Last Updated on August 7, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Enes Freedom established himself as a productive NBA center through elite offensive rebounding, low-post scoring, and interior finishing while playing for the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Boston Celtics. His traditional back-to-the-basket big-man archetype, physical paint presence, and relentless work on the offensive glass consistently generated second-chance scoring opportunities.

Here is the detailed profile of Enes Freedom (formerly Enes Kanter):

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Enes Kanter Freedom
  • Nationality: Turkish-American
  • Age: Born on May 20, 1992
  • Hometown: Born in Zurich, Switzerland (grew up in Turkey)
  • Height: 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 meters)
  • Weight: 250 pounds (113 kg)
  • Wingspan: 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 meters)
  • Shoe Size: Size 16 (US)
  • Number: 0, 11, 13
  • Position: Center / Power forward
  • High School: Stoneridge Preparatory School (Simi Valley, California)
  • College: University of Kentucky (did not play due to NCAA eligibility issues)
  • NBA Draft: 2011, 1st round, 3rd overall pick by the Utah Jazz
  • Teams Played For:
    • Utah Jazz (2011–2015)
    • Oklahoma City Thunder (2015–2017)
    • New York Knicks (2017–2019)
    • Portland Trail Blazers (2019, 2020–2021)
    • Boston Celtics (2019–2020, 2021–2022)
  • Championship Rings: None
  • Kids: No publicly known children
  • Siblings: He has three siblings: two brothers and a sister.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Enes Freedom’s player archetype was that of an interior scoring and offensive-rebounding big, a traditional center who generated value with strength, touch, and second-chance production around the basket. Defensively, his role was limited to battling on the glass, holding position in the paint, and using his size against other bigs, because he was never an especially mobile rim protector or switch defender. Offensively, he functioned as a low-post scorer, pick-and-roll finisher, putback threat, and possession extender whose soft hands and feel for scoring inside made him consistently useful in half-court settings. Physically, Freedom brought a powerful 6-foot-10, 250-pound frame, broad shoulders, long reach, and strong lower-body balance, which helped him carve out space and absorb contact even without high-end quickness or vertical explosiveness. His overall play style was rugged, productive, and old-school, built on rebounding, interior touch, and effort, though his defensive limitations in space kept him from being a fully rounded modern center.

Scouting Report

Enes Freedom has always been one of those rare post scorers who could generate efficient offence without needing a play to break down first. Give him a deep catch and the possession immediately tilts in his favour. He establishes post seals early, has exceptionally soft hands through contact and strings together hooks, up-and-unders and patient pivots without looking rushed, forcing defences to send a second defender rather than trusting a one-on-one matchup. What stands out, though, is his work after the initial shot. He doesn’t simply chase offensive rebounds—he anticipates where misses are likely to fall, wedges defenders underneath the rim and creates extra possessions through positioning as much as effort. That’s where a lot of his value comes from. He isn’t a playmaking hub, and once hard doubles arrive his reads tend to be reactive instead of manipulative, so aggressive help can bog the offence down if too much creation flows through him. The other side of the floor presents the bigger trade-off. He can use his size to absorb post scorers and finish possessions with strong defensive rebounds, but defending in space is a different challenge altogether. Repeated high pick-and-rolls, empty-side actions and guards capable of rejecting screens can force him into uncomfortable decisions because changing direction quickly has never been a strength. He generally prefers to stay in drop coverage close to the rim, where his frame can influence finishes without asking him to cover large areas of the floor. Put him alongside long, disruptive perimeter defenders who can contain the point of attack and his weaknesses become far less damaging while his rebounding becomes even more valuable. To me, there are echoes of Al Jefferson in the polished footwork, touch and ability to manufacture quality shots on the block, while his relentless offensive rebounding and preference for interior scoring also resemble a less explosive Zach Randolph. You build around his strengths by letting him punish single coverage and dominate the glass, not by asking him to solve every defensive problem twenty-five feet from the basket.

Sources:

NBADraft.net — Enes Kanter
NBA.com — 2011 Scouting Reports: Enes Kanter
Forbes — How Enes Kanter Naturally Evolved Into One Of The NBA’s Best Offensive Rebounders
Basketball Reference — Enes Freedom Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more