NBA Comparison: Louis Amundson/Chris Gatling

Strengths: Has an old school skill set with a large number of his baskets coming from post ups and hook shots over his left shoulder … Has a giant 7’2 wingspan which allows him to play much bigger than his 6’9 frame … A near +7 wingspan to height differential … Bouncy center who runs the floor well and finishes with dunks around the rim every opportunity he gets …Very hard working player, has shown steady improvement throughout college career … Shows decent touch on his shot, despite some mechanical issues on jumper that should be corrected. 72% FT as a senior. Shot 37% from three on around 1.5 attempts per game … Willing to play physical and go after rebounds with reckless abandon … Uses his great length to the tune of 12 boards per game over the past two seasons (10.6 over college career) … Extremely active on the glass, every rebound is his in his mind, despite being just 212 lbs … Rebounding output a testament to his determination and toughness … Good mobility and speed for a big … Solid athleticism with a 35 inch max very, his length allows him to play even more athletically … A good lob option, who anticipates well and gets a number of flushes on ally oops … Solid 1.7 blocks per game, shows some ability as a shot blocker/rim protector …

Weaknesses: Will turn 24 in July making him one of the oldest players in this year’s draft … At 6’7.5 barefoot, he’s short for an NBA center … Jumpshot comes from his shoulder and takes too long to get the shot off. His form actually improves from further out from the basket. Should work on developing a higher release point on his shot … Playing in a mid-major, in the Mid-American Conference for Akron, his statistical production gets discredited to some degree … His play in workouts and predraft events helps, but is unproven playing a season against higher level competition and will likely need an adjustment period … Lack of strength hurts him some when defending against stronger post players … Post defense can use some work. His footwork can be lacking at times … Struggles some in guarding in pick and roll situations … Will likely always be somewhat thin, but could stand to gain some weight to play center at the next level …

Outlook: Was one of the best performers in the pre-draft camps, earning an invite to Chicago NBA Draft Combine and making the most of his opportunities …A possible late draft pick with the energy, effort level and work ethic teams are looking for …

Notes: Measured 6′ 7.25” barefoot, 9′ 0.00” standing reach, 212 lbs, 7′ 2.00” wingspan, 30.5 standing vert, 35 max vert at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine … Measured 6′ 7.50” barefoot, 8′ 11.00” standing reach, 215 lbs, 7′ 2.00” wingspan, 33.5 vertical at the 2024 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament … Cleveland, Ohio native …

Aran Smith 6/18/24