NBA Scouting Reports, Northwest Division (Part One)

Overview: An elite offensive talent who will go down as one of the best offensive players of his generation. Possesses excellent size and strength for a small forward, to the point that he can legitimately play the four for stretches. Shows a very quick and powerful first step and great leaping ability. Not an incredibly high leaper, but gets off the floor quickly and has a great second bounce. Doesn’t always run the floor as hard as he’s capable of. An extremely versatile scorer. Will take his man off the dribble and knock down the mid-to-long-range jump shot against slower defenders or go to work in the post against smaller ones. Doesn’t always have the best shot selection, but is one of the most prolific scorers in the League. Rebounds the ball at a very good rate for his position. Won’t make much of an effort defensively. Was arguably the highest touted recruit in the country coming out of Oak Hill Academy. Had one of the best freshman seasons in NCAA history. Led Syracuse to the NCAA Championship in 2003. Was a steal for Denver at the third overall selection. Has been one of the elite offensive players in the NBA from his rookie season. Two time All-Star with many, many more to come. Has found himself in the news periodically for various off the court issues. Needs to dedicate himself defensively, continue to work on his conditioning and improve his commitment to playing winning basketball to solidify his legacy as one of the greats.

Offense: Gets roughly half of his touches from a combination of isolations, post ups and fast breaks, but scores most of his points in two distinct ways: dunking and taking shots from just inside NBA three-point range. Possesses both great finishing ability and an impressive outside shooting stroke. Has a very quick release and elevates over defenders effortlessly to get off shots while defended. Releases the ball quickly, and fades away naturally, making his shot very difficult to block. Ability to get his shot off in any situation leads him to take shots that most players wouldn’t be able to. Not as strong a three point threat, although has improved that part of his game recently. Capable of hitting shots off the dribble, but he has a tendency to fall in love at times with these low percentage shots. Shows very impressive ball handling ability for a player his size. Uses as many jabs or dribbles as he needs to set his man up. Able to drive in either direction, but is more effective going left. Uses a lot of in and out moves to set his defender up before lowering his shoulder and powering to the rim. Likes to initiate contact and move his defender rather than turning the corner. Will post up in the midrange, and tends to go to his post game when he feels he can take advantage of his matchup. Has some very impressive post moves. Likes to take one dribble left into his defender and then spin back to the right and shoot. Draws a lot of fouls in that fashion. Gets the vast majority of his touches on the left block, allowing him to avoid help defenders when making that spin. Will work off his right shoulder periodically, using a drop step to gather himself before elevating for a jumper. Tends to use his power moves to get into traffic to draw fouls. Shoots a high volume of free throws, and knocks them down at a good rate. Takes on a very high degree of difficulty with some of the shots he takes. Not great at moving without the ball in half court sets, but will float to the rim when his man helps off him. Leaks out in transition to get easier looks at the rim. Will try to dunk everything at the rim. Capable of finishing with contact, but usual finds himself with a lot of room to work at the basket. Often the beneficiary of good dump-off passes by his teammates. Doesn’t bring much to the table as a passer, and simply isn’t going to give the ball up in most situations. Will turn the ball over a few times in the course of the game since he tends to over-dribble at times and will make some bad decisions when he tries to move the ball when he gets cut off. One of the league leaders in turnovers per game annually. Contributes on the offensive glass by grabbing quite a few of his own misses, but doesn’t crash the boards when he’s out on the perimeter. Doesn’t play the most fundamental offensive game, preferring to play one-on-one and take tough shots, but is surprisingly efficient nonetheless.

Defense: Offers very little on the defensive end. Doesn’t hustle back on defense, and is often one of the last players back. Can stay in front of good ball handlers for a time, but isn’t able to change directions quickly when he’s forced to move laterally. Closes out too high, making it easy for slower defenders to move past him to the rim. Will sell out on steal attempts. Takes a lot of risks to force turnovers. Will bait players into making bad passes, but is a defensive liability on the perimeter. Has the strength to be a solid post defender, but tends to just foul shooters rather than try to defend their shots. Will get in foul trouble from time to time for this reason. Starting to spend more time defending the paint, leading to improved production as a rebounder. Will get down and box out, but not always. Pursues the ball off the rim, and shows great anticipation and explosiveness when cleaning the glass. Needs to show better defensive intensity and discipline.

