NBA Comparison: Reggie Miller

Strengths: Lamb is a thin 6’5 wing with a monster wingspan (around 7’1) … A good athlete with nice fluidity and quickness, and solid explosiveness and leaping skills … Runs the floor very well … Plays with great composure and proved to be extremely clutch in UConn's run through the NCAA tournament ... Shows a very promising game off the dribble, and is able to stick pull-up jumpers pretty well right now … Pretty good ball-handling skills … Rangy strider and quick 1st step allows him to get a step on defenders pretty well … Likes to use floaters in the lane, and will use to the glass to bank shots in … Capable spot-up jump shooter with consistent range out to the college 3-point line, and has the ability to make shots off screens and curls too … Will move without the ball … Lamb proved to be a very good defender last season for UConn, and that’s really promising considering he was a Fr. on a nat’l title team and in a competitive league like the Big East … He was able to defend all 3 perimeter positions effectively with his length and quickness , which is intriguing considering his youth … Length and quick hands proved him to be a threat as a ball-thief, and it created transition opportunities for himself and teammates …Willing rebounder … Generally shows a high basketball IQ and has a lot of the traits of a former player’s son (his dad, Rolando Lamb, was an NBA draft pick) … Reportedly has a strong work ethic, which will be needed for him to reach his potential ...

Weaknesses: The most noticeable chink in Mr. Lamb’s arsenal revolves around his lack of bulk and strength … Lamb is very thin and he has the narrow shoulders that will make adding significant weight harder than usual … His lack of girth and strength shows in certain aspects of his game too, mainly around the rim offensively and as a off-ball defender … Got to the free throw line at an abysmal rate, due to a lack of confidence in his strength, and settled for pull-ups and floaters much more often than he chose to challenge players who protected the rim in half-court situations … Lamb generally struggled finishing around the rim against contact, despite having more than adequate length and athleticism to do so … On D, Lamb’s lack of strength showed when getting through screens … He has enough length to contest even when screens set up what appears to be a clean look for his matchup against college teams, but with bigger guys setting those screens in the NBA, he will likely have to adjust … He was promising on D for UConn last year he will have to get stronger to defend NBA guards consistently … Although Lamb is a pretty good ball-handler, he doesn’t have the moves to shake free of the best defenses off the dribble consistently yet … Can be inconsistent with his jump shot, particularly off the dribble ...

Overall: Lamb’s ability to make plays off the dribble, his late blooming status, physical and athletic tools, potential on D, and versatility has made him a hot name in scouting circles and among NBA execs…There will be a lot of eyes on him this upcoming season to see how he performs in a completely different role and with all-everything G Kemba Walker off to the NBA ... Despite not coming home with gold, his play in the U19 World Championships in Riga, Latvia was extremely encouraging ...

Jorrye Nixon 7/15/11