Position: C | From: Oregon | Class/YOB: Freshman |
Height: 7’2 | Weight: 220 | Wingspan: 7’8 |
Strengths:
- Uncharacteristic ball skills for a 7-footer. Can make plays from the perimeter off the dribble
- Deep three-point range. Has a low release, but he’s so long that it rarely is affected. One of the top shooting bigs in the country
- Tremendous shot-blocker. Ridiculous reach, even for a big. Covers ground and rejects anything in his area. Ability to recover can make up for average lateral quickness when trying to contain smaller players. Does a good job of staying out of foul trouble by waiting for scorers to go up first
- Effortless runner. Changes ends at a high speed with his long strides. Going to force opposing bigs to get back on defense
- Keeps the ball high on rebounds. Has soft hands and can corral misses outside of his area
- Touch around the basket is already elite. Brings a nice push shot that is unguardable. Settles for his turnaround, but it is going to be a go-to shot against bulkier opponents
- Decent passer. Will whip it across the court when double teams come
Weaknesses:
- Frail frame is a huge concern. Already out for this season with a foot injury. Durability is one of the main factors that would keep him from being a consensus top-5 prospect
- Struggles to stay in front of quicker opponents. Guards can blow by him. Lateral quickness is average for a big. His reach allows him to erase some mistakes
- Susceptible to being beat up in the post. Lacks upper body strength to combat rough post play
- Floats far too often on the perimeter. I know he can shoot it as well as any big in the draft, but he has to make a concerted effort to do more damage around the rim. Increased strength training should make this more realistic for his play style
- Will let smaller defenders off the hook sometimes with his turnaround in the post. Doesn’t like to go towards the basket and instead settles for falling away. When a switch comes, he has to make sure defenders pay, even though he can regularly hit the jumper