Overview: A veteran point guard that can be productive as a shooter and initiate an offense. Lacks great size and strength for the point guard spot. Physical stature has limited his durability to an extent. Shows tremendous lateral quickness and speed. Not much of a leaper. Does most of his damage as a shooter, but can also offer value as a pseudo point guard due to his especially low number of turnovers. Doesn’t offer much in the way of playmaking ability and is limited defensively. Had a very productive four year career at South Florida. Used to be looser with the ball and adapted his game to make himself a legitimate NBA player. Was quite a scorer at the college level. Has always been known for his shooting. Played overseas and in the minor leagues before getting a chance in the NBA. Can be a nice role player when healthy and surrounded by the right teammates. Has played all over the NBA map due to his ability to his fit on most rosters and his affordable contract. Has often played the role of stop-gap on teams in rebuilding cycles.

Offense: Gets roughly half of his touches as a spot up shooter with another third coming off of pick and rolls and fast breaks. Has a very consistent shooting stroke. Takes a high volume three-pointers in comparison to shots inside the arc. Won’t shoot a great percentage, but is very good at hitting his open shots from distance. Doesn’t get much elevation and likes to step into his shot, making him efficient exclusively when he is open. Won’t show much ball handling ability, and prefers to be sound rather than aggressive. Capable of hitting shots off the dribble, but that isn’t his game. Functions as a catch and shoot guy. Does a good job running the pick and roll, and shows solid decision-making. Doesn’t do a lot of playmaking, but finds the open man. Won’t turn the ball over very often. Isn’t going to go to the rim often or head to the line at a high rate. Knocks down his foul shots as a solid clip late in games. Can be a nice asset off the bench on a team that needs a ball handler in spot-situations and has other playmakers on the perimeter.

Defense: Recent hernia issues have limited his quickness, rendering his defensive ability suspect. Possesses great quickness when healthy, and does a nice job sticking to his man. Lacks the size to fight through picks, but is often quick enough to avoid them. Isn’t able to contest shots. Lack of size hurts him dearly when closing out. Can be a liability against taller point guards. Won’t take many risks or accumulate many steals. Will track down long rebounds, but offers nothing else on the glass. Used to have the quickness to compensate for his size in some ways. Becomes a major liability when hurt.

Overview: A pure point guard who isn’t a threat offensively and is essentially a defensive specialist. Isn’t all that big or strong. Possesses above average lateral quickness, but modest leaping ability. Gets as much out of his physical tools as anyone. Isn’t going to do much dribbling or shooting. Will get called on to stop some of the best point guards in the game. Has made a career out of a few very good defensive games. Won’t shut down anyone anymore, but will make them work for what they get. Plays very differently than he did in college. Attended Saddleback CC for two seasons before finishing his college career at Hawai’i. Was always great defensively, but was a prolific scorer as a collegiate. Played extremely aggressively and turned the ball over at an incredible rate in the process. Caught on in the NBA after a year in the minors. Not nearly as reckless with the ball as he used to be. Can be a nice role player on teams that need defense and have shooters playing off the ball. Probably best suited to come off the bench.

Offense: Not a very effective offensive player. Gets most of his offense as a spot up shooter and in transition. Takes an incredibly small amount of shots for how much playing time he receives. Has decent form, but uses arm strength to compensate for the fact that he doesn’t shoot at the peak of his jump. Has developed his range, but simply isn’t a good catch and shoot player from the outside. Can make shots occasionally from mid-range off the dribble. Decent ball handler. Capable of getting to the rim when his defender is off balance. Not explosive enough to be a good finisher, tends to avoid driving to the rim. Shows some nice moves in the midrange, including a show-and-go turnaround jumper that allows him to get space. Doesn’t possess the touch to capitalize on many of the chances that he creates for himself. Has cut down on his turnovers significantly. Shows better decision making in transition and pick and roll situations. Not a great drive and dish guy, but capable. Knows where his teammates like to receive the ball and delivers. Not a great option offensively, but fits well next to two elite scoring threats.

Defense: A very dedicated and talented player defensively. Possesses great lateral quickness, and does a very nice job staying in front of his man. Will make the effort to turn ball handlers when applying full court pressure. Has good size for a player with his lateral quickness. Can guard most point guards effectively. Doesn’t have the size to defend shooting guards, but is asked to periodically anyway. Shows great footwork when closing out, and isn’t easily beaten to the rim when he’s recovering to the ball. Will get a hand up on shooters, but isn’t tall enough to contest the shots of his teammates’ matchups. Displays extremely quick hands and good anticipation when going for steals. Can spark the fast break with his ability to force turnovers. Commits smart fouls, and would rather tie his man up than sell out his teammates when beat. Matches nice physical tools and a great mentality to be an effective defensive role player.

