SDH Presents from DraftExpress.com: Norman Powell 2014-15 NCAA Preseason Scouting Video

Check out this great +NCAA preseason scouting video, courtesy of +DraftExpress, breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of UCLA senior guard Norman Powell.  Catch more great highlight videos from +DraftExpress along with interviews as well scouting reports of both current and future +NBA stars right here on +Slap Dog Hoops.   Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below.  It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks! 

SDH Presents from DraftExpress.com: Kyle Anderson Draft Combine Interview

Kyle Anderson talks about his preparation for the 2014 NBA Draft and why his game will translate to the NBA.  Catch more great highlight videos from +DraftExpress along with interviews as well scouting reports of future +NBA stars right here on +Slap Dog Hoops.   Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below.  It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!

SDH Presents from DraftExpress.com: Jordan Adams 2014 Scouting Video

Ranked outside the top-50 by most high school recruiting services, Jordan Adams was not projected to have a major impact early on at UCLA. Nevertheless, he exceeded expectations and could very well have been considered the most productive member of a class that included top-10 recruits Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson, averaging 15 points per game as a freshman. Adams had an even better sophomore campaign, emerging as one of the best scorers in college basketball, being both extremely prolific (23 points per-40, 9th among Top-100 prospects) and efficient (60% TS%, 15th best) in the way he put points up on the board. Adams is slightly undersized for a shooting guard at around 6-5, but makes up for that with an extremely long wingspan and a strong frame that he will need to continue to tone. He's not a great athlete in terms of sheer quickness or explosiveness, but finds a way to be productive thanks to terrific scoring instincts and strong anticipation skills.

Adams scored his points in a variety of ways this season, be it in transition, posting up, moving without the ball, coming off screens, or making spot-up jumpers. Mostly a straight line ball-handler, Adams can overpower opponents en route to the rim and is able to absorb contact and finish strong using his length, strength and creativity, despite not possessing great athleticism. He ranks as one of the better finishers inside the paint among wing players in this draft, converting an outstanding 64% of his attempts around the basket. He also gets to the free throw line at a solid rate (7 times per-40), and knocks down 84% of his attempts once there. In perpetual motion offensively, Adams has a knack for finding scoring angles instinctively, and will regularly back-door his opponent with a well-timed cut to get an easy look at the rim. He's also a prolific rim-runner, despite not being overly fast, knowing when to leak out in transition and scoring a significant amount of his points there (27% of offense—Synergy) at a relatively efficient clip.

Adams' tremendous anticipation skills really shine through with his work on the offensive glass. He ranks first by a wide margin among DX Top-100 shooting guards with the 2.5 offensive rebounds per-40 minutes he averages. Not a prolific ball-handler (just 8% of his offense this season came in pick and roll or isolation situations), Adams lacks great pure explosiveness, and doesn't do a great job of changing speeds or directions with the ball either. He's also not a great off the dribble shooter, making just 29% of his attempts this season (8/29), as he lacks the speed or leaping ability to create separation from his defender and get his jumper off effectively. For that reason, Adams' ability to space the floor will likely be a major key to any success he finds at the NBA level. He was somewhat streaky in that area in his two seasons in college, making 36% of his catch and shoot attempts as a sophomore and 32% as a freshman. Adams has a quick release and consistent mechanics, even if he tends to pull his head back and get sloppy with his follow through at times, which hurts his accuracy. Better shot-selection should help, as he's a bit of a gunner at times, but his scoring instincts leave a lot of room for optimism regarding how his shooting will evolve in time.

Defensively, Adams is a real mixed bag. On one hand he ranks among the most prolific ball-thieves in college basketball, averaging 3.5 steals per-40 minutes, tied with Fuquan Edwin and Marcus Smart for #1 in this draft class. He's got long arms, quick hands and terrific instincts for knowing when to swipe at the ball to poke it away from opponents, and also excellent anticipation skills for getting in the passing lanes and igniting the break. On the other hand, Adams' fundamentals are fairly poor, as he's rarely in an actual stance, gets lost off the ball frequently, and gambles incessantly. His lateral quickness is average at best, and his effort-level leaves a lot to be desired at times as well. He'll have to improve his intensity level and focus to make up for his lack of athleticism on this end of the floor, even if his length and instincts give him a chance to develop if he's willing to put the effort in.

Getting on a real strength and conditioning program and improving his body will go a long ways in maximizing his physical tools. He looked extremely out of shape to start his sophomore season, and even if he slimmed down as the year moved on, NBA teams could have some concerns due to his thick body type which looks prone to gaining weight in the off-season and could make him susceptible to injuries. With that said, he's one of the youngest players in this draft class, not turning 20 until July, so time is certainly on his side in that regard.  

