{"id":578706,"date":"2026-02-03T03:26:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T03:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/578706\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T03:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T03:26:19","slug":"assessing-the-nba-readiness-of-thijs-de-ridder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/578706\/","title":{"rendered":"Assessing the NBA readiness of Thijs de Ridder"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"uva<\/p>\n

<\/a>Thijs de Ridder. Photo: Mike Ingalls\/AFP<\/p>\n

Thijs de Ridder arrived at Virginia in the summer as a guy that was a borderline second-round NBA Draft pick, told to do a year of college basketball to burnish his credentials for the 2026 draft.<\/p>\n

Seems to me that he\u2019s done everything he was asked to do \u2013 the counting numbers have him \u00a0averaging 17.0 points and 6.3 boards per game, shooting 53.8 percent from the floor, 36.1 percent from three, getting to the line 5.4 times per game.<\/p>\n

The rebounding numbers are a little suspect.<\/p>\n

And then, there\u2019s this odd note to make here: he\u2019s attempted just eight dunks this season, which seems low for a 6\u20199\u201d guy who averages 11.3 field-goal attempts per game, 7.6 per game in the post \u2013 5.0 per game at the rim.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>Thijs de Ridder. Photo: Mike Ingalls\/AFP<\/p>\n

The rebounding and dunk data play into the criticisms I\u2019m seeing from the mock-draft analysts \u2013 that de Ridder, while being fundamentally sound, might be lacking in the athleticism area.<\/p>\n

I hate to say so, but, yeah, I see what they\u2019re saying.<\/p>\n

The worst thing you can say about a talent in terms of their NBA readiness is, they\u2019re not athletic enough.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a kiss of death.<\/p>\n

De Ridder is a really, really good college big, and unlike other really, really good college bigs whose games weren\u2019t made for the NBA \u2013 thinking here: Drew Timme, Armando Bacot, Hunter Dickinson \u2013 de Ridder has perimeter skills.<\/p>\n

Not only is he a 36.1 percent shooter from three, on decent volume \u2013 2.9 3FGA\/game \u2013 he\u2019s also hit 50 percent of his midrange jumpers (9-of-18).<\/p>\n

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<\/a>Thijs de Ridder. Photo: Mike Ingalls\/AFP<\/p>\n

And he has great touch and footwork in the paint and around the rim, which is what makes him so effective around the basket.<\/p>\n

At the college level.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d question, if I were an NBA front-office type, how his skills, at 6\u20199\u201d, would translate at the next level.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not quite big enough to play the four, maybe not quick enough, either.<\/p>\n

Definitely not quick enough to steal minutes at the three spot.<\/p>\n

His skill set fits a five at the next level; problem being, you\u2019re not playing the five in the NBA at 6\u20199\u201d.<\/p>\n

Life ain\u2019t fair when you have to point this out, but de Ridder is probably 2-3 inches too short for his skill set to make him a contributor in the NBA.<\/p>\n

One talent evaluator that I found online said of de Ridder that he\u2019s got a low ceiling, which, I will note, is a look at his NBA outlook.<\/p>\n

De Ridder is a top-level talent at the college level, as we\u2019ve seen this season.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d be a value for that one season remaining of NCAA eligibility if he were to decide to return.<\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t bat an eye at giving him low seven figures to make another run at it next season.<\/p>\n

I just don\u2019t see de Ridder necessarily getting the draft love that we\u2019ve been expecting for our guy.<\/p>\n

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