Lachlan Olbrich Scouting Report
He was a standout at both the G League Elite Camp and NBA Draft Combine. The levels of skill and fundamentals set him apart from his peers, but is it enough to be an NBA player? Find out below:
Lachlan Olbrich — Illawarra Hawks (Australia)
6’10” — Power Forward/Center — Born: Dec 29, 2003 (21 years old)
Introduction
While standing out this summer, Olbrich continues to put himself in serious NBA draft considerations. He has had a tremendous NBA Draft Combine while showing a similar outcome at the G League Elite Camp. While scoring nine points per game in the NBL this season, Olbrich shows a top-tier skillset in this draft class. Skill and decision-making are two vital parts that NBA scouts value.
However, the other side of the coin is his struggles from the charity stripe while he’s picking up too many fouls at 2.4 in less than twenty minutes per game. Olbrich has a great understanding of the game, but a lack of experience exposed him at the pro level. Regardless, maturing his game is what every young athlete goes through. This scouting report emphasizes translating his strengths into a feasible NBA role.
Physical Profile
At 6’8.75” in socks, Olbrich has a well-filled frame and broad shoulders. He’s a strong and athletic five who bulked up to 230 pounds. His quick feet and fluid hips are results of his great core strength. He’s mobile and agile, and playing professional ball helped him to recognize how he must use his physicality to create advantages.
He has decent verticality but much better lateral quickness. Despite being a drop-heavy five, Olbrich has the foot speed to go over screens, hard-hedge, or even blitz ball handlers. His toughness doesn’t translate to the defensive side of the ball, where his main struggle is to handle and absorb contact. That’s where NBA teams must help him with a good strength and conditioning program.
Offense
Play-finishing out of the pick-and-roll
As a 55-percent rim-finisher in the last two full seasons, that looks like a bad number. However, you must take the non-existent defensive three-second rule in FIBA-organized games into account. That’s leading to teams using their five men as full-time rim protectors. Thus, making it tougher to finish effectively at the rim, especially in the half-court offense. With the NBL being a fast-paced league, Olbrich shows that he's decent on that end, with room to translate to the NBA.
The best skill on offense is his screening. His screen placement and feet are excellent, and Olbrich sets walls for screens with timely dives to the rim. That’s been a consistent factor in finding a high volume of rim attempts. We see fewer roll-men translating that way in the NBA. But the screening and touch around the rim are two vital parts of his offensive profile.
The first play below shows Olbrich settling for his second step too early in the process, with his finger-roll falling short. The second possession shows a similar outcome with separation after his ball screen. Hereafter, Olbrich shows composure and patience around the basket and finishes his soft touch play with good footwork. For the NBA, Olbrich must work on his floater after short rolls. That can be a well-regarded weapon. The third play shows an example of how easily he gets his shot off, but the struggles against physicality, with the fourth play as an example, are an area of attention for NBA scouts.
Post-ups
In the post-up play, Olbrich shows his skill level. That’s the benefit of playing in a pro league, as footwork is the differentiating factor to find the right angles and earn the defender’s respect. However, in Olbrich’s case, help defenders bother him and force him to make rushed decisions. The lack of composure is related to the lack of experience, but it must improve in the next few years. The first play shows an example. A strong, wide pivot with his left, putting himself in position to see passing angles in the middle as well. After he forced two steps back, Olbrich waits for the curl from the elbow to drop the pass. When that didn’t happen, he was surprised by the help defense as his staring at the strong side led to him getting caught off guard. Regardless of the turnover, that’s a good read on his end.
The second play led to Olbrich quickly sealing off his man after the post-entry pass. However, with the help of defense arriving, he forced the finish underneath the basket, while his hands made it clear he wanted to feed the cutter through the middle. Composure is essential to make the right decisions out of post-ups, especially with help defense being on his heels.
