Otto Porter

By James Blackburn

Game Scouted: UCLA vs. Georgetown (Legends Classic)

Georgetown wins 78-70

Box Score

Otto Porter (6’9”, SF, SO)

Stats
35 min, 6-10 FG, 2-2 3pt FG, 4-5 FT, 11 reb, 5 assist, 3 steals, 5 blocks, 18 TP

Strengths
Very impressive performance from the sophomore forward. Porter is extremely versatile and put up numbers in practically every statistical column in the box score today. He has great length, which he uses effectively and to his advantage. He is a skilled offensive player who can shoot, pass, and handle the ball to a degree. He has good touch on his shot, and although he does have a low release point, doesn’t have much trouble getting his shot off. Good form on his shot, other then somewhat low release. Excellent FT shooter as well. Looked comfortable shooting the basketball, even out to the 3 point line. Good shooting touch but low release. Very good court vision who is unselfish and gets others involved. Can advance the ball after a rebound w/ a couple of dribbles and pass it up-court to open players- has eyes up. Had an on-target full court pass after rebound to open teammate up-court to secure win. Showed he could enter ball to post and throw rap around pass and lob pass- not a lot of players his size can do that. Does a good job cutting and thin pinning his man in the post and getting solid post position. Efficient offensive player. Doesn’t need a lot of shots to put up points and can impact the game on either end with out scoring- as he crashes the offensive glass aggressively. In the right place at the right time.

Very active defensively- provides good energy- has active hands. Involved defensively today whether it was rebounding the basketball, getting steals or blocking shots. Another thing that I liked was that he set good solid screens both on the ball and off the ball. Showed he could play top of zone or bottom of zone. Excellent defensive rebounder- stretches out and attacks ball- grabs it w/ 2 hands. Uses length to his advantage.

Definitely passes the look test. Directs traffic- especially on defensive end. Leader on the floor. Fits in with Georgetown’s system as he moves well with out the ball and is a good passer for a player his size.
Weaknesses

There was not a lot to critique in Porters game today against UCLA. One area where Porter could stand to improve in is his ability to slash and attack the rim from the perimeter off the dribble. He really had difficulty getting by his defender- which bodes concerns at the next level, where the defenders will be faster, bigger, and stronger. He lacks the speed and overall quickness to beat defenders on his first step. He is not very quick and must get stronger and add weight. He also needs to improve his ability to finish with contact which adding weight will help with. He not only had trouble dribbling around his defender but I did not see him create his own shot on the perimeter much either, something I will monitor more as the year progresses. Worth noting, however, is the fact that Georgetown’s offensive system and sets do not give much freedom to players as far as isolation and having to create their own shot- Otto does fit the Georgetown system perfectly.

While Porter does defend the paint well, he is an average on ball defender and must improve his ability to defend screens off the ball. He doesn’t go ball side when defending off the ball screens. He trails his man- instead of going up the gut and is too focused on his man only and is not aware of where ball is when his man is cutting off screens. Gets caught on screens too easily, which again speaks to his strength level.

Overview
This was Otto Porter’s first game back after missing a game because of concussion. He was named to the Pre-season All-Big East First Team, the only sophomore on the first team. Porter is currently being projected as a late lottery pick by several NBA Mock Draft websites, including Draftexpress. Otto has been playing extremely well these first few games and if this continues I see his stock continuing to rise, possibly getting drafted in the top 10 this next year. He offers a lot to NBA teams with his length, motor, upside, passing ability, and rebounding. I question however his ability to impact the game at the pro level in areas besides his rebounding. He is not very quick and would struggle to defend SF’s in the NBA. He must get stronger and he struggles to create his own shot on the perimeter, which is vital for his position in the NBA. I would project him to be a late first round pick as I believe his numbers will drop a degree as the year progresses. He is definitely worth using a first round pick on, I just don’t believe he is a lottery pick because of the above stated question marks.

*Editors Note- Porter scored 15pts, grabbed 5 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, and had 2 blocks against #1 ranked Indiana the following night in the title game in the Legends Classic.

