One of, if not the single most overlooked moves from the Wisconsin Badgers' offseason was acquiring former Hofstra big Victory Onuetu. For years, Badger fans have begged for a big like Onuetu who can run the floor like a gazelle and bring the vertical pop on the inside to finish plays on one end and destroy them on the other.
Evidently, Wisconsin has put this new toy in Onuetu to use, as multiple members of the media raved about his abilities following the open practice. However, even with the recent craze, there is still a chance that Badger fans are underrating just how valuable Onuetu could be to this team, as there is a good chance he could push for starter-level minutes.
Several newcomers shined for UW in practice today. Guard Eian Elmer was a force in the scrimmage portion and point guard Owen Foxwell has already shown a comfortability in the offense.
— Payne Blazevich (@payneblazevich) July 14, 2026
A couple big shots from Trey Autry and several rebounds pulled in by Victory Onuetu, too.
What Fans are Going to Love
As mentioned earlier, Wisconsin fans have been begging for a player like Onuetu for years now. The Badgers have had no shortage of floor-spacing bigs who thrive off footwork and feel. In fact, there are multiple of those bigs on the roster today. However, throwing a change-of-pace big into the mix like Onuetu, who thrives off his ability to play above the rim on both ends and put pressure on opposing teams as a rim runner, will undoubtedly add value to the team.
Defensive malleability is likely his most valuable trait as of now, evident by his 6.7% block rate and 2.0 DBPM. Onuetu is stellar both as a weakside defender and in pick-and-roll coverage, despite having relatively unpolished footwork. He does a great job at remaining patient, waiting for the moment to overwhelm his opponent.
I’ve been high on Victory Onuetu for months.
— JPR (@Scouting_Col) July 3, 2026
Elite offensive rebounder (99th percentile) who defends, moves his feet, and makes winning plays.
The offensive game is still limited, but I love the fit at Wisconsin. pic.twitter.com/KYhbYRvom2
Along with that, he is aggressive when attacking the ball — likely too aggressive, as 7.3 fouls per 40 minutes is going to be an issue if Wisconsin wants to play him starter-level minutes. Nonetheless, the aggression serves him well both as a defender and a rebounder. Onuetu posted a ridiculous 16.6% offensive rebounding rate last year and a 21.3% total rebounding rate.
This aggression is also reflected by over half of his converted rim attempts being dunks and his 40.2% free-throw rate. One could argue that for a player with his physical billing, the free-throw rate should be higher, but nonetheless it's a solid mark for a solid player.
Masking Weaknesses
With all the fun out of the way, it is time to take a bit more of a Debbie Downer approach with Onuetu. Although his athletic gifts and skill flashes are tantalizing, there is a reason he had just a 44% minute share last season. Things like a high foul rate, lack of overall nuance and somewhat unpolished skill development make it hard for him to stay on the floor for long periods of time, despite all the good he brings.
Easily Onuetu's biggest problem as of now is at-rim finishing. No matter how you want to look at it, converting on just 58.4% of rim attempts and just 42.4% of layups are awful marks for someone whose shot diet at the rim is as heavily assisted as his. But it isn't just converting at the rim that's an issue, as Onuetu struggles to score efficiently in any facet. Among bigs, he ranks in just the 25th percentile as a cutter, the 10th percentile in post-up efficiency, the 2nd percentile in high-low scoring and even just the 27th percentile in transition scoring efficiency.
These issues become even more glaring when considering Onuetu's ball security as well. He posted just a 4.4% assist rate last season, which pales in comparison to the 19.3% turnover rate he logged. On top of that, he logged an assist-to-turnover ratio of worse than 1:2, something that in an ideal world should be flipped.
Because of this, Wisconsin is going to have to be creative with how they use him on offense, relegating his role to better match his strengths. Onuetu undoubtedly has the physical tools and the developmental track record to suggest he can make a hefty impact this upcoming season. With that said, Greg Gard will have to work his magic in refining his skill set to better match his overall vision if Onuetu wishes to be the impact player fans want him to be.
Add us as a preferred source on Google