For his evaluation, it’s vital to understand that Olbrich wants to feed cutters out of post-ups. On most occasions, he didn’t look to score. Instead, he drew help defenders but couldn’t find the right passing angles. That’s a must-watch for NBA scouts during team workouts. His skill and footwork in the post make it imminent that he’ll average many more assists than the 1.8 he now has per game. The third play shows another example, with a lack of actions around him.
Passing, ball-moving, and playmaking
Olbrich is a fantastic passer with great hip flexibility. He’s looking to create advantages with his back to the basket while prioritizing quick execution. Despite fewer post-up plays being run, fast decision-making can change that. Especially with teams prioritizing maximizing the number of possessions in a game while seeking as many advantages as they can. With his skill, Olbrich shows gravity as a post-scorer. But he scores out of the post as a last resort. His presence will generate open threes as he’s looking to kick the ball out, with his size being the differentiator of surveying the floor. His court mapping and predicting movement around him add maturity to his game despite being similarly aged as a junior in college basketball.
The first play shows a ‘grab-and-go’ sequence where Olbrich looks to pass ahead but stays patient while surveying the floor. He’s showing decent ball-carrying in the full court. The second play led to Olbrich forcing a deep paint touch with help arriving. That’s when he sought to pass out of the play immediately, hitting the corner shooter. The area of development is Olbrich, seeking to pass into the shooter’s pocket rather than forcing the shooter to correct the ball after the catch.
In the third possession, Olbrich showed his fluid hips before the post-entry pass, where he immediately kept the ball moving to the opposite corner. Teams will run easier ball reversals with him on the floor; a recipe for winning basketball. The fourth play shows decent composure after the offensive rebound, with Olbrich again finding the corner. The maturity, skill, and court vision bring a new dynamic to his role as a playmaking five.
Shot creation out of closeouts
Olbrich is tough. He’s immediately seeking to put the ball on the floor and punish his opponents. He doesn’t have tight handles, but well enough, considering his size. The intriguing part is the level of physicality, and Olbrich knows how to attack a defender in the chest without fouling. Toughness while forcing help defense in the paint is a recipe for a good offensive rating, and that’s where Olbrich can bring a spark to an NBA team.
The first play shows an example. The other side of the coin is Olbrich forcing the finish with enough passing opportunities around him. When he’s slashing or facing up to score, he must recognize the passing when he’s not trying to score. Despite his pass-first mentality, he often shows tunnel vision when wired to put the ball in the basket.
In the second possession, Olbrich showed some creativity by moving from east to west and changing his handling hand, but he drove to the rim without a real plan and into a set defense. That’s not a recipe for success. Considering his passing level, making the extra play is a vital part of success. The third play is a professional finish. The high ball fake before exploding into the defender’s chest for the and-one finish. Considering his young age, the areas of development are clear, but so is the level of skill and understanding of the game. Olbrich can be a double-digit scorer in the NBA when he grows into a role that maximizes his skill set.
Subscribe Now!
Elevate your NBA Draft game with Ersin’s Newsletter! For just $6/month—get exclusive, in-depth scouting reports on under-the-radar prospects, delivered straight to your inbox.
Defense
Pick-and-roll
Olbrich is a drop coverage five before everything else. He’s inconsistent in his defensive footwork and struggles to slide his feet well. On top of that, he’s struggling against physicality because of a lack of footwork. Physical dribble penetrators will find what they seek when switching against Olbrich. The skill level is there, but he’s a risk for a team’s defensive rating on the other side of the court.
In the first play, the lack of a reverse pivot when facing the ball handler in the switch leads to Olbrich being pushed away easily, leaving the scorer with a wide-open rim for the two points. But there are flashes of Olbrich holding his ground using his length as a weapon. When closing angles, he’s forcing ball handlers to beat him off the dribble or with fakes. In the second play below, Olbrich closes the angle against a former NBA champion, not biting on the moves before taking away the shot. He’s luring the scorer into an offensive foul in the third play below.
However, for NBA scorers, he’ll be a target they’ll gladly attack. The fourth play shows how Olbrich is vulnerable when defending in space. The high pick-and-roll on the weak side led to Olbrich being shoved away without much physical contact. There’s a serious red flag in how Olbrich handles physicality, which is not a good sign for his NBA future.
