NBA Comparison: Derrick McKey

Strengths: At a lanky 6-8, he has great size for the SF position … Has transferred his game effectively to the perimeter … Very explosive leaper … A southpaw, which gives him an unorthodox offensive game … Smooth release on his jumpshot; he has improved his accuracy and consistency drastically … Has extremely long strides that allow him to cover space with his first step as well as with his spin moves … His jab and shot fake are his go to moves and are very effective, forcing the defenders to back off … He is a crafty finisher around the hoop using his wingspan to make tough shots … From time to time he shows some nice hesitation and crossover moves that he uses off the dribble … Has the versatility to back people down in the post where he can use his length to finish … A very team oriented player, he looks to work within the offense to get his scoring opportunities … Has the ability to block shots thanks to his long arms …

Weaknesses: He has come a long way, but still lacks a specific go-to aspect to his game … A bit passive, does not look to take over and defers to teammates far too often … His first step is limited and his handles are a work in progress, which makes it difficult for him to get by people off the dribble … Nice leaping ability is somewhat wasted in the half court because he rarely gets his shoulders fully by the defender … Lacks upper body strength to play through contact … His release is fairly slow allowing defenders to close out on him, making open shots far more difficult … He is much more consistent shooting with his feet set … His pullup jumper is all over the place, at times he converts on difficult attempts, but very often he has bad misses … Does not create many opportunities for his teammates … His back to the basket game becomes predictable as he continuously turns to his right shoulder and shoots a fading jumper … Defensively, he lacks the lateral quickness to stay infront of perimeter players, and his body is not yet strong enough to let him guard PFs …

Borko Popic - 4/1/2009

NBADraft.net Interview