Nebraska Wake Forest basketball

Nebraska Wins 79-63
Box Score

Game Recap/Thoughts
1st Half
Wake wins the tip and CJ scores the games first points on the Wake’s first possession, prompting Coach Miles of Nebraska to take off his jacket.
Cornhuskers respond with a 8-0 run.

Wake is struggling to find a rhythm offensively to start shooting 2-9 from the field w/ 5 turnovers and find themselves down 11 to 4 with 13 minutes remaining.

Andre Washington, Wake Forest 7’ freshman checks in 7 minutes in- some of the first action he has seen all season (played 5 minutes up to this point).
Wake has employed a Full court press that has rattled Nebraska a bit and has them playing outside their comfort zone.
Wake is throwing fresh legs in the game and is turning Nebraska over to tie the game.

Fischer is on fire…he is 3-3 from the field since entering game- giving Wake a huge boost and getting the crowd into the game like I haven’t seen this year.

Nebraska’s center Andre Almeida is a load to handle inside….he is 6’11” and weighs 314lbs. He moves his feet pretty well for his size and has great touch.

Wake finishes half struggling offensively and getting beat on the boards and finds itself down 28-24.

2nd Half

Rountree is starting to open up the second half.

Nebraska is beginning to get into foul trouble, but Wake can covert on the line.

Codi Miller-McIntyre turns the corner on a P/R and gets the lay-up to go pulling Wake with in 5.

Ray Gallegos for Nebraska can really stroke it from deep- Nebraska on a run to go up double digits with 13 minutes remaining.

Wake is getting beat on the boards and fins themselves down 12 half way through the second period.

Ray Gallegos is 5 for 5 for his last five shots and Nebraska has extended its lead to 18 w/ 8 minutes and change remaining. Time Out Wake Forest.

Nebraska is shooting a blistering 70% from the field this half so far and Wake is turning the ball over….the result…a 24 point Wake deficit.

Wake making a run to pull with in 13 w/ 2 min. remaining. A little too late I am afraid.

Scouting Reports

Wake Forest

Aaron Rountree (F, 6’8”, FR)
Another great performance from the freshman forward after his breakout game the other night against William & Mary. Came in game and again (like last game) made an immediate impact- making a defensive play and a nice tip in offensive rebound basket with in the first minute on the floor. He plays so hard every possession and never gives up on plays on either end. He has the highest motor on the team and is very active. Versatile and active defender who can defend up to 4 positions. His length causes problems and he plays the passing lanes well and tries to block everything in and outside his area. He was out of position a few times defensively and gets a little over anxious at times and picks up a cheap foul, but over all is the best defender on the team in my opinion.

On the offensive end, he is still adjusting to the college game but he does impact the game on this side of the ball in a positive way as well. He is a highly underrated passer and is constantly making plays and setting up teammates perfectly. He can lead the break and is a pretty good decision maker in the open court. He isn’t afraid to attack the basket. His shooting is still suspect and he needs to develop a consistent mid range game but it will come. He also needs to develop a tighter handle and get stronger, but overall he is a solid prospect with great upside.

He has been the longest player on the court every game I have seen him in this year. If they did +/- scores in college basketball, he would constantly have a positive score- makes such an impact. Competitor on the floor- leads by example and by communicating- something you usually don’t see from a freshman. He finished this game with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks in just 16 minutes of play. He should be getting at least 20 minutes a night from this point forward for the rest of the season. With his length, versatility, youth, motor, great on court attitude, and his ability to rebound the basketball, I would say overall he is the best NBA prospect on the team, with Travis McKie being a close second.

