NBA Comparison: Rod Grizzard

Strengths: Long and lean guard with explosive athletic capabilities ... Effortless leaper with tremendous hang time ... Blessed with the ability to seemingly suspend himself in mid-air ... Very clever around the basket, contorting his body and shooting efficiently from odd angles ... Despite slight frame, exhibits deceptive strength ... Finishes strong at the rim, finishing his junior season with 30 dunks ... Finishes well with his off (right) hand ... Was recruited as a lead guard out of High School (originally committed and played for Arizona) ... Displays PG skills in a 6'7 body ... Terrific penetrator, using his quickness and long strides to get into the lane and create shots for teammates (3 assists per game as a Junior) ... Led the SEC in assist to turnover ratio during conference games (2:1) last season ... Active on the boards (4 per game), using his quick leaping ability to overwhelm the opposition ... Disrupter on the defensive end, tallying 1.5 steals using his 6'11 wingspan to get into passing lanes and create points off turnovers ... Also uses his length to hound defenders and eliminate sight lines for shooters.

Weaknesses: Offensive game is still raw and quite limited at this juncture of his development ... Most of his points come off garbage baskets as a result of pure athleticism i.e. offensive boards and alley-oop dunks ... Shooting stroke needs monumental improvements ... Has a very awkward release point on his jump shot, and releases the ball with his palm ... His shot is really more of a 'throw'. Rarely gets a shooters bounce ... Shoots a career 16% from three point range and 52% from the free throw stripe ... Does not possess a mid-range game to speak of ... Despite his point guard background, ball handling still needs work ... Tries to be overly creative and fancy with the ball ... Has a tendency to dribble with his head down, failing to survey the court effectively ... Prone to commit offensive fouls as a result of over penetration ... Fragility is a concern- has undergone two shoulder surgeries in the past two seasons.

Adam Ganeles 10/26/09

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