How about you?  What do you think? Does this guy have the goods to be a top pick in the NBA Draft?  Catch more great highlight videos from +DraftExpress along with interviews as well scouting reports of future +NBA stars right here on +Slap Dog Hoops.   Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below.  It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
   

SDH Presents from DraftExpress.com: Kyle Anderson 2014 Scouting Report

Kyle Anderson has excellent size at 6-9 in shoes with a mammoth 7-2 ½ wingspan. Despite playing point guard for much of the season, Anderson is big enough to defend most NBA power forwards, which gives him very unique versatility the right coach can tap into. Anderson's size made him an incredible mismatch at the college level, as he was simply bigger, longer and/or more skilled than virtually any player he matched up with all season. He sees over the top of defenses from the perimeter, a huge boon with his tremendous court vision, can take a smaller opponent down to the post, and can shoot over the top of virtually any matchup thanks to his extremely high release point. His unique skill-set changes the other team's game-plan, as he needs to be guarded by a player much taller than your traditional point guard.

What makes Anderson truly special is his prodigious passing ability, which made him one of the most entertaining players to watch in all of college basketball. He led all prospects in our Top-100 rankings in assists at 7.4 per-40 minutes pace adjusted, the highest rate of any player that size in our database since Evan Turner, Luke Walton, and John Salmons. Anderson is a terrific ball-handler who can pass with either hand and shows amazing creativity with the ball in his hands. He is extremely unselfish, making pinpoint passes right into his teammates' shooting pocket, spotting up on the wing or running ahead in transition (see video below). Anderson had the fourth highest Pure Point Rating and fifth highest assist to turnover of any player in our Top-100 prospect rankings, and was a major reason why UCLA had the 13th most efficient offense in all of college basketball this season with him running the show. Anderson's size, length, anticipation skills and feel for the game really show up with the way he crashes the defensive glass. He pulled down 8.6 defensive rebounds per-40 minutes pace adjusted this season, which is the sixth highest rate of any of the players in our Top-100 prospect rankings. He's got great instincts for pursuing loose balls, which comes in very handy with his ability to ignite fast breaks and make plays for teammates.

Anderson was a much improved shooter in his sophomore season, upping his 3-point percentage from 21% as a freshman to 48% this year. The sample size leaves something to be desired, as he only attempted 58 total threes in 36 games (under one make per game), but the improvement is certainly worth noting. Anderson can get his shot off as noted thanks to his tremendous size and high release point, which is very important considering how long it takes him to get the ball out of his hands. He was very effective in catch and shoot situations this season (21/41, 51%), as he's no longer a guy you can leave wide open, but again the small sample size leaves a lot to be desired. Anderson actually took twice as many shots off the dribble this season (84) as he did with his feet set, and was nearly just as effective (48%). His release is very deliberate here as well, but the extra fade he adds to it allows him to create the separation he needs to get his shot off. How effectively Anderson will be able to extend his shooting range to the NBA 3-point line will be one of the biggest keys in his transition to the pro level. His shot looks somewhat flat at times and there are question marks about how his extremely slow release will affect his accuracy playing against bigger, quicker and longer opponents.

Anderson played almost exclusively at point guard this season, which is something any NBA team considering picking him will need to discuss with their coaching staff. Will he be given the freedom to operate with the ball in his hands as much as he did in college? And if not, how will he fare? There's little doubt that Anderson is at his best when playing on the ball, but there are serious question marks about whether he'll be able to do so at the pro level. Anderson's “slo-mo” nickname wasn't given by accident, as he indeed lacks much in the way of the quickness or explosiveness you typically associate with NBA guards. His first step is average in the half-court, as he relies heavily on his terrific timing, ball-handling and hesitation moves to create an advantage, something that can be negated by better defenders. Will his passing ability be as effective if he's unable to get by opponents at quite the same rate?

He was fairly ineffective in open-court situations at the college level, only getting out 55 times all season as the transition ball-handler, and struggling badly when he did, scoring just 36 points and making 39% of his field goal attempts. His inability to play above the rim consistently hurts him here, as it does in the half-court as well. He made just 48% of his 2-point attempts on the season, which ranks 63rd among the 76 college players currently in our Top-100 rankings. As good of a passer as Anderson is, he was also one of the most turnover prone players in this draft class at the same time, ranking fifth in our Top-100 in turnover percentage (second among projected first rounders.) He's a little nonchalant with the ball at times, making some careless passes, and his size allows smaller players to get underneath him and take the ball away.

With that said, the biggest questions surrounding Anderson's pro potential revolve around his play on the defensive end, specifically, who he will be able to guard at the NBA level. While Anderson's length and anticipation skills allow him to generate plenty of blocks and steals, his lateral quickness is as poor as any player in this draft class. He's extremely upright in his defensive stance, and he allows opposing players to blow right by him like he's simply invisible at times. Because of his struggles getting low and staying in front of opponents, reaching for steals is usually Anderson's most effective strategy, something NBA teams are certain to go after and try to exploit regularly. In college his coaches would often try to “hide him” by putting him on big men or non-scorers, which might not work quite as well in the more physically gifted and talented NBA.

Anderson is clearly one of the most unique prospects in this draft, a player with incredible gifts, but also some very glaring weaknesses. Ultimately whatever team drafts him will have to be comfortable with what he is and isn't, and be willing to work around his shortcomings. Some of that will come down to Anderson's willingness to adapt his style of play. He has been told his whole life that he is a point guard and a point guard only, while his family members have been very open publicly about the fact that that's the only position he's capable of playing.

