We know Oden hasn't been blocking many shots lately, and his defense has not been what we thought it would. Much of this can be attributed to foul trouble. However, his block on Jefferson last night amazed not because how high he got up, but the way in which he blocked it. Oden was at an angle that he could of easily sent the ball into the 20th row. Instead he turned his body in mid air and smashed it off the glass to keep it in play. To me that was more exciting than anything he has done all year. He may be struggling with confidence, but that was a vet play that you rarely see in this league.
Yeah, that was an impressive play and showed he's getting a little bit of his explosiveness back which is nice to see. And just looking at last night's game compared to the first game of the year, he's lost a lot of weight and you can see it in his face. He's getting more and more in shape, and hopefully we can see more of what made him so special as the No. 1 pick.
I've seen Oden eyeing guys who are driving and I think he's just afraid of drawing the foul. He could go up for the block, but he's thinking twice. He'll get over it.
