How Much Will Yankuba Sima Help the Cowboys?

Junior center Yankuba Sima is expected to get his first opportunity to play in a Cowboy uniform in OSU’s upcoming game against Florida State this Saturday. Sima, who transferred from St. John’s last year, has had to sit out the fall semester due to eligibility rules.

After looking at some scouting footage of Sima from his time with the Red Storm, he looked raw offensively. He loves backing up his man on the low block, but he had trouble scoring against better opponents and was an inconsistent passer. He’s willing to attempt jumpers from 15 feet out but not much more, and his accuracy varied.

With that being said, the 6-11 center served as an adequate rim protector for St. John’s and frequently recorded blocks as an off-ball defender under the rim. He also showed the ability to box out his defender even when he didn’t end up with the rebound. Additionally, Sima’s skills have likely improved over the past year, although we don’t know to what extent.

Although Sima won’t likely be a major upgrade, OSU could use the help, as it’s in desperate need of another player in the front court. Sophomore Lucas N’Guessan showed struggles, specifically in ball screen defense and rebounding, in the Cowboys’ loss to Wichita State last week. Although Sima won’t be a flashy addition, he should be able to contribute solid minutes as an adequate defender and rebounder. That should be enough to help the Cowboys be competitive once Big 12 play arrives.