Fifth-Man Khadeem Lattin Has Been a Disruptive Force on Defense
Sophomore Khadeem Lattin is the fifth man on a veteran Oklahoma starting five that consists of four players who have started every Sooner basketball game for the past three seasons. That is 86 consecutive games, if you’re counting.
The 6-9 sophomore from Houston was initially thought of as a player who was all defense and no offense. That may have been true his freshman season and at the start of the 2015-16 season, but teams that ignore his capability on the offensive end are now paying the price.
With his length and wing span, Lattin is a major disruptive force on defense and a big-time rim protector, but he has held several highly productive games on the offensive end this season, as well. He had a season- and career-high 17 points in a win over Hawaii in late December, and has four other games in which he reached double digits in the scoring column.
His playing time has doubled this season, to nearly 22 minutes a game. and his scoring average has gone from 2.0 points per game a year ago to 6.3 this season.
Lattin leads the Big 12 in blocked shots this season and is sixth in the league in rebounding. The sophomore big man averages almost three blocks per game, and on three different occasions this year, he has swatted away six in a single game. In the loss to Kansas, his stat line read: 10 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocked shots.
Lattin missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity that would have won the game against Kansas in regulation, but he redeemed himself with the winning tip-in against West Virginia with just two seconds remaining in the game.
He may be the forgotten man among the Oklahoma starting five this season, but his presence and contributions at both ends of the floor are growing with every single game.