in the next few years.
When focusing on his mechanics, Freeman gets most of his opportunities while he pops to the perimeter after screening actions. In the first play below, the defense sags off him, where he utilizes and goes for his chances on the perimeter. He sets his feet quickly, that’s the base of further development. Hereafter he follows it up by keeping the ball high on his way to power up for the jumper. With a high release point, the value of his plus-six-inch wingspan gives him an advantage for the NBA as well. He’s a tad too slow in his release as of now, but his high release makes it comfortably easier for him to take away the risk of getting blocked.
In the second, Freeman shows a good pivot foot placement while setting his feet for the jumper. His characteristic high release adds value to the total mechanics, making it favorable for NBA decision-makers to further develop in the future. The third and fourth plays below are examples of his consistency on that end while doing it at the highest level.
In Freeman’s role, adding offensive creativity to his game will add value to his total role. When making plays out of closeouts, his scoring arsenal is limited to using his left shoulder followed up by his right-handed hook or using a hesitation move to use his strength advantage under the basket.
At 67.3% finishing at the rim, that’s a tremendous number for Freeman considering the volume of almost six attempts per game. His level of touch has evolved in recent years, where becoming less predictable is the area of development for Freeman in the NBA.
In the first two plays below, Freeman takes too much time off the clock by deciding how he’s going to attack the basket. On an NBA-leveled pace, quicker decision-making will be asked from him, making that something NBA decision-makers must take into account in their evaluation. As mentioned earlier, his go-to move is the right-handed hook in the first play. But his using fakes and hesitation moves in the third play shows a degree of his development in terms of his offensive creativity.
Despite the miss on the last play below, Freeman shows good footwork using his jab steps to try and unbalance his assignment. He absorbs contact very well at the rim, keeping his balance at all times. But in his rim-finishes, at times he’s forcing the issue too much, where the finish is more of a push of the ball rather than letting utilizing his overall soft touch which he uses in his hook-finishes. More reps at the next level will help Freeman improve his scoring package out of closeouts.
Defense
As an NBA defender, Freeman’s versatility as a pick-and-roll defender will get him into first-round considerations. The NBA is in a comfort zone of drop-coverage-heavy defense against pick-and-rolls. Therefore, more ways to defend against the most common offensive play type will be a value-riser for prospects.
In Freeman’s case, his defensive footwork is one of the best among upperclassmen college forwards. In the first play below, the ball handler forces the switch, whereafter Freeman does well to keep him on the perimeter by aggressively tagging before launching to the elbow side, daring the ball handler to beat him off the dribble. He slides his feet very well and uses his fluid hips and mobility to keep his opponent in front of him. His lateral quickness at his physical profile is another value riser where NBA decision-makers see it become feasible that Freeman will show the same level of defense in the pick-and-roll at the next level.
We see a similar play in the second play below, where Freeman again uses his mobility and quickness to keep his assignment in front of him, forcing the midrange jumper after picking up the dribble. He’s comfortable at denying ball handlers to get to the rim, purely based on his footwork and good defensive reads in not getting out of balance by jab steps or fakes.
The last two plays show that Freeman has the same level of intensity and physical comfort against roll men in pick-and-rolls. He’s good at using his upper-body strength to take the hit while using his arms as angle-closers aiming to take away the lay-up from his big-man opponents. At times, he’s willing to give up shots, as shown in the fourth play below, where he calculates a potential disadvantage well in terms of physical contacts where he can be called with fouls. On an NBA floor, he’ll face stronger athletes on a nightly basis, making decision-making such as in the fourth play crucial for his total playable minutes in the NBA.
As an off-ball defender against cutters, Freeman still needs time to develop. There are two areas to focus on: ball-watching and gambling on steals. In the first play below, the backdoor cut is not on Freeman, but a fifth-year senior at 132 games played should be less ball-watching, whereafter a rotation to the cutter would have been a realistic outcome. The context for the NBA is that a quicker game with more ball movement has the goal of finding open gaps in the defense, and ball-watching as an off-ball defender is something opponents will gladly repeat when they see a certain weakness in an opponent.