Overview: A long, athletic center who never quite lived up to his offensive potential, but is a nice defensive-minded backup. Possesses great length and size for the center spot. Shows good quickness and explosiveness. Not strong enough to maintain position against bigger players. Doesn’t offer much offensively, but can have nice games when he has a favorable matchup. Makes his money as a shot blocker. Has been essentially the same type of player since his days at DePaul. Spent only two years in college before making the leap to the NBA. Was picked almost exclusively on potential, and didn’t put up big numbers as a collegiate.

Offense: Gets most of his points off of hustle. Runs the floor extremely fast for a player his size. Has some very impressive tools, but never seems to put them together. Will hit a midrange jumper once in a blue moon. Has a slow release, and shoots the ball on the way down, but doesn’t have much trouble getting it off due to his size. Doesn’t show much back to the basket game because he sets up so far off the block he has no choice but to take a turnaround jumper. Won’t get low to fight for position. Has a decent right handed hook shot, but it’s not smooth enough and he lacks the proper touch for it to be consistently effective. Faces up more than half of the time he gets the ball with his back to the basket. Has a surprising solid handle, but is too tall to avoid turning the ball over. Does most of his damage by using his athleticism, not his skills. Gets a lot of easy baskets by cutting to the rim and working off of his teammates. Not a great finisher due to his lack of touch at the rim, but capable. Will dunk whenever he can, but shies away from contact. Still goes to the line at a decent rate, but shoots a bad percentage. Decent offensive rebounder due to his leaping ability and length. Doesn’t use leverage to compensate for his lack of strength. Will shows some unusual skills for a seven footer, but lacks the focus, footwork, strength, basketball IQ and touch to utilize them.

Defense: A talented shot blocker who shies away from physical play on the block. Will get taken advantage of by players who thrive on bullying their way to the rim. Lacks bulk and doesn’t use leverage to compensate for it. Gets his hands on a lot of shots by virtue of his length and athleticism. Has the lateral quickness to defend the midrange, but has very poor footwork and plays off balance. Will get caught up in screens and doesn’t have the ability to fight through them. Doesn’t have great awareness. Contests some shots, but is actually rather poor at rotating over from the weakside. Doesn’t box out well either. Bites on too many fakes. Needs to learn to get low and play with leverage.

Overview: Probably the most unique talent the NBA has ever seen. Lacks great size for either guard spot. Has a big wingspan and is wiry-strong. One of the quickest players in the League. Very fast and agile. Not the leaper he once was, but still explosive. Impossible to keep out of the lane. Possesses tremendous ball handling ability and a legendary crossover. Will make ridiculous shots on a nightly basis. Finds ways to score. Has the raw ability to make plays for others at times, but much more comfortable creating for himself. Scores at will from the midrange despite his size. One of the peskiest defenders in the NBA when he wants to be, which isn’t that often these days. Has always had a knack for scoring. Came out of high school as a touted basketball and football player. Was a dominant force in the Big East Conference from day one. Garnered the Big East Rookie of the Year award as a freshman and Defensive Player of the Year honors in both of his collegiate season. Was selected with the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. Transitioned seamlessly into the NBA. Earned the NBA Rookie of the Year award with his prolific scoring. Has become a legend, ranking among the all-time greats in points and steals. Nine time All-Star. Named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2001, becoming the shortest player to do so. Has had his issues off the court. Won’t always see eye-to-eye with coaches, but will give a great effort every time he steps on the floor. Trying to win a championship before his storied career comes to a close.