Chase Fischer (G, 6’3”, SO)
Came off the bench and knocked a couple of spot up 3’s after struggling with his shot in recent contests. He is still a knock down set shooter who has great form and gets his feet and shoulders square to the rim. He can also knock down shots coming off screens. But Fischer’s overall game has improved from being strictly a set shooter like last year. This is what he is best at and known for, but this game he was talking and directing traffic while on the court and was the leader for this young Wake team. He is also passing the ball and defending better then last season and is creating shots for teammates. Overall he is much more active on the court and especially on the defensive end this year. Finished with 9 points on 3 of 5 shooting, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block in only 13 minutes of action. If he continues to play like this, its going to be hard to keep him on the bench that long and his minutes will increase.

Nebraska

Dylan Talley (G, 6’5”, SR)
Dylan entered tonight’s game leading the Cornhuskers in points per game and assists per game, but struggled most of the night going 4 of 16 from the field. He needs to improve his ball handling and his ability to go left. He does pass the look test and appears to have an NBA ready body with good size for the guard position and a solid frame, but he doesn’t have the speed/quickness to by defenders on the perimeter. He is a great FT shooter however and a superb rebounder. He draws fouls at a high rate and attacks the rim. He has a quick second jump and attacks the offensive boards. Didn’t show the ability to turn the corner on the P/R even going to his strong, hand which is right and struggled to create his own shot this game. Had a quite 14 points on 4-16 shooting but was 6-8 from FT line and grabbed 8 rebounds. As far as his professional projections, I think he would be a great option for some 2nd division teams in Europe or possibly a first division team in a country that is not a major basketball spot, like Italy or Spain.

Brandon Ubel (F, 6’10”, SR)
Ubel was limited with foul trouble most of this game and would eventually foul out, but not before he cracked double digits in the scoring column. He has a good frame/build and a solid back to the basket game as well. He displayed anice up and under drop step move and the ability to score with either hand. Fundamental player who is solid in most areas. He sets good hard screens and uses his strength to not allow any of Wake Forests post players to get good position. Showed he could put ball on floor for straight line drives to the rim and score. Struggles to defend on the perimeter but does a nice job defending the post. Not an above the rim type player but works hard and has a high IQ. Will probably receive a couple work out invitations come draft time from NBA teams if he continues his solid play in Big Ten games (Currently averaging 15.6 ppg and 8 rpg), but will most likely ultimately end up playing his professional ball overseas.

Andre Almeida (C, 6’11”,SR)
Big time performance this game from the powerful center. Andre does a great job of carving space inside and getting solid post position. He is highly efficient offensively 5 ft and in and even showed he could hit the open midrange jumper. He has great hands and a soft shooting touch. He displayed a decent back to the basket game and has a hook and drop step in his repertoire. He proved virtually un- guardable one on one tonight and only missed 1 shot the entire game. He moves his very feet for someone with a 300+lb frame, showing the ability to hedge screens decently. He is foul prone and plays under the rim, but knows his limitations and doesn’t force anything. He does a good job blocking shots and protecting the paint and uses his body to get good rebounding position. Almeida also gets up and down floor decently as well for someone his size and played 27 minutes tonight. Completely dominated this game on both sides of the floor by shooting 9-10 from the field with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots (Also shot 2-2 from FT line). He has already dropped 40 lbs since arriving on campus and is down to 314 lbs. He is coming off a red-shirt year because of an injury and has had a solid senior campaign so far. If he can continue to drop weight and get in the 290 range, he would be an attractive D-League prospect being a legit back to the basket big, who can move his feet decently and has a great shooting touch.

Kaleb Tarczewski

By James Blackburn

Game Scouted: Texas-El Paso @ Arizona

Arizona Wins 72-51

Box Score

Kaleb Tarczewski (C, 7’0”, FR)

Stats
25 min, 2-2 FG, 4-5 FT, 6 rebounds, 3 TO, 1 steal, 8 TP

Strengths
Kaleb is a true 7 footer and he is tough to defend when he gets near the basket. He has a a soft touch and is efficient scoring near the rim. He keeps the ball high and scores in simple and efficient ways. Very good FT shooter which makes him that much more attractive for a big man. Takes up space inside and holds off defenders so teammates can drive. Did have a nice put back slam near the end of the second half- but I would not call him an above the rim type player at least not at this stage.

