Big Board Rankings

Strengths

• "Strong

• mobile center who finishes above the rim with ease off two feet. Vertical spacer thanks to his hands and leaping ability. Tremendous offensive rebounder thanks to his quickness

• strength and bounce."

• "Excellent finisher with soft hands that catch tough passes

• a pillowy touch around the rim

• and the quick-leaping ability to score with power."

• "Good post scorer. He does a nice job of getting into position by sealing off defenders. Once he gets the ball

• he displays flashes of advanced ability with spins

• drop steps

• and fakes."

• "Handles the ball like a wing. He has a quick first step with an arsenal of moves

• including crossovers and rip-throughs

• that he uses to get to the rim. But he doesn’t overdo it; he makes good decisions and plays within himself."

• "He makes slick passes

• loves to throw outlets

• and passes well out of the post. He needs to make quicker reads off rolls to the rim and from the perimeter

• but he’s in a good place at his age."

• "Does the little things: He hustles

• screens well

• rebounds all over the floor

• and makes clutch plays."

• "Excellent pick-and-roll defender. He’s mobile and versatile

• able to drop

• switch

• or hedge. When he’s protecting the rim in either pick-and-roll or help situations

• his positioning

• timing

• and instincts lead to effective shot alterations. He’s usually in the right spot

• which is rare for a player his age."

• "Quick

• nimble feet with the ability to defend from the post to the perimeter"

• "Good scoring and finishing ability

• particularly around the rim; advanced post moves with a knack for carving out just enough space to thrive

• even against bigger defenders"

• "Has good touch as a passer and soft hands

• allowing him to succeed in tight spaces and excel in pick-and-roll situations"

• "Incredible shot-blocker with good timing; knows how to leverage his body to affect shots"

Areas to Improve

• "Has some struggles with more traditional centers given his size at 6-9. Not the most physical post defender. Generally plays hard but had some no-show energy games."

• "Inconsistent shooting mechanics from the field and the line. He’ll have some bad misses

• though his inside touch offers optimism for improvement."

• "He’s quiet and doesn’t communicate much on defense either. As a rim protector

• he needs to be more talkative to help the defense stay connected."

• "Chases blocks. Bites on too many fakes inside."

• "He’s slightly undersized for a center at 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan. He also needs to get significantly stronger to contain elite post-up bigs like Joel Embiid."

• "3-point shooting is not in his arsenal

• though free throw percentages and shooting touch could portend well for that area of his game to develop"

• "Fouled out thrice in 28 games as a freshman; sometimes over-eager to use his shot-blocking ability

• leading to too many fouls

• biting on up-fakes and being undisciplined"

• "Slightly undersized for a modern-day big at 6-foot-9 especially given he will likely be a true post and pigeon-holed into one position in the NBA

• though his reported 7-foot-1 wingspan helps. Adding weight to his frame and physically maturing (and his long

• wiry arms) will help him overcome that physical disadvantage"

Traits

Scouting Sources

"Mike Schmitz", "Kevin O''Conner", "CBS Sports"