NBA Draft 2014 Scouting Reports
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SCOUTING NBA 2014 DRAFT PROFILES Binuk Kodituwakku [email protected] Binuk Kodituwakku NBA Scouting Reports [email protected] Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................... 2 Aaron Gordon .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Adreian Payne ................................................................................................................................................. 6 Andrew Wiggins............................................................................................................................................... 9 Gary Harris ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 Jabari Parker .................................................................................................................................................. 16 James Young .................................................................................................................................................. 19 Joel Embiid .................................................................................................................................................... 22 Julius Randle .................................................................................................................................................. 26 Marcus Smart ................................................................................................................................................ 29 Nik Stauskas .................................................................................................................................................. 33 Noah Vonleh .................................................................................................................................................. 36 Zach Lavine .................................................................................................................................................... 39 1 Binuk Kodituwakku NBA Scouting Reports [email protected] Abstract These scouting reports were made after carefully watching these 12 prospects throughout the season. Their development was monitored and tracked. All these observations are exclusively mine. After reading an interview with Indiana Pacers Scout Kevin Mackey, I focused on the following skills and assessed how a player will be able to translate their ability in these areas to the NBA: 1. Shooting 2. Ability to get open 3. Rebounding 4. Passing 5. Handle These profiles are intended to be used in addition to advanced metrics. The reason I did not include any advanced stats is because teams emphasize importance on different metrics because of their roster construction. These profiles provide an insight into the basketball skills of these prospects from a scouting perspective. An ideal scouting report would add the specific advanced metrics that teams are looking for to the scouting perspective. Finally, I only focused on 12 prospects because I wanted to provide in-depth analysis and I did not watch enough games of other prospects to analyze them with the desired level of detail. 2 Binuk Kodituwakku NBA Scouting Reports [email protected] Aaron Gordon Basic Stats 6’9 and 220 pounds 6’11.75 wingspan Season Averages: 12.4 Points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Assists and 1 Block. Field Goal Percentage – 49.5% 3 Point Field Goal Percentage – 35.6% (45 shots) Free Throw Percentage – 42.2% 33 Inch Standing Vertical 39 Inch Maximum Vertical 10.81 seconds for lane agility test (fastest of any Power Forward at the combine) Fastest shuttle run at combine 2.76 seconds, measuring ability to change direction Offensive Strengths Summary Explosive finisher Has ability to hit 3 pointer Shown glimpses of post moves against smaller defenders Fights for second chance points Sets good screens Can get to the rim from top of the key consistently Passes well out of the post Explanation Gordon is an explosive player, with very good finishing ability at the rim on penetrations. He fights for second chance points but his rebounding ferocity is not as evident as other prospects in this class. He has the ability to hit a 3, although his shooting stroke is not consistent. Has shown glimpses of post moves but they have largely been on smaller opponents that he has been able to bully. Has shown nice vision from the post. He can get to the basket in a matter of steps when he gets the ball at the top of the key and this is where he is most comfortable, despite the fact that he sits out on the perimeter far too often. Gordon sets good screens, both high and low. He is a very raw offensive prospect. Offensive Weaknesses Summary No post moves Doesn’t establish post position early Easily contained Can’t beat defenders off the dribble Ball handling skills Easily boxed out Struggles grasping the ball Free throw shooting 3 Binuk Kodituwakku NBA Scouting Reports [email protected] Explanation Gordon does not have the post skills to play power forward in the NBA at this stage. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the speed or ball handling ability to play the small forward position. Gordon was far too comfortable sitting out on the perimeter rather than establishing low post position. Gordon is generally easily contained on penetrations and he can’t consistently beat defenders off the dribble. He is also prone to losing the ball or travelling on penetrations. Even when Gordon does get into the post, his first instinct is to put the ball on the floor and face up. He needs to desperately work on post moves. He struggles to grasp the ball, he has the smallest hand length (8.75 inches) of all the power forward/centers measured at the combine. Gordon has to get into better offensive rebounding positions as he is easily boxed out at this stage. Finally, Gordon needs to improve his free throw shooting, 42% is a liability in the NBA. Defensive Strengths Summary Length Ability to recover and make plays Good work ethic Willing to take charges Quick to switch Can contain bigger bodied perimeter players. Explanation Length and athleticism make Gordon a tantalizing defensive prospect. He has the potential be a very good rim protector. He has shown the ability to recover on opponents that have blown past him to block shots. He doesn’t give up on plays, even when he is beaten. His ability to quickly change directions helps him to recover. He is very quick to roll over to help and to make switches. He does a good job containing the penetration of bigger bodied players (3s and stretch 4s), they find it very difficult to get passed Gordon’s quick feet. Finally, he is not afraid of contact and puts his body on the line to take charges. Defensive Weaknesses Summary Poor rebounding positioning Boxing out Can’t contain smaller players Speed in transition is questionable Post Defense Explanation Gordon does not box out well at all and his poor positioning costs him a lot of rebounds. A lot of his rebounds in college were a result of his athleticism, he won’t be able to do this as much in the NBA. Although he is athletic, he can appear cumbersome when trying to guard smaller players and they often blow by him. He needs to improve his footwork in the post, he is prone to standing up too 4 Binuk Kodituwakku NBA Scouting Reports [email protected] early and giving away fouls. He needs to make sure that when he is defending he is well balanced, he often guards the perimeter too upright. Also he isn’t very quick in transition defense. Athletic Attributes Summary Explosive with a great vertical leap Quick feet Good lateral quickness Good ability to change direction Relatively small hand span Slow in transition Explanation Gordon is an explosive athlete and his athletic traits have been discussed above. However he can’t rely on athleticism in the NBA and he needs to begin working on his fundamentals as soon as possible. Character Assessment Explanation Described as being of the highest character by Scott Miller. Gordon was never pushed to become a basketball player and had no pressure on him from his family. In fact, he played ice hockey growing up. Has never been affected by the media attention and has dealt with it very well. 5 Binuk Kodituwakku NBA Scouting Reports [email protected] Adreian Payne Basic Stats 6’10 and 245 pounds 7’4 Wingspan (3rd at combine) Season Averages: 16.4 Points, 7.3 Rebounds, 1.3 Assists and 0.9 Blocks Field Goal Percentage – 50.3% 3 Point Field Goal Percentage – 42.3% Free Throw Percentage – 79% Offensive Strengths Summary Has 3 point range Can drive to the rim with either hand Gets post position Aggressive rebounder Can finish with contact Explanation Payne has the offensive attributes of a prototypical stretch 4. He can hit an open 3 pointer and is very good at hitting 3 pointers when he is trailing the ball carrier. Due to his long stride he can get to the rim very quickly and he can finish well with contact. He can penetrate with both hands. Needs to penetrate quickly because if he dribbles too much on the perimeter he loses possession. As a senior, his body is physically mature. He can establish good post position and has good vision in the post. He is also a very aggressive rebounder and