In the second play, the incentive to double the ball handler away from the basket wasn’t there, as there were still more than twenty seconds on the shot clock. This collapsed the defense, as the strong side was too late to rotate to the cutter through the middle. In terms of aggressiveness, a fan would appreciate the effort. But an NBA decision-maker thinks in risks and plays as these will risk a team’s defensive rating going up.
In the third and fourth plays, Freeman shows his fluid hips and quick reactionary speed, which are two things that are important to consider. Freeman’s strength advantage led to him being able to play with less aggressiveness against smaller wings and guards, as shown in the third play below, However, he’s more comfortable in using his toughness against big men in the fourth play below, knowing it’s less likely leading to a personal foul on his end. Freeman’s maturity in managing the fouls and playing in control is a good sign for NBA decision-makers when projecting his level of defense for the NBA.
Another crucial element in Freeman’s defense is his guarding spot-up shooters. He’s excellent at using his vertical jump and length to contest shots at a consistent level. With good defensive footwork, Freeman is quick to close out to the perimeter, adding value to his profile as a multipositional defender.
What stood out is that the fundamentals are clicking with Freeman. He keeps one foot in the paint at all times and isn’t vulnerable to overhelping on defense. Thus making it easier for him to focus on his closeouts and not having to consistently have to cover more ground on his closeouts due to a lack of positioning or overhelping as a defender.
The second play is where Freeman deserves credit. He doesn’t reach for the foul bait in the drive, where the ball handler seeks to get bailed out by not getting separation off the dribble. Freeman followed it up with an extremely fluid spin move, using his length to get a hand in the shooter’s face while rotating quickly after the extra pass. That’s the level of decision-making and intensity an NBA decision-maker is looking for in the modern NBA four’s defense.
In drop coverage on the third and fourth plays below, Freeman shows his burst and balance by quickly closing out to the perimeter after the kick-out pass. It still led to open threes, but his length makes it so much easier for Freeman to impact a shooter with the threat of his long arms. That will continue to benefit him at the next level.
To celebrate the NBA Draft, here’s 20% off! With over 80 in-depth scouting reports, this newsletter will remain your number one source for all you need to know about the less-coveted prospects in the NBA Draft.
Subscribing now will give you an advantage for the same coverage for the 2025 NBA Draft, as I will switch to opening these in-depth scouting reports to paid subscribers, with occasional free publications.
NBA Draft Projection
After a good performance at the NBA Draft Combine, while also having successful team workouts, Freeman suddenly became a realistic option to be drafted in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
With winning teams picking in the twenties, his NBA-ready defense and simplified but effective role on offense, make him a high-floor type of player who can thrive in a low-usage role right out of the gates.
To summarize the above-mentioned details in the scouting report, here are the most important ones:
Strengths
NBA-ready pick-and-roll defender who turned his physical tools into functional athleticism
Developing a shooter where the mechanics are consistent. Now it’s time for Freeman to grow into a volume shooter at the next level
Quick decision-maker as a passer who knows how to leverage his strength advantage and react to help the defense create open looks
Areas of development
Gambles on defense and is caught ball-watching at times. Off-ball defense is crucial to stay on an NBA floor
Lack of offensive creativity. Runs the same plays in replay when creating out-of-closeouts. If the shot doesn’t fall, it’s hard to project how Freeman will maintain his efficiency and his team’s offensive rating
The transition from a scoring-heavy role out of post-ups to fewer post-ups may cause adjustment time in the early stages of his career.
Based on the above-mentioned details, I project Freeman to be selected in the early stages of the second round, with it being highly likely he’ll sign a contract that involves a good portion of guaranteed money. His NBA-ready profile makes it more appealing for NBA front offices to sign him to a lower cap hit and flexible contract.