NBA Comparison: Terry Teagle/Bob Sura

Strengths: Crawford has become one of the most potent scorers in college basketball … At 6’4, he uses a nice first step plus excellent elevation on his jumper to allow him to create shots for himself on almost any possession … He is excellent in isolation, can shoot with hands in his face while barely needing an inch to get off his shot … His midrange and long range game have both become quite efficient, showing he can shoot off the dribble from inside and behind the arch … When spotting up, he looks much more under control and his motion tends to be more fluent … Relentless and persistent when taking it to the hoop, seems to have that "nobody can stop me" attitude, regardless if the lane is there or not … Moves pretty well without the ball which can be directly related to his desire to be the featured scorer on every possession … Shows explosiveness when using momentum moving towards the hoop … Defensively he anticipates well, and has the potential to be a good on-ball defender with more focus and dedication … Has a low handle, and solid all around ball handling skills …

Weaknesses: Crawford is somewhat one-dimensional in that he’s mainly only effective offensively with the ball in his hands … He averages 16 shots per game, and at the next level, he will not be able to dominate the ball like he does in college … Will need to learn how to be a compliment instead of the go-to guy … His shot selection will need to improve, as he tends to engage in too many "heat checks" after 1 or 2 shots go down for him … Inconsistency shooting due to what looks like an awkward shot form when pulling up off the dribble. Often fades away on his shot instead of going up straight … He gets frustrated when his defender face-guards him and tries to deny him the ball… Somewhat tunnel-vision when taking it to the basket, he rarely kicks it out when driving in traffic while occasionally forcing the issue by trying to drive with no available lane … Not the greatest finisher around the basket … Needs to improve ball handling skills … He uses all of his energy on the offensive end, resulting in fatigued defensive possessions in which he tends to gamble, as opposed to staying in front of his defender and moving his feet … He’s a bit undersized at 6’4 in shoes, and has a standard 6’5.5 wingspan … Body posture is a little hunched over and appears unusual …

Overall: Crawford put on a show for scouts in the NCAA tournament, averaging 29 points per game in 3 contests, while single handedly keeping his team alive at points… His ability to score the ball is unquestioned, however his ability to transform to more of a role player is… He will have to learn to "not need" the ball to contribute, and will have to focus more on the defensive side of the ball… His tournament play might have pushed him towards the first round, however he’s already a 21 year old sophomore after transferring from Indiana, which won’t help his draft stock come June …

Jonathan Wasserman 3/31/10