NBA Comparison: Aaron McKie/Ron Artest

Strengths: Nineteen year old freshman with an NBA-ready body … At 6’5 210, has a rare combination of power and quickness … Completely dominated the New York PSAL, almost single handedly leading Lincoln HS to four titles (Owns the all time scoring record in the State of New York) … Was often the biggest and strongest guy on the court, and took advantage of it, routinely dismantling opponents using brute force … Relentless attacker of the basket, seeking out contact and getting to the free throw stripe where he converts at a high % … Excellent penetrator with a quick first step … Utilizes change of pace dribbles, cross-overs and spin moves to get into the lane … Able to slither his way in between small creases … Superior ball handler with a flare for the dramatic (good or bad) … Good court vision. Aesthetically pleasing shooting stroke … Supreme accuracy on pull up J’s, especially when dribbling to his left … "Easy" three point range. Has shown flashes of lock down on the ball defense with his strength and 6’10 wingspan … Should be an instant fast break running the point at Cincinnati with his rebounding ability … "Born Ready" has been hyped since day 1 at Lincoln, playing under tremendous pressure and scrutiny every night, even appearing in a documentary about him …

Weaknesses: Legitimate question marks surrounding his character and mental makeup (high school carrer marred by an assault charge) … The hope is that he will gain maturity at Cincinnati … His on court body language is awful … Often seen pouting, dragging his feet, arguing with referees and yelling at teammates … If he believes he should get the ball and doesn’t, or doesn’t get a call, he’s inclined to allow it to affect his game and take a play or two off … Despite his athletic gifts, lacks explosive elevation on his jumper and on drives to the rim … Needs work on leg strength, but just not a very explosive leaper … Tends to fade away and abort follow-through on his jump shot from time to time … Capable of making the spectacular pass, but does not always make the simple, smart pass … Shows glimpses of extraordinary court vision, but too often has tunnel vision toward the hoop and doesn’t look for teammates … Seems to predetermine when to shoot and when to pass, rather than natually allowing the flow of the game come to him … Gets wrapped up in ‘style points’ and getting oohs and aahs from the crowd instead of playing sound fundamental basketball … Prone to stagnant over-dribbling. Lateral quickness is just average – looks lead footed …Too much standing around on defense rather than being proactive on help D …

Adam Ganeles 10/30/09