Why Aren't We Talking More About Somto Cyril?
The buzz around the Georgia Bulldogs big man really should be louder than it is. Let’s talk about why.
After years of the 3-point revolution taking over the game of basketball, it seems like the value of the Big Man is on the rise again. Looking at the last 3 MVP winners, we've had Nikola Jovic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo, all big men. Even looking at the 2025 Draft class, there is an abundance of fantastic big men to be found, with the likes of Rocco Zikarsky, Khaman Maluach, Derik Queen and Asa Newell featuring on many early preseason big boards. But there is one name often missing from these boards that is as deserving of the attention as the guys mentioned before - Somto Cyril.
Coming out of the Overtime Elite League, having played there for 2 seasons from 2022-2024, he will be playing his college ball at Georgia this upcoming season where he will look to boost his stock ahead of the draft. The 6ft 10in, 250lb big man with a rumoured 7ft 7in wingspan has a lot to like about his game, but it feels like he's being overlooked by the mainstream draft media for some of the aforementioned more highly touted big men, like Zikarsky and Maluach. So, what exactly is it about his game that makes him an appealing prospect?
Well, for starters, Cyril is one of the most complete rim protectors around. Often nicknamed ‘Baby Shaq’ owing to his impressive frame and outgoing personality, a more fitting nickname would be Sir Blocksalot! Cyril has an amazing defensive instincts down low and is an elite shot blocker, having been the OTE blocks leader for the past 2 seasons, averaging 3.4 blocks in 2022-23 and 3.3 blocks in 2023-24. He was the OTE Defensive Player of the Year in the 2022-23 season, and with good reason. His strong frame means he can battle in the post with the biggest and baddest big men, while his length makes him a nightmare for anyone daring to enter his airspace.
In the first clip below, Cyril shows great anticipation and timing to rise up and block the shot at the right time with power.
In the second clip, Cyril rises up to meet an opponent heading full steam ahead for the rim and blocks his shot like a brick wall, showing again his great timing and strength.
Around the rim and in the paint, he has the potential to be a true defensive anchor for his team. Alongside his shot blocking ability, his powerful frame means he boxes out extremely well and fights hard for position to grab a high share of rebounds. He rarely gets pushed off his spots and works the glass fantastically, averaging 3.1 offensive rebounds and 4.0 defensive rebounds last season for RWE. While he isn't the quickest defending on the perimeter, he has enough speed to close out extremely well with his elite length, getting his fair share of blocked shots on the perimeter.
On the offensive end, Cyril does all his damage down low. He isn't a threat from the outside, having only attempted three 3-pointers over his career, making only one of them. If you understand that this isn't the strength of his offensive game, however, you begin to see what he can bring to an offense rather than what he lacks. So what is he good at on an offensive level? Well, he's a fantastic roll man in the pick and roll, he's a vertical lob threat, he sets strong screens and he throws down powerful dunks seemingly at will.
In terms of the pick and roll, the screens he sets are solid, and that's underselling them! He plants his frame like a tree and opponents that run into him are stopped dead in their tracks. In the clip below, which is typical of the plays Cyril has as his bread and butter, we see Cyril setting a solid screen before rolling to the basket and finishing with a powerful dunk.
In the next clip below, we see how Cyril makes use of his height and length to be a lob target down low. He first sets a back screen on the cutters defender before setting another screen on the ball handlers defender. As the defender goes over the screen, Cyril rolls to the basket where the ball handler hits him with a fantastic lob that he buried with authority.
While not exactly known for his ball handling or passing ability, Cyril has shown flashes of making the right reads at the right time, as evidenced in the clip below where he hits his man right at the basket with a perfectly timed pass.
What this all adds up to is a versatile rim protector with true defensive anchor potential. He will never be Steph Curry from deep, and that's ok because he offers so much else on the defensive end. He's an elite shot blocker, fantastic in the pick and roll, can pass when needed to, a vertical lob threat and an absolute dunk machine. That may not scream starter status at the next level but teams looking for a backup big would do well to run the rule over Somto Cyril. His game is not to be underestimated.