Offense: One of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. Gets about a quarter of his offense in one-on-one situations, but is also a capable spot up player and runs the pick-and-roll effectively. Possesses an incredibly quick release on his jumper. Gets good elevation and shows the ability to shoot off balance and with a hand in his face. Lacks textbook form, but it has never mattered. Can hit the three, but not with great consistency. Hits a higher percentage of shots when defended than when left open. Not bad on the catch and shoot, but does most of his damage off the dribble. Has one of the best handles in the League. Elite level quickness makes him impossible to keep out of the lane. Changes directions with the ball on a dime. Will turn the corner whenever he wants to. Proves to be a surprisingly good finisher for a player his size. Capable of driving in either direction and is equally apt at going to the rim and pull up for jump shots. Has an array of floaters, scoops, and double pumps that he uses around the cup. Not afraid to attack a bigger defender. Doesn’t seek out contact, but is creative enough to avoid it for the most part. Goes to the line at an incredible rate. Shoots a good percentage once he gets there. Gets shots off from the midrange regardless of who is defending him. Creates separation effortlessly. Loves to play one-on-one. Almost toys with defenders when he gets them alone. Can break them down with crossovers or pull back and shoot right over them. Has that killer instinct that is common in all great scorers. Has the raw ability to play the point guard position, but is much more comfortable looking for his own shot first and foremost. Draws so much attention that his teammates are often left wide open. Court vision allows him to hit the open man when he’s driving to the rim. Commits a lot of turnovers, but not as many as he used to. Will lose the ball when the defense collapses on him due to his lack of size. Makes a killing in transition due to his speed. A lot more efficient than he used to be. One of the hardest players to defend in NBA history. Can score on anyone at any time. Has not had a great deal of team success over the course of his career because he’s a severely undersized shooting guard who is extremely ball-dominant and shot-happy for the most part. Has been criticized for being too selfish at times.

Defense: A great defender when he wants to be, which unfortunately isn’t very often. Lacks the height to be a significant factor contesting shots. Has great lateral quickness, but will get bullied into the paint by stronger guards. Will get caught up in screens a lot and often just lets his man get past him when he’s met with resistance. Not nearly as effective defending shooting guards than he is at defending point guards, which puts his team at a severe disadvantage at times considering that he does not possess a point guard’s mentality offensively. Will be a major factor when he’s making an effort. Changes his stance entirely when he gets serious. Uses his hands as well as any player in the League to get steals. Very quick to the ball when he anticipates a pass. Will close out shooters very hard when its crunch time. Very pesky when he wants to be, which isn’t as often as it once was. Will grab some rebounds, not nearly as active as he could be on the defensive end.

Overview: An offensive specialist who will knock down shots from the perimeter at a solid rate. Has good size and strength for either forward spot, but isn’t incredibly agile. Surprisingly good straight line speed. Doesn’t get by on his physical assets. A very good spot up shooter when he’s on his game. Will put points on the board in a hurry and can get extremely hot. Not a very good defender due to his lack of athleticism. Possesses a very high basketball IQ. Offers some rebounding on both ends. Was a much better rebounder in his college days. Attended Montrose Christian HS, the same school that produced Kevin Durant, but hails from Lithuania. Spent only two seasons at Missouri before declaring for the NBA draft. Put up good numbers, but wasn’t dominant. Has developed his shooting stroke significantly, but remains inconsistent. Something of a streak shooter. Brings a lot to the table as a bench player or spot-starter. Could put up big numbers in the right situation.

Offense: A talented offensive player who gets more than half of his touches in catch and shoot situations. Will also get some easy baskets at the rim due to his willingness to run the floor hard. Possesses a sweet shooting stroke. Will go on very streaks from three point range and is lights out from the corner. Capable of hitting shots off the dribble with good consistency. Takes the ball to the rim when he puts it on the floor. Heavily favors driving with his right hand. Takes a big first step, and attack the rim with reckless abandon when he decides he wants to get there. Doesn’t have the agility to change directions when he’s met with a defender. Will try to dunk the ball in traffic. Gets a lot of dunks on run outs. Always sprints to the offensive end. Not a great leaper, but takes the ball strong to the basket. Goes to the line at a good rate. Shoots a solid percentage from the stripe. Makes smart passes, but doesn’t offer anything in the way of playmaking ability. Handles the ball pretty well with his right hand, but doesn’t go left very often and won’t get separation when he can’t go straight to the rim. Decent on the offensive glass. Will score some points every game due to his high basketball IQ, but will also have some huge nights due to his shooting stroke. Production fluctuates based on shooting trends.

Defense: Plays with good intensity on the defensive end, but isn’t quick enough laterally to make an impact. Does a good job staying in position and doesn’t miss many rotations, but lacks the foot-speed to keep up with the more athletic small forwards in the game. Will get beat of the dribble pretty frequently, and while he is strong enough to keep some players out of the lane, many are capable of blowing by him. He compensates for his lack of quickness by playing off his man, allowing him to take jump shots instead of making him give the ball up. Rebounds the ball at a decent rate, but will leak out rather than helping out on the glass on some occasions. While he is smart enough to know his limitations, he’ll need to shed some weight to become quick enough to be a factor on the defensive end.

