Thomas Sorber: A Bully in the Middle
Georgetown Hoyas freshman big man Thomas Sorber has the tools to be one of the top bigs in the 2025 NBA Draft class.
Positions have changed throughout the history of the NBA. As the game has continued to evolve, so has the way that teams view and utilize players on the court. Gone are the days in which every NBA team has tried to play two bigs at the same time for extended minutes. The thought of a player who only plays power forward seems to be prehistoric. Forwards are now asked to do everything from guarding multiple positions defensively to having guard like skills and allowing coaching staffs to get creative with their sets. Even the point guard position has continued to shift towards the emphasis of having guards who play either backcourt spot depending on lineup flexibility.
But one position continues to be asked to evolve at a rapid pace. The big man position has had a variance of desires throughout NBA history. At one point, teams hunted a lumbering giant who could do their work on the boards. As long as you could control the paint, you’d have desire around the league. Then we saw the era that featured finding bigs that could be force-fed in the halfcourt. Teams would feed them touches in the post like a Las Vegas buffet. The Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Shaquille O’Neal era featured plenty of talented superstar bigs.
Fast forward to today, and the league has asked centers to do one thing…
Adapt.
It’s not enough to just have size in the NBA. You need to be able to check a lot of boxes at the center position. The more boxes you can check, the more NBA front offices are going to be drooling. We’ve reached April, which is when things start to get turned up into supersonic speed in the world of scouting. Evaluators are able to finally take a deep breath and get caught up on film from the current draft cycle.
The upcoming months are some of the best in the world of basketball scouting. Players eyeing the NBA Draft will start to prepare themselves for a lengthy process. That includes private workouts with teams, as well as the NBA Draft Combine.
We’ve seen numerous players over the years generate some real momentum during that process. But, regardless of players in the past who have climbed up the rankings with a strong process, NBA Front Offices LOVE to be enamored with bigs. If you have good size and upside, teams will knock at the door. At the same time, if a prospect also offers two-way versatility and skills waiting to be untapped…you’re going to have teams kicking the door down.
There have been plenty of bigs in the 2025 NBA Draft class who have generated some excitement throughout the year. But one big man continues to have the potential to climb up the ranks quickly.
Georgetown freshman center Thomas Sorber continued to turn heads during the 2024-25 NCAA season with his play on the court. Sorber is listed at 6’10” and 255 pounds. Immediately on paper, those measurements will get your attention. The production will get you intrigued as well. In 24 games this year, Sorber averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot 53.2% from the field and 72.4% from the line.
Sorber started out the year on an impressive run. In his first 11 games, he averaged 14.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. The buzz was starting to heat up, but there was also plenty that were wanting to proceed with caution. Georgetown hadn’t had the toughest schedule to start the year, so many wondered if this was Sorber just bullying weaker opponents. Well, the answer is yes…but he’s a bully to all.
Then Thomas Sorber got cooking.
His next eight-game stretch featured all conference opponents. These games included matchups with Xavier, Marquette, UConn, and St. John’s. During this span, Sober averaged 14.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.1 blocks per game. During that span, he also shot 50.6% from the field, 76.9% from the free throw line, and 20.0% from downtown (more on that in a bit).
I wanted to go ahead and take a deeper look at the numbers. To measure Sorber’s ability, I wanted to see what he looked like in his best games and worst games of the year. In order to do this, I looked into John Hollinger’s “Game Score” rating. For those not familiar with the metric, it’s a measure of a player’s productivity for a single game—40 is viewed as an “outstanding performance, while 10 is an “average” performance.
It’s important to point out that these are just numbers. As with all analytics, it doesn’t take into consideration important factors such as role, situation, playing time, etc. I’m simply just pointing out something that caught my attention.
In order to give it some more context, I wanted to throw in another pair of bigs who are drawing plenty of buzz in the 2025 NBA Draft class. That includes Derik Queen (Maryland) and Khaman Maluach (Duke).
