George Conditt IV — The Defensive Anchor
FIBA WC 2023 — Player to watch
Hometown Chicago, ILL, USA / DOB 08.22 2000 / 6’10–234lbs / Promitheas Patras & Gigantes Carolina
STATLINE: 9.8pts, 6.5rbs, 1.3blk, 1.0ast / 60.1 FG%, 16.7 3P%, 59.0 FT% / 24.0Min in 76GP
ROLE — BANKABLE SKILL: Defensive Anchor — Rim Protection + Play Finishing
They say you can’t teach size. And for all its tradition and hoop culture, it’s easy to argue Puerto Rico have not had a presence like George Conditt IV in the frontcourt since the days of Piculin Ortiz and Ramon Rivas. The Iowa State product has confirmed his promise for the Caribbeans this season on the back of solid professional showings with Promitheas Patras (Greek League and EuroCup) and with Gigantes Carolina in the Puerto Rican Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), where he was an key piece to win the tittle. Conditt is first a foremost a role player and defensive anchor with obvious strengths but still some work to do to make the most of his physical profile and tools in offense.
At 6’10, long for days with a reported 7’1 wingspan and nice shoulders to fill up, Conditt exhibits a tremendous mix of length, mobility and agility that allows him to patrol the zone and perform as help defender and shot blocker. He’s not quite an elite athlete, but knows the drill in the short distances, moves quickly east-west to cover the weak side and blocks and challenges everything at the rim. In ball screen coverage, he’s mostly used in drop schemes and possesses some ability to switch and check small guards at times. His time-reaction and hip-turn still are definitely improvable, but his long and light wired type of body comes to his advantage in order to disrupt drivers and recover his man when beaten in the Pick-and-Roll execution. Those traits are not as helpful when Conditt has to stop bruisers down low or impose himself on the glass. His numbers on the defensive boards (4.2rbs per game) shouldn’t be a worry since because of his mobility Conditt is asked to closeout shooters time and time again, but post-defense and rebounding could definitely improve with more meat on the bone. It’s a game of balance and priorities to become a valuable modern big man, and Conditt’s timing and vertical off two feet are weapons that help immensely to deter shots and rebound the ball.
After playing a total of 76 official games for the season between Greece and the BSN, offensively Conditt can be described as a play-finisher by trade. Whether he’s acting as a roll-man or cutter, Conditt is always hunting for drop-offs and entry passes that turn into high percentage buckets via easy layups and dunks (a total 5pts per game in both categories by InStat). He doesn’t play so much through contact, but uses his agility and quickness to beat guys to the coup after he sets the screen. His toughness on those situations and overall FT shooting can certainly improve as he doesn’t draw a ton of fouls (2.5 per game) and makes just about 60% from the charity stripe. Conditt also shines on the offensive glass with his standing reach and leaping ability on display, consistently touching/tipping the basketball and punishing defenses with the putback (1.5pts per night). In addition, he excels at running the floor for a man of his size, ready to own the central lane and able to handle the rock if needed, which brings up an exciting upside as certified rim runner in the near future.
As of today we cant talk of Conditt as stretch-big project besides some sporadic Pick-and-Pop action. His two-motion form and ball placement are irregular, and the volume and percentages from behind the arc explain the need to develop that part of his game. Conditt doesn’t fit on the playmaking-five category either, although he accounts for 2.6 screen-assists per game and has shown intriguing flashes as facilitator handling doubles and finding shooters out of the post or after crashing the glass (1.6ast per game). When it comes to his post-up game, Conditt can be considered still a bit raw, lacking some moves and strength to impose himself on the block, and with a natural tendency to finish over his left shoulder. It’s interesting to understand how Conditt’s volume and presence down low have been bigger in Europe than playing for Gigantes Carolina. The up-tempo and free flowing style in the BSN maximizes Conditt’s impact as an above-the-rim scorer, and this approach is likely to be replicated with the Puerto Rican National Team.
What’s the ceiling of Puerto Rico in the FIBA World Cup? Without stars like Jose Alvarado and Gian Clavell, the Caribbean roster is built upon the quality and versatility of Isaiah Pineiro, Stephen Thompson Jr or Aleem Ford in the wing/forward slots, some seasoned veterans (John Holland, Ismael Romero), and of course the Gigantes Carolina 1–2 punch of Tremont Waters and George Conditt. Because of his defensive prowess and productivity at the rim, Conditt will be an essential piece for the Boricuas. The 6’11 big man will do well to keep away foul trouble, and you can expect a lot of mixed defenses and zonal schemes in order to secure the glass and play Conditt above the 30 minutes mark. That hasn’t been the case in the scrimmages prior to the World Cup, where an uneven Puerto Rico team has lost 5 in a row and arrives to Manila without real pressure. Puerto Rico will face a ton of athleticism, talent and size in the 1st Round against South Sudan, Serbia and China, and if they manage to get into the top two of their group, Italy and Dominican Republic are the most likely rivals to fight for a Quarterfinal spot.
The FIBA World Cup comes just at the right time for George Conditt, who’ll lead the defensive unit but will need to increase efficiency and offensive production to keep Puerto Rico’s hopes alive in the tournament. A solid display at international level could also help him land a high-tier contract in Europe next season, a step up his third year as a professional. There are also some rumours about NBA franchises ready to invest a third two-way deal on the former Iowa State Cyclones player, and the G League could also work as a path in the NBA. Anyhow, the lanky big man from Chicago who showed himself to the world for the first time in the 2018 FIBA Americas U18, seems ready to make some noise in the coming weeks and to take another step in the right direction for his development.