Overview: One of the game’s most explosive athletes before his knee surgery. Still very quick on his feet, and maintained his great mobility after his operation. Gets off the floor in the hurry. Possesses good size and strength for a power forward. Attacks the rim relentlessly. Tries to dunk everything, hard. Not a great shooter, but a capable offensive threat. Does a great job rebounding the ball. Does a solid job defensively, but isn’t as effective as he was before his injury. Was an elite level player at Cincinnati. Developed significantly over his four year career, but was always a very good defender. Named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year three times. Was completely dominant as a senior, garnering the National Player of the Year award in his final season with the Bearcats. Selected first overall by the New Jersey Nets in the 2000 NBA Draft. Became an immediate contributor on the NBA level. Plays with tremendous heart and passion. Not the elite level athlete he once was, but still a very effective contributor.

Offense: Gets almost half of his touches as a hustle player, but will find some shots in spot situations and with his back to the basket. Possesses decent touch on his jumper, but shoots with unorthodox form. Starts his shot from just above his forehead, flicking it at the rim rather than flowing through his mechanics and putting touch on the ball. Doesn’t get much arc in his shot leading to some misses, but can hit outside shots nonetheless. Not a good catch and shoot option in terms of efficiency. Does most of his damage at the rim. Works hard off the ball, getting into position for a lot of easy baskets by taking what the defense gives him. Flashes to the rim when he sees space leading to some easy dunks. Likes to punish the rim. Will finish the break with authority. Won’t get a ton of chances in the post, but is capable with his back to the basket. Has a decent right handed hook, but tends to face up most of the times he receives the ball on either block. Tends to be less effective from the left block since he doesn’t finish with his left hand often. Capable of going in either direction when he puts the ball on the floor when facing up. Likes to use jabs and quick dribble moves to attack his defender. Has a nice running hook going right as well as a lightning quick floater off of two feet. Will get tunnel vision at times. Can go left, but will always bring the ball back to his right hand to finish. Not a great ball handler, but can use his dribble to score when he has a lane directly to the rim. Isn’t about to cross anyone over. Gets stripped periodically because he exposes the ball when he goes to the rim. Plays with a lot of aggressiveness, but is more of complementary player.

Defense: A very versatile defender that is capable of defending both the post and perimeter effectively. Has great lateral quickness, showing the ability to keep up with many shooting guards. Slides his feet well, and shows great anticipation when he has to contest a pull up jumper or lay up. Gets in a low stance and very adept at denying his man the ball. Uses his leaping ability to effectively contest every shot his man takes. Has the most active hands of any power forward in the NBA. Swipes at the ball constantly, but doesn’t reach. Is able to play suffocating defense due to his quickness and size. Comes up with quite a few steals. Gets called for some fouls considering how aggressive he is, but that’s part of his game. Does a good job defending the post, using leverage to keep his man from getting position and getting a hand up on most turnaround jumpers. Rebounds the ball at a decent rate and shows a willingness to box out. Will block some shots from the weakside, but is often defending too far from the rim to come over to help a beaten teammate. Brings a lot to the table defensively, but will have to sit down because of foul trouble on some occasions.

Overview: An elite offensive roleplayer who doesn’t offer much outside of his ability to score. Possesses amazing leaping ability and quickness. Doesn’t have great size for the wing, but is strong and athletic enough to get by. Lacks the ball handling ability to dominate a game offensively. More of a spot up shooter. Can be very selfish at times with his shot selection. Doesn’t give much on defense. Was a similar player in high school. Bounced around throughout his prep career, but finished at St. Benedict’s Prep (NJ). Used two MVP performances at the McDonald’s All-American Game and the EA Sports Roundball Classic to propel himself into the middle of the first round. Came in and lit up the scoreboard as a rookie. Has developed into an awesome scoring threat, but hasn’t improved his versatility. Doesn’t bring ideal intangibles to the table, seems to have poor body language, and has developed a reputation for being a bit of a bad apple. Still has a lot of upside, but lacks the mentality to fulfill it. Was traded for pennies on the dollar for this reason, and saw most teams shy away from going after his services in free agency as well.