Decent on-ball defender at this point, only a few games into the season. Contests most shots with out fouling and stays straight up so opponents have to shoot over his 7’ frame.

Weaknesses
Has good strength and build for a freshman- but needs to get stronger in lower body- wasn’t able to hold post position against a player with similar size. Needs to demand ball in post- he doesn’t act like he wants the ball- doesn’t really get low/wide and hold his post position. Tries to clear out space for rebounds and posting up with his upper body and doesn’t use his lower body- speaks to the fact that he needs to get better lower body strength. Plays mostly below the rim- average athlete at best. Like his fellow freshman frontcourt teammate Grant Jerrett, he needs to improve his technique setting screens- needs to get wider and lower. I would like to see him become more a presence defensively and block more shots- poor secondary/help defender at this point. Has added 35 lbs since arriving on campus and it shows- doesn’t look like he is used to the additional weight yet and he looks slow on his feet. Is slow to recover to cover and protect the rim. Players were slithering right by him and scoring rather easily. Does not rebound outside of his area.

Overview
Did not influence the game in a big way today like I thought he could have being the biggest player on the court. Would of liked to see more offense from him, but to his credit, Kaleb knows his role on this team especially early in the season and he knows that Arizona does not necessarily need his offense at this point, but his rebounding.

Tarczewski’s size, mobility, and FT shooting makes him an attractive prospect to NBA teams. The question remains though about how effective he can be defending and scoring against other players his size and C who are more explosive.

Did not play poorly today, but was not amazed by his performance. Will have better showings in the future. Will continue to monitor his progress. At this point I see him as a future pro, but it is going to be a couple years before he gets drafted. He is trending as a late first to a mid second round pick in the 2014 draft.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

By James Blackburn

Game Scouted: Southern Miss @ Georgia

Southern Miss Wins 62-60 in OT

Box Score

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (G, 6’6”, SO)

Stats
37 min, 5-21 FG, 3-14 3 pt FG, 4-5 FT, 6 rebounds, 5 assist, 1 TO, 3 steals, 17 TP

Strengths
Caldwell’s main strength is his ability to shoot and score the basketball. Pope shot 30% from the 3-point line last season, but has bumped that percentage up to 37% through 2 games this year (not including this game). Georgia relies on Pope heavily to score and he has been given the green light to shoot. His 21 shot attempts this game more then doubled any other teammate’s shots.

His shooting form is good, as he has a high, quick release with good elevation and he gets his feet, set and square to the rim. Combine that with solid mechanics, a soft touch, and length and he has the ability to get his shot off against anyone at the college level and should not have a problem getting shot off at next level either. He had a 4-point play to end a long scoring drought by Georgia in the 1st half. Showed the ability to take a dribble when a defender closes out too hard and shoot the pull-up 3. Does a good job of running the floor in transition and getting to his spots around the 3 point line. Knows where the gaps are vs. the zone and finds/exploits them. Good FT shooter- shot around 60% from the charity stripe last year but is shooting close to 80% from there this year so far.

Average rebounder at this point. Does a good job of not standing and crashes the offensive boards. Should continue to develop into good rebounding guard with athleticism. ). I noticed him talking several times on the floor and being a leader, which is interesting to note being only a sophomore. Has a good on-court demeanor.

Highly underrated passer who actually led the Bulldogs in assists today with 5, which is above average for a high scoring shooting guard. He had several nice entry passes to the post against the zone and moved the ball quickly and didn’t hold on to it. Once he put the ball on the floor; he is a threat to score as well as make plays for others if secondary defender helps. Georgia uses Pope to inbound the ball on baseline OB plays. Unselfish- turned down some good shots to give teammate a great shot.

Athletic and long- great frame and size for a 2. Solid on-ball defender- stays active and moves his feet well latterly. Contests shots with a high hand (Much better on-ball defender then help/secondary defender at this point Impressive ability to help out to stop the dribble drive and then quickly close out back to his own man and contest shot or prevent his man from shooting as well. Has quick feet- can slide laterally defensively and has a quick first step.