Closeouts
When closing out, Olbrich struggles to stay 180 degrees from his assignment. On top of that, he's rushing the closeouts, showing bad footwork, making it easier for the closeout attacker to blow by him. He’ll struggle against faster NBA athletes, but the physical tools and length help him to stay in front of more physical scorers. The negative part here is that he’s struggling to absorb contact, which makes it a challenge to grade how he’ll improve a team’s defensive rating, especially in his closeouts.
The first play is a vital one. Olbrich shows a good last step with his left before sliding well with his right. He’s struggling to stay in front of his assignment, but the length compensates for it. At 2.4 personal fouls in seventeen minutes per game, the numbers show he’s vulnerable to picking up fouls because he struggles to use his physical tools to the best of his capabilities. Especially experienced players have no issue in luring Olbrich into fouling. That’s the other side of the coin when seeing how reactive his defense is.
In the second possession, Olbrich closes out while closing the baseline. That’s a decent read, but the last step wasn’t what it should be, leading to him getting blown by. Timing his closeouts with more composure. He’s forcing slashers to beat him off the dribble, which takes away the pressure of his last step. The positive part of his length is that Olbrich stands out against taller face-up scorers. When he’s comfortable and his feet are set, his length is a tough part to beat. That’s what NBA teams seek, combined with his mobility. Regardless of how his footwork needs improvement, the length and tools give him a base for teams to be willing to help him improve on that end.
Catch-and-shoot
Olbrich is much more comfortable closing out against spot-up shooters. His length and verticality are two vital weapons to help a team improve its defensive rating by improving its ratio of contested three-point attempts versus total three-point attempts. The area of development is Olbrich closing out without any control, with the first play below being an example.
The more I watch his defensive plays, the more I see him rushing to make the right decisions. The lack of composure is taking away from the potential of his physical tools. The skill level, combined with how cleanly he contests shots like in the second play, will give him the benefit of the doubt. The third play led to him timing the last step well, but Olbrich was still too far from his assignment. The length and his holding arms up that high is a constant threat for shooters to make sure they release the ball before Olbrich reaches them.
The fourth play shows a similar execution. Regardless of struggles against physicality, it’s clear defensive ratings will improve when he gets better on that end.
Transition defense
Another positive in Olbrich’s game is how well he moves in transition. That’s a positive, as faster-paced teams that like to run give his drafting team a legitimate counter to get stops. Physical fives are often slow-footed and give teams opportunities to punish teams in the fast break. With Olbrich on the floor, it’s likely teams can play and defend against pace and opponents aiming for fastbreak points, with more than 50% of the NBA teams scoring over fifteen per game.
In the first play, Olbrich did well to play around the drag screen before losing the physicality battle at the rim while picking up the personal foul. In the second possession, Olbrich doesn’t get lured into the ICE and does well to take his man out of balance, with a decent correction in his side to contest the corner three. Regardless of his struggles against players bumping in on him, Olbrich makes the correct defensive reads, which should make it more feasible that he’ll improve once he figures out how to face physicality much better.
Regardless of the third play going in high off the glass, Olbrich shows fluid hips, with the scorer moving from east to west before the finish. He ran well back in transition before meeting the scorer, decently limiting the scoring angles inside the paint. The fourth play shows Olbrich sprinting back before forming the wall for the scorer to fight through, leading to the miss and transition opportunity for his team. Teams that like to play fast will be intrigued by Olbrich’s skill set.
NBA Draft Projection
Based on the strengths and areas of development mentioned in this scouting report, I project that NBA teams will value the level of skill and experience Olbrich brings to the table.
He’s a surefire second-round selection in the 2025 NBA Draft while having a clear path to secure a guaranteed contract rather than a two-way. While he’s only a 21-year-old, Olbrich has a long-term future when figuring out how to handle physicality against stronger and quicker players. That’s the missing link in his profile to completely set him apart from his peers.