Offense: Gets the vast majority of his offense off of threes and easy looks at the rim. Almost sixty-percent of his shots are from beyond the arc. Takes and makes more threes per forty minutes than any player in the League. Possesses a tremendous jump shot with textbook form, and has vastly improved the elevation he gets on his release. Becoming more consistent as his career goes on. Functions primarily as a catch and shoot player getting almost half of his offense as a spot up shooter in half court and fast break situations. Can hit shots off the dribble with great range. Will sacrifice his form to get a shot off. Takes a lot of very questionable shots from the midrange. Lacks the ball handling ability to get separation. Likes to go straight to the rim when he puts the ball on the floor. Has vastly improved that area of his game, but has a hard time making moves at full speed. Turns the ball over a ton because of that. Plays well above the rim every chance he gets. Loves to leak out in transition for dunks. Isn’t a great finisher when he’s met with contact and has to alter his path to the rim. Will use some floaters, but gets out of control with some of the shots he takes at the rim. Goes to the line at a decent clip, and shoots a decent percentage. Could go to the line a lot more if he looked to draw contact rather than trying to force shots around defenders. Won’t help out on the offensive glass or make plays for his teammates. Has become a very efficient offensive threat, but still has a lot of work to do on his shot selection, which makes his potential pretty scary.

Defense: Offers essentially nothing as a defender. Doesn’t get in a low stance, and stays tall, allowing significantly less athletic players to beat him off the dribble. Tends to watch the ball, losing his man, putting himself out of position, and failing to recover. Lack of awareness leads to a lot of open looks for whoever he is defending. Will actually make a pretty impressive effort to help his teammates when they get beat, but does so at the expense of easy looks from the perimeter. Doesn’t have the fundamentals to capitalize on his elite athleticism. Not interested in rebounding, but will sell out to get some steals. Needs to buy into a coach that will help him improve defensively if he ever wants to be a more coveted player.

Overview: A burly Brazilian power forward with very good athleticism, but a largely unpolished skill set. Has great strength for the power forward and center positions. Possesses nice size and length for both positions. Shows great quickness and solid leaping ability when healthy. Has had a hard time staying in shape due to injuries and needs to improve his durability and conditioning. Not a polished offensive threat, but gets the job done with a mixture of brute strength, athleticism, and decent touch. Offers a presence defensively, but struggles with his fundamentals on that end. Didn’t venture outside of Brazil before entering the NBA. Seemed likely to live up to his top-ten billing as a rookie and sophomore. Hasn’t had a chance to develop significantly due to a laundry list of injuries. Still has a ton of untapped potential.

Offense: Gets most of his offense from post ups, pick and rolls, and offensive rebounds. Has a ton of raw tools, but hasn’t had much of a chance to put them together. Possesses great shooting form for a bigman, showing range out to around 17-feet. Shows decent footwork out on the perimeter, and could develop into a nice catch and shoot threat from the high-post down the road. Will face up and shoot with a hand in his face with pretty questionable results. Needs to work on shooting over defenders. Has some nice post moves. Likes to face up when he’s posted on the right block, but also shows a nice drop step and spin move combo to free himself up for right handed hook shots. Shows a consistent turnaround jumper over his right shoulder from the left block, but will fall in love with short-to-mid-range turnarounds when he makes one. Will show glimpses of truly impressive post play, making quick spins to the rim for dunks or sealing his man for an easy two, but doesn’t do those things consistently. Uses his size and strength extremely well. Will bully his way to the rim is he has to. Goes to the line at a very high rate. Doesn’t shoot a good percentage from the line. Very good offensive rebounder. Can be pretty active on the offensive end. Not one to put the ball on the floor to score. Won’t take almost any pull up jumpers. Not much of a passer. Can be a nice asset when healthy and not in foul trouble.

Defense: A productive defender that commits fouls at an extremely high rate. Will be amongst the League leaders in fouls per game despite only playing roughly thirty minutes per contest. Will take himself out of the game with overly physical defense. Needs to pick and choose his spots better at the rim. Will hack his man when he’s taking a low percentage shot. Fundamentals need work. Doesn’t show great ability defending the midrange, but was once rather effective. Has quick reflexes for a bigman, and will come up with quite a few steals. Capable of blocking some shots, but isn’t a major factor coming over from the weakside. Needs to focus on cutting down on mistakes for the sake of his development.