Weaknesses
Needs to improve defense off the ball. Has a tendency to turn his back to the ball when his man cuts through. Needs to improve defensive rebounding- stood and watched several times and did not box out.

Must improve ball handling skills. At this point can’t handle ball good enough to play either guard position at next level. Against full-court pressure applied by Southern Miss, Pope did not look comfortable putting the ball on the floor for more then 2 dribbles. Also, needs to improve finishing ability- missed 2 shots with in 5 ft. in 1st half alone. With his athletic ability he needs to finish those lay-ups with dunks. I thought that he forced several shots from the perimeter, particularly at the end of the game- but overall his shot selection was solid. Even though he shot over 20 times today, he is heavily relied on to score for this Bulldogs team.

Needs to get stronger- lanky 185 right now. Adding an extra 10-15 lbs. of muscle would help him immensely on defense to get around screens and offensively by being able to finish inside.

Overview
Coming off a career high 27 points vs. Youngstown State in last game, Pope struggled with his shot this game- but you can tell the shooting ability is there. His missed shots hit the back of rim and were straight. Single handily kept Georgia in game in first half with his 3-point shooting. Watched game on TV, so I couldn’t focus on him when he was on the bench- but every time out that was shown and other times when the cameras showed him communicating with the head coach- he was engaged and focused. Poised player who didn’t seem to get rattled or upset when his shot wasn’t falling or things did not go his way. Had a nice drive and dump down pass to post player, but it got waived off because of a bad offensive foul call. Instead of complaining or showing poor body language, he jogged down to the other end to play defense. Impressive body language.

His shooting skill will definitely translate to the next level as many of his 3’s are well beyond the college arc. With his motor/length/athleticism he should be a good defender at pro level. Good teammate who encourages and directs- I loved the body language of this kid. Is a threat to score and shoot no matter where he is on the floor.

Southern Miss played a zone defense the entire game so I did not get to see him against a man defense. I have a feeling I would of seen more of his slashing and athletic ability and overall scoring ability vs. a man defense (will see man to man defense at next level anyway- but it is nice to know that he can play vs. a zone as well).

Pope is definitely NBA material and if continues to shoot the basketball like he has, against SEC competition, he could find his way into the second round in this years NBA draft. If he does not leave this year and stays at Georgia another year to continue to hone his skills, get stronger, improve handles and team defense, then I see him getting drafted late in the first round in the 2014 draft.

The Basketball Elite staff took a ride down to Kings Mountain on Tuesday night to check out a sold out game between Shelby HS and Kings Mountain HS. The game wasn’t really close from the start as Shelby jumped out to a 26-4 1st quarter lead. Shelby would keep its wide lead through out and eventually win 90-55.

There was plenty of talent on display for both teams, but the one player who really impressed us was Donte Falls (SG/SF, 6’5″, 2013) from Shelby HS. Donte was a man among boys in this game as he scored 24 points and must of collected at least a dozen rebounds. He has a great build and is athletic. He uses his strength to finish practically everything inside. He is an efficient scorer from anywhere inside the paint and is aggressive in attacking the rim from the midmost.

His game is highly versatile as he does not only score, but defends and rebounds as well. He also is an underrated passer, making smart, crisp passes to open teammates. Donte also showed the ability to handle the ball and shoot the 3. It was hard to find many weaknesses in Fall’s game and his performance against Kings Mountain. We have Donte tracking as a LM/MM prospect. He has interest from a couple of DII schools at this point, but is mostly under the radar as a player. He has good grades with a 3.4 GPA and handles himself very well both on and off the court. We expect Donte to quickly gain interest from Division I programs with his ability and versatility.

He is a player that we will continue to watch as the season progresses and one we would definitely recommend to most DII and LM schools looking for wing with a college ready body and who is ready to contribute immediately.

Shabazz Muhammad
Photo Source: Yahoo!