Comparing The Bigs of 2025:
Thomas Sorber — Georgetown
Best 10 Games:
19.0 PTS | 10.2 REB | 2.5 AST | 1.9 STL | 2.2 BLK
63.8 FG% (74/116)
33.3 3P% (5/15)
77.1 FT% (37/48)
Game Score Average: 19.49 (High: 26.5 / Low: 14.8)
Worst 10 Games:
11.2 PTS | 7.0 REB | 2.2 AST | 0.9 STL | 1.2 BLK
40.4 FG% (42/104)
5.2 3P% (1/19)
73.0 FT% (27/37)
Game Score Average: 8.56 (High: 11.1 / Low: 3.0)
Derik Queen — Maryland
Best 10 Games:
24.7 PTS | 10.0 REB | 2.2 AST | 1.1 STL | 1.3 BLK
63.8 FG% (90/141)
26.7 3P% (4/15)
86.3 FT% (63/73)
Game Score Average: 22.82 (High: 30.5 / Low: 19.9)
Worst 10 Games:
8.1 PTS | 7.7 REB | 1.5 AST | 0.5 STL | 0.9 BLK
69.1 FG% (56/81)
0.0 3P% (0/7)
70.7 FT% (29/41)
Game Score Average: 4.43 (High: 9.6 / Low: -3.3)
Khaman Maluach — Duke
Best 10 Games:
14.6 PTS | 9.5 REB | 0.5 AST | 0.1 STL | 1.3 BLK
80.3 FG% (57/71)
0.0 3P% (0/3)
88.9 FT% (32/36)
Game Score Average: 15.90 (High: 18.4 / Low: 13.5)
Worst 10 Games:
2.7 PTS | 4.2 REB | 0.1 AST | 0.4 STL | 1.1 BLK
45.8 FG% (11/24)
0.0 3P% (0/2)
83.3 FT% (5/6)
Game Score Average: 3.16 (High: 6.2 / Low: 0.5)
Thomas Sorber is still incredibly raw in his development. He’s a bully in the middle who knows how to throw his weight around to demoralize defenders. Sorber knows he has the power advantage. Most importantly, he knows how to use it. Offensively, there’s a bundle of tools that look to just be clawing to be untapped. There’s some fantastic touch around the basket with both hands, as well as an intriguing outside shot as a kicker.
With most incoming big man prospects, teams are looking for potential enforcers. That’s just what you get with Sorber. If you try to come into his house, he can slam the door emphatically in your face. The 19-year-old big man can get nasty in the paint, but he also knows how to stay vertical and when it’s the right time to meet someone at the rim with bad intentions. Let’s take a look.
THE FILM
FOOTWORK & FEEL
When you first see Thomas Sorber on the basketball court, you think he’s going to be this lumbering giant who might be slow-footed and clunky. Yes, Sorber is a giant on the court, but he’s got some impressive footwork for a player of his size. Too many times with players, we might get fascinated with how quickly they move around the court. But there are also times we need to consider the amount of ground players of different sizes can cover due to their measurables.
What I mean by this with Sorber is that he doesn’t just have good footwork and feel in the post. He understands how to use both WITH the combination of strength in order to get places. Defenders try to out-muscle him, and he doesn’t care.
To quote the great Duke Evers (aka Tony Burton) in Rocky II…
“I saw you beat that man like I never saw no man get beat before, and the man kept coming after you. Now we don't need no man like that in our lives.”
HANDS & AWARENESS
I liked these three clips for Sorber here, all for different reasons. One thing that continued to stand out to me with the freshman big fella is his reaction time and hands. Especially as a roller, Sorber isn’t afraid to catch some bullet passes with his impressive length.
We always look at bigs with the question: “Do they have good hands?” Some might think that’s just a simple: Hey, can they catch the ball if an alley-oop is thrown at them? The reality is that there’s a lot more to that equation. Can he catch a tight window pass and go up with it quickly? Can they take a quick pass off a short roll and be under control regardless of the speed of the pass? There are levels to this, as there are with all aspects of scouting.
Sorber’s hands and his quick processing continue to jump off the page to me. For a player who is very much still just waiting to take that next leap in his development, Sorber does some impressive things in areas that can light a spark toward speeding things up.
AWESOME SEQUENCE: PART I
In every NBA Draft class, there are players who will get you especially in your feelings when you’re watching their tape. Some prospects will get you needing to calm down your level of excitement. Others might have you confused and wondering if you need to look up a good psychiatrist.
Sorber has a bundle of sequences on tape that get you looking to hit the rewind button to watch it again. Sorber isn’t just a force around the basket with the ball in his hands; he can also be a monster when it comes to the boards. When Sorber wants to throw his body around, there are not many who can hold him off. He’s like the Juggernaut who just started running and has problems slowing down before running through multiple brick walls. When that doesn’t work, Sorber also isn’t afraid to just throw challengers around like rag dolls.
