James Nnaji is a physical specimen, he has crazy physical tools. He has long arms, a built frame, and a ton of burst all at 6’10”. He has been surprisingly productive for Barcelona despite being only 18 years old and one of the youngest players in this year's draft class. He bullies in the paint on both ends of the floor. He is just so physically strong and explosive for his age, matchups can’t keep up with him. He can push anybody out of the way when needed and can get to his spots when needed. His ability to create his own space is like no other. He makes his own room through physicality but he is still effective when he doesn’t. On offense, he’s mainly used as a roll man and lob threat. His long arms and vertical give him a very wide catch radius. James is very difficult to contest because of how far he can reach up. He can rise up like a tsunami before hammering the ball down over anybody in front of him. He needs to work on slowing down his pace of play. His explosiveness is a positive trait that brings his upside to the next level but he can often get ahead of himself and move too fast. His rawness causes playmakers to turn the ball over when trying to pass to him. Working on his timing and hands will be key to him actually being a positive viable option offensively. Despite some concerns with immaturity in terms of play inside, his main issue on this end of the floor actually lies within his shooting touch. It’s okay that he isn’t a three-point shooter, his player archetype does not often entail shooting from behind the arc, the problem is the fact that he has no feel. His free throw shooting was absolutely terrible and when he did try a still floater or jumper right next to the basket it often ended up bricking. Having a player on the court that can’t shoot free throws is just not okay, teams will just foul over and over again late in games because they can bank on him missing and this won't go away in the NBA. James isn’t much of a playmaker either. He isn’t a ball hog but he doesn’t really find teammates for looks and when you give him the ball you're either using him as an automatic attempt or a quick getaway. There isn’t a lot to work with in terms of skillset right now. He needs a lot of work offensively before teams will actually give him rotational minutes. Defensively he has shown a lot of promise and that side of the ball is what makes European teams willing to play him. He’s a really gifted shot blocker not only because of his measurables but also because of his technique and intelligence. He uses his length to close around really well and he always makes sure he stays active and moves. He might make an occasional overstep or move to the wrong assignment but this comes with being an eighteen-year-old in a grown man's league. Having someone that's willing and able to fill in the gaps and come in as a weak side shot blocker whenever is what completes defenses. Having someone to trust and cover them will do wonders for whatever teammates he will have in the future. On the perimeter, he’s surprisingly effective. Most players that have his frame struggle with keeping up on the outside but Nnaji doesn't have this problem. He moves his feet really well and he keeps to his coverage. He stops blow buys and drives to the basket because he’s so mobile as a defender and can recover with his length whenever needed. He has shown the upside to be a true defensive anchor someday and if his offense can get a little bit better then we could possibly see him as a high-level impact player on that end. He’s a project player that won’t be playable for a while. The fit with the franchise that picks him will be crucial. The organization that drafts him will need to have patience and a capable staff that can build off of his physical tools while giving him room to grow in the lineup and not shutting him out of the rotation.

Clint Capella-lite. Hyper active mobile big with huge wingspan. Challenges most shots at the rim due to length. Moves feet well and sometimes guards the occasional switch onto perimeter scorers. Good finisher at the rim. Has some post moves, but can improve there. Good rebounder.

Terrific rim protector in the paint, uses length and physical build to his advantage Solid finisher when he gets to his spots, incredibly impactful simply as a compact and strong dunker, has flashes of solid touch on fade-out shots (like hooks and touch shots) Let him work with his back to the basket, can really produce 1v1 with physicals Very loose handle in the paint, off-ball wings strip the ball away from him Bit of a project player (not a prospect I typically like), has some raw mechanics he needs to polish in order to get real minutes at the next level Played a minimal role for FC Barcelona, just didn’t contribute enough offensively at a versatility standpoint Definitely not a shooter, barely leaves the paint like it’s a prison, ineffective when he does try to rise and shoot Like I said, versatility isn’t his strong suit. Very straight-forward game, dunk, finish, block, can’t guard outside the ⅘ outside the paint Interior presence with bulky body, tough to get around Doesn’t move necessarily well for a revolutionized NBA big man game, a bit too traditional (think how irrelevant Andre Drummond - the best rebounder in the league, is today) Solid, wide screenes Effective rebounder down low, block his man out with his butt down and low, his arms full length. Rises so easily with two hands Effective player in the pnr, get him in a catch-and-finish situation Worked so much as a screener in Barcelona tried to get others involved Real lob and putback threat when considering his tools, gets up really high, tough target to miss up high Small height wise for a big Had this interesting play against Real Madrid where he completely blocked out his defender to help his teammate drive with a free lane. Seems simple enough, but really impacted the game. Would like him to use that play at the next level. Effective blocking out Can be a bit too handsy and grabby at times, not trusting his presence as a rim protector Not necessarily a post playmaker, like to create form himself once in the paint with little hooks and float shots Not dominant against those bulkier bigs. A guy like Trayce Jackson-Davis would lock him down Really wanted to get out there and work for Barcelona, always active Aware off-ball, looking for a block Minutes were valuable to the team if he scored or not, contributed and worked his tail off Contests with verticality, good defensive posture Bit overwhelmed guarding the pnr