Prompt 1

When you analyze the recent rise of the Baltimore Platoon, there are many players you can point out as being key pieces. Above them all, I think M’Baku Olubori is by far the most underrated. On any other team, we’d likely be talking about him as one of the league’s premiere forwards. In Baltimore, that hasn’t necessarily played out in his career. He has consistently been a player whose role changes dramatically season to season. And yet, he has been effective everywhere he’s been asked to play and elevates the play of his linemates (most notably the later career renaissance of Lord Raiden as well as the breakout of young winger Raiya Rabinov).

This season, it seems Olubori has finally been allowed to settle into his role as #1 center for the streaking Platoon. Coaching staff seemed to be holding him back, using him as glue to fill the roles that the other lines didn’t since the addition of the S68 class. He’s not been given playtime with the rest of the team’s best players, always being asked to make others better. With the addition of Challenge Cup champion and former league MVP Max Manning this offseason, and a permanent spot on the top power play unit, however, it seems Olubori is finally having the sort of offensive breakout many predicted for him after his Jesster-winning rookie year. No where was his talent clearer than last year’s first round series with Atlanta, where Olubori put up 14 points in the 7 game series and nearly willed the Platoon to a series win. Like Rock Lee in the Chunin exams, it seems Olubori has finally gotten to take the training weights off and unleash his full potential. Watch out, SHL.