Sorber does a great job in the clip battling for a second chance opportunity for the offense. After tipping out the rebound to a teammate, he quickly positions himself and gets rewarded for an easy dunk. The little things get the people going, folks.
SHOOTING UPSIDE
Earlier, I hinted a bit about the outside shooting for Sorber. Look, if you want to look at just numbers, you’re probably going to miss a bigger story here. Sorber finished the year shooting 16.2% from three. Yes, that number is less than ideal. It’s important to point out…that percentage was on just 1.5 attempts per game. Sorber doesn’t hunt the three-point ball yet, but he was at least willing to make the defense try to respect it from outside. In fact, he had two games the entire season in which he attempted more than two threes. One was an 0-for-5 from deep performance against Syrcause (16 points, seven rebounds, two blocks), and the other was a 2-for-3 from deep outing against Providence (25 points, 15 rebounds, two steals, three blocks).
The million-dollar question moving forward for many is…do you buy the shot? Me? It’s an emphatic yes. I like the form for Sorber as of right now when it comes to a foundation to build on going forward. It’s like finding a lot of real estate in a great neighborhood. Now, you just need to get the blueprints drawn up and start to build real estate. Sorber doesn’t need to be a three-point weapon on a higher volume at the next level. But if he can make a defense even respect the shot from outside, it takes his potential to another level.
BULLY BALL
This is why I’m all-in on Thomas Sorber, folks. I’ve talked to numerous scouts about some of the bigs in this class. There are a lot of fans when it comes to Sorber, but one thing I continued to point out was how impressive Sorber’s activity off the ball is when it comes to creating an advantage.
To put it bluntly, this is all about giving a sh*t. Sorber makes a lot of these “effort” players in order to outwork his opponent and make life easier for himself. The first clip is one that got me rewinding over and over again.
The man guarding Sorber is Coppin State forward Peter Oduro. He’s listed on the team’s website at 6’8” and 230 pounds. But all respect to Oduro, it looks like he’s a point guard by the way Sorber throws his weight into him and overpowers him. (Don’t take it personally, Oduro; you’re not the only one this happens to.)
Sorber has a Hulk-like lower body, and he knows how to get low and hold people off for entry passes. Once he gets his frame into you, there’s nothing you can do. He knows how to set himself up for ideal opportunities for easy looks. By doing the little things like this, Sorber knows that it can add up in the scoring column in a hurry.
The second clip is another great example. Georgetown is coming down in transition and Sorber has a mismatch with a smaller player. He immediately gets the defender in no man’s land, getting low in his stance and letting his butt push him back in the paint. He then seals off the defender by turning at the last second to secure the pass before going up for a quick and easy two.
The last two clips might be my favorite. This is Thomas Sorber going against Fairfield forward Peyton Smith. He’s listed on the team’s website at 6’10” and 235 pounds. Again, Sorber gets positioning on Smith, and it’s game over. At first, Sorber just gets an ideal angle for an entry pass before finishing on the opposite side for an emphatic jam. Then in the next clip, Sorber again just overpowers Smith for position. Look at how far Sorber gets Smith out of the key before getting this pass. One of my favorite things that Sorber does is his finishing around the basket. Sorber has the recognition to understand that shot blockers will be trying to meet him from behind, so he uses the rim as protection and finishes with a reverse. It’s a little thing that he understands how to do all the time.
PLAYMAKING
When evaluating bigs, I tend to limit the expectations on the playmaking aspect of the game. Now don’t get me wrong, if you’re a big man with NBA size and freakish vision, I’m going to buy stock rapidly. But I just want to see if you can see the floor and make the right reads. If the defense falls apart, can you process things quickly enough to help your team out? If you’re doubled in the post, can you be patient, or do things fall apart rapidly?
With Sorber, I saw a lot of instances that left me pleasantly surprised. Sorber can do a great job of setting up teammates well for dribble handoffs. While that might not seem like much, it’s an important skill. He’s a load on the perimeter with his size and isn’t afraid to screen. His presence as a hand-off threat could make a dangerous weapon at the next level.
But beyond that, you started to see even more shades of potential with his vision. The first play is a great read on a drive in which Sorber delivers a beautiful dime to the corner with his offhand. I love the second sequence because it shows the patience and vision of Sorber to see over a double team and make a tight window pass. The last play is just for fun because it’s freakish and one of those plays that makes you laugh out loud while watching tape. Do we realize how freakish you have to be at that size to make that play even possible?