By James Blackburn

Game Scouted: UCLA vs. Georgetown

Georgetown wins 78-70

Box Score

Shabazz Muhammad(G, 6’6”, FR)

Stats
25 min, 5-10 FG, 2-4 3pt, 3-4 FT, 1 reb, 2 assist, 1 TO, 15 TP

Strengths
Muhammad was born to score the basketball and he does so in a variety of ways. He has good scoring instincts as he showed the ability to score from beyond arc, knock down midrange pull-ups, and score in post up situations. He is not a high flyer, but is an above average athlete, more explosive then I have seen from him in the past. He tried to dunk in traffic several times and drew the foul. I like the fact he was attacking the rim hard and went in strong. Solid FT shooter when he goes to the line.

One of the areas Muhammad impressed me the most this game was his shooting. Immediately upon entering the game, he hoisted an 18’ jump shot in transition and drained it. Not a smart shot, but it went in none the less and spoke of his confidence as a player. Has a good looking left hand stroke where everything is in balance and stride. He shoots the ball in rhythm and is on balance. He gets his feet square to rim and gets good elevation and has a high release. Even his misses are good when he shoots- misses are straight and off the back of rim. Missed his first couple of threes and then got it going at near the end of the game. Made an immediate impact when he first got on the floor- scored and assisted on his first two offensive possessions.

Average on-ball defender, not as good as he was touted out to be. He did a decent job in the first half of bumping cutters and holding his ground when defending the post. He has a good combination of size and strength- won’t get pushed around on either end in college and won’t have a difficult time at the pro level. Hustles and even dived out of bounds once to save a loose ball in the first half.

Weaknesses
Muhammad didn’t look comfortable on either end of the floor for the majority of the game and looked rusty and somewhat out of game shape. Part of this is to be expected as this was his first college game played after a 3-game suspension. His handle is below average at this point and he must improve his ability to go to his right. Loves to go left at this point went that way the first 2 times he put ball on floor. Georgetown’s defenders recognized this and started to beat him to the spot resulting in a turnover. Scouting reports at the college and pro levels will harp on his inability to go right and take advantage. Drop dribbles the ball too often- very quick to put ball on floor- happened several times in first half. Needs to do better job of finding gaps against the zone. Looked sloppy, trying to find rhythm against zone offensively- looked a little rusty from having not played in a while. Telegraphed a pass first time he touched it in second half and got it stolen. Would have liked to see him attack the zone off the bounce and not be so passive.

Shabazz looked his weakest at the defensive end of the floor. Looked completely out of his league several times on this end of the floor and looked lost. He was the last UCLA player back down the floor each time on D, especially in the second half- must hustle back harder on defense- showed he was not in game shape. Got caught out of position defending his man off the ball a couple of times. Didn’t see the ball and got caught being lazy trailing his man when he cut- Georgetown player spun and pinned him because he didn’t beat his man to spot and his man scored easy basket. Slow laterally- got beat off the bounce several times this game. Poor rebounder- collected only 1 rebound while on the floor for 25 minutes. Doesn’t really attempt to rebound outside his area. Better on-ball defender at this point then secondary defender- but must improve at both.

Overview
Didn’t start and he entered game at 14:12 mark in first half. First game back after being suspended 3 games by NCAA for recruiting violations. Started 2nd half on bench as he did in the first half.

Didn’t do a good job on the defensive end this game, but should develop into a solid overall defender with a solid frame, athleticism, and work ethic. He is not unlike other freshman however in that he is struggling early this season with his off the ball defense- out of position, getting beat to spots. Georgetown makes it especially tough because they run the Princeton offense with lots of screens and cuts and they make you defend through the entire shot clock.

