The Bobi Klintman Dichotomy

Klintman might be further away than we thought as an on-ball creator, but that doesn't mean that his off-ball ability is not phenomenal.

The Australian NBL is one of the first elite international leagues to wrap up their season. While the playoffs run deep into June in Spain, France, Germany, and the Adriatic, the NBL has just started their Finals, which are expected to wrap up before the end of March.

This year, Australia’s top-flight league has multiple prospects that could hear their name called in the 2024 NBA Draft, with seven of them having appeared in different public big boards or mock drafts. As teams wrap up their seasons, and with the players’ complete body of work at our disposal, it’s time to see how the top prospects in the NBL are positioning themselves ahead of June.

One of the top prospects in the league has been Bobi Klintman, who is the 34th-ranked player in the latest No Ceilings 2024 NBA Draft Big Board. The Swedish forward signed with the Cairns Taipans ahead of the 2023-24 season, after spending two years in the States, where he played his senior season of high school for Sunrise Christian Academy and his freshman season of college at Wake Forest, making a strong impression on both stops.

With Klintman, it all starts with his physical tools, as he possesses optimal positional size for an NBA Power Forward, listed at 6’10” tall with a 224-pound frame. Despite not possessing an elite level of quickness or vertical explosiveness, Klintman moves with a unique level of fluidity and coordination for his size.

Once we move from his physical profile, however, two sides of Klintman exist. It’s a story of off-ball prowess and on-ball limitations—a Bobi, the Prospect vs. Bobi, the Idea if you will.

Bobi Klintman, the Off-Ball Prospect.

The area in which Klintman added value in nearly every stop of his career, from the youth ranks in Sweden to his first season at the professional level, is his off-ball shooting.

Klintman shot 35.7% from three-point range on 3.6 attempts per game during the NBL season and he was especially impressive in catch-and-shoot jumpers, which he converted at a 37% clip according to Synergy. Klintman has really good touch in catch-and-shoot jumpers and he can be difficult to stop when he gets in rhythm.

While Klintman wasn’t especially effective as a shooter off-the-dribble, he did show versatility in his off-the-catch attempts. Klintman’s ability to shoot off movement and quickly set his feet before getting into his motion, allowed Cairns to run plays that had him coming off screens. While these still qualify as catch-and-shoot attempts, they require a degree of touch off movement and against defensive pressure that Klintman put on display.

His percentages, touch, versatility, and his 79.3% mark from the free-throw line this season are all indicators of Klintman being a catch-and-shoot threat from day one at the NBA level.

Klintman utilizes his floor-spacing ability to draw defenders and his aforementioned fluidity with the ball in his hands to attack the lanes that open up for him, namely via closeouts and defenders out of position. While he’s far from being the most explosive finisher, Klintman can get to the rim with a good level of momentum when he has a runway, and finish strong on both drives and cuts, thanks to his optimal size and length.

Most of his playmaking for others comes, too, when Klintman is off-the-ball, as he’s able to make the extra pass in the perimeter and to advance the play in transition.

When it comes to his off-ball defense, Klintman is not a particularly quick leaper in rotations, which limits his impact as a helpside rim protector, but he does a good job of using his size and length on the perimeter to get in passing lanes, disrupt entry passes and bring timely double teams to trap opposing players.

Bobi Klintman, the On-Ball Idea.

When we look at Klintman’s perimeter abilities, namely his shooting touch and his fluidity with the ball in his hands, we must not get carried away and think that it automatically means that he will be a self-creator in the perimeter from day one at the NBA level.

Klintman’s fluidity with the ball in his hands feels less like a deadly weapon that allows him to create drives against a set defense and more like a minimum requirement that allows him to attack positions in which he already has an advantage. Particularly in this season at the NBL level, Klintman hasn’t shown the quickness to get by defenders on the perimeter, nor the counters or the ability to change speeds to navigate crowded spaces on his way to the rim.

This lack of elite ability to get to his spots forces him into two situations: tough shots at the rim and turnovers.

Without an elite level of explosiveness, Klintman can be contained if he’s defended by big wings, who can stay in front of him and force him into tough shots. Klintman hasn’t shown the most versatile finishing arsenal either, shooting only 47.2% around the basket on non-dunks according to Synergy, which represents 66.3% of his shot attempts in this area of the floor.

The turnovers are an issue that has plagued Klintman from his days at Wake Forest and this season the Swedish forward put up less than half the assists as he did turnovers. This is due to, yes, the lack of elite counters when dribbling the ball in traffic, which can make it easy for opponents to come up with steals, but also due to the careless, telegraphed passes that he makes on occasions.

The shooting off-the-dribble is the most eye-popping but also the most inconsistent part of his profile. His flashes are really impressive, as he shows a willingness to create his own jumpers and the requisite ability to create space and shoot off movement. However, just 25% of his jumpers were off the dribble this season according to Synergy, and he only converted 7 of his 27 attempts. As encouraging as they are, due to the low percentage and volume of attempts, the flashes should be taken as an aspect that could be developed in time and not as an expectation for Klintman to shoot off-the-dribble from day one at the NBA level.

The on-ball aspect in which Klintman shines is the defense. Klintman moves extremely well laterally for someone his size, which allows him to contain forwards and some wings in the perimeter. His technique, however, is something that comes and goes, he shows discipline in the half-court, but he can be too upright defending, especially in transition and in the early offense, which gives him virtually no chance to turn his hips and recover at the rim once opponents go by him.

Bobi Klintman, the Full Picture.

The previous section might sound overly critical of Klintman, but if the section before that didn’t make it clear, let me state it: Klintman is a phenomenal off-ball prospect, whose combination of physical tools, off-ball scoring, and flashes of creation make him a natural fit at the Power Forward position at the NBA level.

If you’re enticed by the prospect of a 6’10” spot-up shooter who is fluid enough to attack closeouts and agile enough to cover opposing wings and make plays as an off-ball defender, then you’re in luck: Klintman should be able to do that from day one.

However, if what you find appealing is the idea of Klintman as a two-way wing who can self-create in the perimeter, get to the rim and make plays for teammates, the flashes are there, just know that it will definitely take him longer to get there.

At the end of the day, it’s a matter of knowing what you’re drafting Klintman to do and there are teams that, while intrigued by the idea, will certainly value his ability to provide depth at the four position from day one and be a contributor with his off-ball game.