2008 NBA Draft
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Strengths: Has legit three point range with nice shooting mechanics that he can make with regularity … Decently built shooting guard who has improved greatly with his added upper body strength … Despite being his team’s primary scorer, he is an unselfish player who will look to pass if teammates are open … Does a great job of taking one or two dribbles to lull his defender to sleep before pulling up for the jump shot … Excellent finisher in transition thanks to his ability to convert a great deal of difficult shots in the lane with his body control and creativity … Will use a number of floaters and lay-ups off the glass to convert plays in traffic … Unlike many players, Lee understands how to utilize the mid-range - he does not get single minded with straight three point shooting and slashing … Defensively, he uses his quick hands to disrupt passing lanes for steals … Has the ability to create scoring for himself thanks to his solid first step that allows for some level of separation from his defender … Quick release on his jumper makes Lee very proficient in catch and shoot situations … Humble player with a great work ethic to not only improve, but is also coachable … Solid free throw shooter … Unlike situations in the past, Lee now has the body strength to finish after contact occurs … Underrated ball handler who has no problem bringing the ball up the court … Has improved over last year at drawing contact for free throw opportunities … Patient player who allows the game to come to him …
Weaknesses: His level of competition gives the false impression that Lee is athletically superior, which is far from true and will further be exposed at the NBA level … Lacks the explosiveness to separate himself from his defender after his initial first step - this enables defenders to recover and follow Lee into the lane … Has a habit of standing around instead of moving without the ball … Perimeter defense is just slightly above average at best and will need some refinement, as his foot speed and aggressiveness will limit his effectiveness … Gets a great deal of credit for being able to create off the dribble, but Lee’s moves are a bit unorthodox and will lead some to question if he will be able to pull-off these shots against NBA guards who are athletically and physically advanced … Perimeter shooting can go through periods of inconsistency when creating off the dribble from mid-range … All around game has improved considerably from last year, but he doesn’t excel in any one are - while he is a decent passer and rebounder, his court vision and lack of explosiveness could limit his effectiveness … Has cut down on his turnovers this year, but must continue to protect the ball better and not be careless or rush himself offensively … From a potential standpoint, Lee is approaching his ceiling …
Matthew Maurer - 3/4/08
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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SEASONS |
GP |
FG% |
3PT% |
FT% |
SPG |
BPG |
RPG |
APG |
PPG |
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2004-05 Western Kentucky |
31 |
45.0 |
39.9 |
72.2 |
1.8 |
0.5 |
5.2 |
2.0 |
14.9 |
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2005-06 Western Kentucky |
30 |
45.1 |
40.8 |
84.7 |
2.6 |
0.3 |
6.3 |
2.9 |
17.4 |
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2006-07 Western Kentucky |
30 |
47.2 |
40.1 |
84.0 |
1.5 |
0.8 |
4.6 |
1.9 |
17.3 |
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2007-08 Western Kentucky |
36 |
47.7 |
39.7 |
82.2 |
1.8 |
0.8 |
4.9 |
2.1 |
20.4 |
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DIV I Totals |
127 |
46.3 |
40.1 |
80.8 |
1.9 |
0.6 |
5.2 |
2.2 |
17.6 |
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- Details
- Written by The Draft Review
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Strengths: Mobile center that runs the floor like a guard and possesses agility that players his size rarely have … Tough-nosed player who will not back down regardless of the physical difference between him and his match-up … Loves to play in the high post where his foot speed allows him to operate the pick and roll with ease … Considered a late bloomer with a very good upside to improve … While he needs to improve on his body strength and weight, Asik will be able to add this without sacrificing his athleticism … Shows good touch around the basket and on put-backs … Physically, he has all the tools to remain a competent shot blocker in the NBA with his long arms and explosiveness … Has the ball handling ability to take one or two dribbles into the lane … Aggressive around the basket where he does a good job of creating contact … Possesses soft, strong hands that allow him to grab and keep any ball in his area; coupled with his athleticism and long arms, Asik is a formidable rebounder out of position … Quality help defender thanks to his solid lateral quickness … Does a great job of finishing around the basket by dunking the ball … Has the natural rebounding instincts you look for – Asik’s ball location skills are efficient in that he seems to be in the exact area where the ball will be … Understands the value of keeping the ball high when receiving it in the post … Plays within himself and rarely tries to exceed his strengths on the court …
