NBA Comparison: Jeff Adrien

Strengths: Roberts was the top inside scorer for an underrated St. Joe’s squad that nearly beat eventual champion Connecticut, losing in overtime in the second round of the NCAA tourney … This past season, he averaged 17.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per 40 minutes; those numbers are especially impressive when considering that the Hawks had a slow–tempo offense that ranked 222nd in the country in possessions per game at 66.3 … Very efficient scorer – as a senior, he shot 60% from the field, including 71% of his attempts at the rim, according to Hoop–Math.com …  Got to the line with the regularity, averaging 7.1 free throw attempts per 40 min …  An effective offensive rebounder, averaging 3.5 per 40…  Good athlete – explosive and quick to elevate…  Has an above-average wingspan (7-foot) and reach …  Scrappy – fights for loose balls and uses his quick second jump to his advantage …  Excellent finisher – dunks with ease, doesn’t mind contact, and has good body control …  A terrific defender, on the inside and out  – fights through screens, hedges well, and holds his own against wings and guards when switching.  Alert and active as a help defender … Stays out of foul trouble, averaging 2.9 fouls per 40 this past season, an impressive number for someone who was exclusively used as a 4 /5 …
 
Weaknesses: Roberts is a very limited offensive player; mainly used as either a screener on high pick and rolls or as a post-up player in college … More than 73 percent of his shots came at the rim this past season, according to Hoop–Math.com … Doesn’t possess many post-up moves … Reluctant to drive or shoot away from the basket; opponents dare him to shoot. In four years at St. Joseph’s, Roberts never attempted a three-point shot, and according to Hoop–Math.com, he shot just 31% away from the rim …  Poor free-throw shooter, making less than 60% of his attempts at St. Joe’s …  Sometimes stagnant on the offensive end of the floor, standing around and not fighting to get open…  Not an elite shot blocker or defensive rebounder, averaging a modest 1.6 and 5.4 per 40 in those respective categories as a senior …
 
Notes: At the Portsmouth Invitational in April, Roberts averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds in his last 3 games, including 24 and 12 in the championship game … Roberts’ mother played for the Dominican National team, and his father played college ball at Oklahoma and overseas as a pro…  According to his agent, Ben Pensack, Roberts is currently in Los Angeles for a workout at the Clippers’ facilities, with every NBA team in attendance.  The youngster worked out for the Jazz 10 days ago, and has a lot more workouts coming.  Also, Roberts has duel citizenship, and will possibly play for the Dominican national team in the future …
 
Outlook: At St. Joe’s, Roberts was mainly used at center on offense and at power forward on defense … However, due to his size limitations, he won’t be able to dominate on the inside in the pros as he did in college …  He appears to have enough lateral speed and quickness to be an adequate wing defender, and with added muscle, he could play some at the 4 spot … Offensively, he desperately needs to develop a mid-range and/or dribble-drive game; until then, he is going to be a liability, no matter where he plays … Overall, Roberts has enough positive attributes to be taken late in the second round and possibly stick with an NBA club.  At worst, he should have a solid career in Europe …

Richard Harris 5/21/14