Muhammad is the consensus number 1 pick in most NBA mock drafts. I do not see him getting drafted number 1 or being deserving of a number 1 pick, especially after this game. To his credit, he did still score 15 points, shooting 50% from the floor, and doing so in less then 30 minutes playing time. But he didn’t look comfortable on the defensive end and struggled to create his own shot most of the game- both are red flags at next level, where he will be asked to guard the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Rudy Gay on a nightly basis. I expect him to continue to improve as he plays more games and gets his legs back and becomes more accustomed to the college game. He will get drafted in the top 3 this year, but in a better draft he would probably fall to around 9-12 or so, at the end of the lottery. Scorers such as Muhammad come around every 1 to 2 years, even if they are the #1 HS player coming out.

His game reminds me of Harrison Barnes and I think they will have similar careers. Both players are not only good basketball players, but are good kids and hard workers. They both have similar demeanor on the court and have similar skills as well as similar question marks. He will be a good, but not great, NBA player. He will start on a below average team and put up somewhere between 13-18 ppg for his career. Those are solid numbers, not necessarily number 1 pick numbers, but good none the less. His game doesn’t remind me of OJ Mayo, but his situation does and I think he will follow a similar career path of Mayo as well. Mayo was the #1 HS player/recruit heading to USC. He also had run ins with the NCAA and was a dime a dozen scorer. He is just now coming into his own in the NBA, 5 years into his career. We will continue to monitor Muhammad this season to see if he can justify his status as the number 1 pick in this coming NBA draft. This is only one game (first one at that), and you don’t ever want to put too much weight scouting him one game (Basketball Elite staff likes to scout a player at least 3 times before making judgments about players).

Grant Jerrett
Photo Source: UA News

By James Blackburn

Game Scouted: Texas-El Paso @ Arizona

Arizona Wins 72-51

Box Score

Grant Jerrett (PF, 6’10”, FR)

Stats
22 min, 2-4 FG, 2-3 3pt FG, 1-2 FT, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blk, 1 steal, 1 TO, 7 TP

Strengths
Is a true PF who can also step out and hit the 3. He didn’t really have his feet set either time- but has a soft touch and can knock down college 3’s when he is left open. Great length and frame. Showed the ability to put the ball on the floor and go buy slower defenders. Excellent rebounder who boxes out and secures the ball- crashes the offensive boards and doesn’t stand and watch. Led the Wildcats in the rebounding category this game with 7.

Did a solid job of hedging out on screens and stopping UTEP’s guards from turning the corner. Blocks and influences shots. Solid overall athlete. Good overall defender- can tell he has been coached well by Sean Miller. Shows energy and a solid motor when he is on the floor.
Good on-court demeanor. Doesn’t complain, works hard and competes. Underrated passer for a big- threw a couple of over the top lob passes to fellow frontcourt teammate Kaleb Tarczewksi.

Weaknesses
Needs to improve conditioning overall and this will come as he sees more court time. Needs to work on setting better screens- when screening he is too straight up and small- needs to get lower and set harder/stronger screens. Got blown by on the perimeter when defending around the 3-point line. Defensive technique was good and he even chopped his feet and closed out- but laterally movement is slow and would be a concern for NBA teams as he would be a stretch 4 at the next level. This wouldn’t be a problem on the offensive end as he would be a good pick and pop player, but would struggle guarding PF’s who can put the ball on the floor. Somewhat raw offensively. Would like to see him be more assertive offensively with his skill set.

Overview
Reminds of another Arizona product in Channing Frye- has a similar build and both are PF’s with solid length who can step out and hit the 3. Both are more perimeter oriented big men. Would of played more this game but picked up a few fouls in the second half from hedging out on screens- was a split second late hedging out and the Miners PG made him pay for it. Overall he played the P/R well this game- needs to hustle/bust it back to his man quicker then he did this game. At the next level he will be going up against elite level PG on a nightly basis and they will be able to turn the corner and/or hit the roll man quicker. So he will have to learn to hedge quickly and then get back to his original man as quick as possible.
He has great upside and will only continue to get better as he becomes more comfortable with the college game. NBA teams should continue to monitor his game as he will most likely stay in school another year or two. Should develop into a mid first rounder or possibly lottery pick if he stays in school for a couple more years.