DEFENSIVE SEQUENCE
Alright. Let’s get to the good stuff, people. For as much intrigue as there is with the offensive side of the ball for Thomas Sorber…
Man, oh man…the defense will have you daydreaming. The one thing Sorber lacks is some elite athletic pop. At his size, it’s not surprising that he’s not going to wow you with his verticality, athletically speaking. But Sorber still has the size and length, with enough power, to give opponents problems with his shot-blocking.
Plenty have questioned the mobility of Sorber on the perimeter. I understand those doubts, but personally…I’m a buyer of the foundation. Before we dive into that specifically, let’s talk about this sequence above. Sorber does a great job of stopping the initial drive, but he stays active with this play. Too many times with young bigs, we will see them be overanxious to go after a big-time rejection. Sorber has A LOT of emphatic rejections on tape. But he also has a lot of plays in which you can tell the patience and recognition of not needing to go after a splashy play. He does a great job of helping on the second drive before going straight up and staying vertical. Then Sorber still stays alert and ends up coming over for another rejection…forcing a shot clock violation. That’s three different drives, all stopped by Sorber in one offensive possession.
PERIMETER DEFENSE
Alright, so Sorber has some work to do on the perimeter. That should be expected with a player of his frame. I even wonder if Sorber could benefit a LITTLE bit from seeing the weight go down…but that’s for another time.
I wanted to spotlight this one specifically as a positive. It showcases some of the upside that Sorber can have when he can stay active on the defensive side of the ball. These lumbering giants can be such an impactful force around the basket. But they can also take a while to get moving at times. You never want to see a big man get “cement feet” on the defensive side of the ball. That means they are at a standstill, and it might take them a bit of time to pick up some momentum. Sorber has moments where he showcases just how quick he can be around the floor.
SHOT BLOCKING
Let’s end this one with some fun. I absolutely love the shot-blocking and rim protection that Thomas Sorber has in his arsenal. It’s not just his desire to send back volleyball-like spikes to challengers. Sorber has outstanding timing with his rejections. You keep thinking he’s going to go up for the block before he waits until the perfect opportunity before quickly reacting and attacking. Sorber doesn’t panic on drive attempts. He has the awareness to wait for the ball handler to fully commit before realizing his length and timing can make up for everything.
The first clip stands out to me because Sorber doesn’t commit too early on the initial drive. If he goes too soon, there’s a window for an easy dump off to the big man. Instead, Sorber throws a body fake to the ball handler to invite him to challenge him. Right when he recognizes that the ball handler has taken the bait, Sorber then commits and sends it back.
The second clip showcases plenty. You get to see Sorber switching onto the guard and moving his feet. Sorber does a good job of sliding his feet, and right when you think the guard has him, Sorber lets his length make up for the block. I love the following sequence because it showcases the awareness by Sorber. After a couple of blocks in this game, Sorber might be inclined to go for a big rejection of this drive. Instead, he stops on a dime and stays vertical, not biting on the initial shot fake. Then, he times it beautifully for another rejection.
I wanted to include the final clip because it stood out to me with how Sorber understands how to use his size. He quickly gets horizontal and becomes a wall, making the initial drive immediately seem twice as difficult. Sorber does a great job of staying vertical before timing the rejection beautifully, and it’s off to the races for Georgetown.
There are a lot of bigs in this class that are going to generate some buzz in the upcoming months. However, Georgetown freshman Thomas Sorber is one who is oozing with upside, given his impressive two-way potential. Sorber has become one of the top storylines to monitor in this class when it comes to the pre-draft process. He was at the top of my list when it came to prospects that I thought could generate a ton of momentum throughout workouts when it comes to NBA teams. Unfortunately, Sorber suffered a season-ending foot injury on February 15th and was announced out for the rest of the year.
After undergoing surgery, the expectation is that Sorber will most likely miss the majority of the pre-draft process when it comes to being able to work out. Still, the buzz has started to point in the direction of plenty of NBA teams being pleased enough with what they’ve seen from Sorber this year. Time will tell just how much momentum Sorber can generate moving forward, but he’s got the kind of upside that will have NBA teams lining up for his services.
After all, every NBA team is looking for a Bully in the Middle.
Two Way Sequences LOL
Hoping he is there at 17 so he can become Rudy’s replacement down the road!