NBA Comparison: Kerry Kittles

Strengths: Caldwell-Pope is an offensive minded guard with very good upside as an off-ball scorer … Has nice size on the perimeter at 6’6 and seems to have good length and a frame that should easily be able to get to around 205-210 lbs without any loss of athleticism … Possesses very smooth athleticism and is pretty fluid in his movements … Has solid leaping skills and can play above the rim, especially with a head of steam … Offensively, Caldwell-Pope is mainly known as a shooter who will let it fly in any situation … Attempted 6.7 3’s a night as a Fr., which showed his freedom early in his career and it will probably allow him to be more confident next season for UGA … Has all the tools to be a very good shooting prospect for a team, with the size to get shots off, a high release point, and a reasonably quick release and steady follow through … Already has NBA range on his shot, and is best spotting up, but will shoot from that deep off the dribble and off screens … Shoots a pretty ball and definitely possesses a soft touch … Is a good mid-range shooter too, but he prefers the deep ball … Was a bit of a streak shooter as a Fr., but he is a constant threat with his shot to the D and must be guarded tight when he has the ball … Doesn’t do a bad job finishing around the rim for a guy who is mostly lauded for his potential as a shooter … Is a rangy strider and shows potential getting a step on defenders off 1 dribble to get his shots off … Has a lot of upside and confidence, and should only improve offensively with the experience he garnered as a true Fr … Is good at getting a good jump in the passing lanes to get steals … Pretty fundamentally sound defender who is competitive on that end … Very willing and effective rebounder for a wing player … Slightly more physical than he’s given credit for … Really looks likely to blossom in the near future as a player, solid worker and wants to improve ...

Weaknesses: For a guy who was a very highly touted shooter/player out of HS, Caldwell-Pope struggled with his efficiency as a Fr … He has the tools to eventually be a big threat with his shot, but he has plenty of kinks … He has a natural shot, but he is prone to taking contested shots with a hand in his face and doesn’t show very good shot selection yet … Needs time and space to be most effective with his stroke, doesn’t react to tight D or closeouts that well right now … He also presses, and will try and shoot himself out of slumps even if better shots can be found later in the shot clock for himself and teammates … UGA needed immediate scoring from him and he had a much shorter leash than Fr. typically do, and it showed with his decisions quite a bit … Falls in love with his jumper, doesn’t put the ball on the floor often enough at all … Actually was better the closer he was to the rim last year, but doesn’t have the handles or willingness to slash to take advantage of it that often … Isnt more than a basic straight line ball-handler, not going to break down a defense off the bounce much…Got to the foul line at a poor rate (2.5 ftpg) for a guy who played 32 mpg and put up 12 shots per game, and was he only hit 65% of his free throws, showing the massive improvements he needs to make … Not very strong or big right now, still growing into his body … Can be prone to falling asleep defensively, as a result of his youth and inexperience … Doesn’t pass the ball much ...

Overall: Caldwell-Pope showed a lot of promise as a Fr., playing big minutes and being relied on heavily as a Fr. in the SEC … He is a natural when it comes to putting up points and his jumper really could take big steps in terms of efficiency this upcoming season … He will be relied on just as heavily, if not more, in 12-13 so he will need to continue to mature and grow … Right now he’s not quite polished and needs to show more ability putting the ball on the floor, but the has the talent to be a very good player and intriguing prospect in the near future ...

Jorrye Nixon 7/29/12