How about you?  What do you think? Does this guy have the goods to be a sleeper pick in the NBA Draft?   See what the folks of +DraftExpress have to say and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops.  Be sure to stay tuned to SDH in the coming weeks as I will be recapping, reviewing and ranking the performances of all thirty teams in the Association in my Worst to First Countdown.  

SDH Presents from DraftExpress.com: Zach LaVine 2014 Scouting Video

The appeal around LaVine revolves heavily around his tremendous athleticism, as he's one of the most explosive open court dunkers in college basketball. He's an amazing leaper off one foot, and also possesses a dynamic first step and great quickness in the open floor. LaVine will likely test about as well as any player athletically at the NBA Combine, which undoubtedly gives him significant potential to continue to improve as his career moves on. LaVine is also an impressive shot-maker, sporting unorthodox mechanics but looking very confident in his shooting stroke, be it with his feet set, pulling up off the dribble, or even coming off screens. The ball comes out of his hand very smoothly and he has deep range and a quick release on his jumper.

LaVine started off the season in very impressive fashion, making 42 of his 97 3-point attempts (43%) in the first three and a half months, but then tallied off quite a bit in his final month in college, making just 6 of his last 31 attempts (19%), which brought down his season percentage to a still decent 37.5%. Besides making spot-up jumpers and coming off screens, LaVine's only other real source of offensive production comes in transition, where he sees a significant share of his possessions. His terrific quickness allows him to leak out and make impressive plays in the open floor, and he's quite a handful to deal with in early-offense situations when opposing defenses aren't set thanks to his tremendous burst and leaping ability.

Where LaVine struggled this season was when he was forced to take more responsibility upon himself and create offense in the half-court in pick and roll or one on one situations. He's just an average ball-handler, as he doesn't do a great job of reading defenses and playing at different speeds, and struggles badly finishing through contact around the basket, particularly with his left hand. LaVine made just 17 shots around the basket in the half-court this season in 37 games, and did so inefficiently at that, only hitting 45% of his attempts in these situations. He only got to the free throw line 2.8 times per-40 minutes pace adjusted, which rates dead last among all college players in our Top-100 prospect rankings.

LaVine's feel for the game and decision making skills leave a lot to be desired at this point in time, as his shot-selection can be very poor and he has a difficult time making the simple play at times. His propensity for settling for long 2-point jumpers hurts his efficiency, and he doesn't do a great job of creating for teammates, as all his passing metrics are poor even for a wing prospect. He generates an assist for a teammate on just 13% of his possessions (18th best of the 22 SGs in our Top-100), and dished out 2.8 assists per-40 pace adjusted, which also ranks similarly among SG prospects.To his credit, LaVine does a good job of not turning the ball over too often, coughing the ball up on 12% of his possessions (11th best of the 22 SGs in our Top-100), which helped him post an acceptable PPR (.21) and assist to turnover ratio (1.57). When LaVine puts the ball on the floor, it's mostly to shoot a pull-up jumper, which helps him keep the turnovers to a minimum. Somewhere along the line a narrative developed about LaVine possibly projecting as a point guard down the road, but after watching him in high school and at UCLA, it's difficult to see where that came from.

LaVine's lack of strength plays a significant role in his issues creating shots inside the paint and converting around the rim, but he will have to improve his toughness as well. He tends to shy away from contact, something that shows up noticeably on the other end of the floor too, where he struggles badly. LaVine is simply not a good defender at this point in time. He has quick feet and hands, but is not fundamentally sound, rarely getting in an actual defensive stance and showing average intensity at best. Sporting average size, length and strength, LaVine will have to improve his toughness and effort level in the NBA to not emerge as a liability on this end of the floor. Something that will work in LaVine's favor in the draft is his youth, as he just turned 19 last March, and is thus one of the youngest players in this draft class. He should improve on some of his weaknesses as his body matures and he gains more experience.

LaVine is nowhere close to being able to contribute to a NBA team at this point, but with his athleticism and shooting ability, someone in the latter part of the first round might decide to roll the dice on him and see if they can mold him into a useful player down the road, similar to what Oklahoma City is attempting to do with Jeremy Lamb thanks to their D-League team.  How about you?  What do you think? Does this guy have the goods to be a sleeper pick in the NBA Draft?   See what the folks of +DraftExpress have to say and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops.  Be sure to stay tuned to SDH in the coming weeks as I will be recapping, reviewing and ranking the performances of all thirty teams in the Association in my Worst to First Countdown.  

SDH Presents 2014 March Madness Recap: UCLA Can't Handle Florida

UCLA head coach Steve Alford discusses the Bruins' tournament exit.  Watch more extensive post game coverage on March Madness and catch more great interviews and coverage from both the +NCAA and +NBA right here on +Slap Dog Hoops.  Be sure to stay tuned to SDH in the coming weeks as I will be recapping, reviewing and ranking the performances of all thirty teams in the Association in my Worst to First Countdown.