Weaknesses: Must work on adding more weight and upper body strength to his frame … This could be one of the reasons he doesn’t always properly box out his man when rebounding in his area … This lack of physicality often prevents him from being able to set up in the low post without getting rooted out … From a fundamental standpoint, Asik should start getting his body wider to give teammates a bigger target … Offensively, he remains a work in progress as he doesn’t have a wide assortment of back to the basket moves … Other than a jump hook, Asik hasn’t shown much in terms of up and unders or drop steps … Poor free throw shooter, which prevents him from taking full advantage of any fouls he is able to draw … Timing on shot blocking isn’t bad, but he is prone to biting on pump fakes from time to time … Post footwork could use some refinement … Has little range when shooting the ball and is generally limited to scoring around the basket … Not a great passer from the post where he lacks the court vision to recognize teammates … Overall strength prevents him from absorbing contact in the lane and finishing … Still learning the game, which makes him prone to mental breakdowns, but to his credit he has improved since the beginning of the season … Will be a little bit of a project for any NBA team that drafts him …
Matthew Maurer - 2/4/08
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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SEASONS |
GP |
FG% |
3PT% |
FT% |
SPG |
BPG |
RPG |
APG |
PPG |
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2005-06 Alpella |
1 |
100.0 |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
2.0 |
--- |
2.0 |
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2006-07 Alpella |
30 |
52.5 |
50.0 |
48.6 |
1.6 |
2.0 |
11.2 |
1.2 |
9.3 |
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2007-08 Alpella |
10 |
56.7 |
66.7 |
50.0 |
2.6 |
2.2 |
11.3 |
1.8 |
15.0 |
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2007-08 Fenerbahce |
20 |
52.0 |
00.0 |
64.3 |
1.5 |
1.7 |
6.8 |
0.5 |
7.7 |
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Totals |
62 |
53.5 |
33.3 |
57.6 |
1.7 |
1.9 |
9.5 |
1.1 |
9.5 |
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- Details
- Written by The Draft Review
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Strengths: Athletically, Jawai possesses a rare blend of power and explosiveness for someone his size … Excellent finisher around the basket where his explosiveness allows him to finish with flair … Does a tremendous job of establishing position in the post … Understands the value of keeping the ball high and away from opposing guards looking to double team … Owns a soft pair of hands that allow him to catch any passes thrown into the post … Starting to develop a good looking mid-range shot from 16 feet that he can make with some success … Consistently looks to use his power game to overpower his defender … Because of this he creates a good amount of contact to get to the foul line … Although his free throw numbers don’t suggest it, Jawai has good form and, most importantly, does not look at the ball when he takes his foul shots … Has a coachable personality and takes well to instruction … Good (but not great) rebounding in his area, but shows great promise obtaining boards out of position … Is a very good post passer due to his unselfish attitude … Long arms and body control enable him to convert well in traffic … Has quick, light feet that allow him to pull off short hops in the low post … This really comes into focus when he faces 12 feet from the basket and fakes the mid-range shot only to use his quickness to explode past his man for the dunk … Potentially, Jawai projects as a player who has yet to scratch the surface despite being a late bloomer of sorts, as this kind of projection is usually reserved for a player in their late teenage years … Owns a nice baseline spin with his back to the basket …
Weaknesses: Is not a great runner of the court but, to his credit, he isn’t lumbering and does display good effort … Despite his size, Jawai often gets boxed out by quicker players when rebounding in his area … Doesn’t do a good job of denying post position when defending in the low post - his assignment can often set-up position without disruption … Lacks the instincts to be an elite level shot blocker in the NBA … Some of this has to do with his timing and confidence level … Doesn’t always play with focus and desire in every game to dominate … Is prone to mental breakdowns in key moments due to his average court awareness … Upon appearance, his height does seems to be 7-foot as he is listed, but might be closer to 6-9 or 6-10 … Seems to play lazy at times when he is winded, so stamina will need considerable improvement … Competition level in Australia isn’t very good at his position … Mental toughness is questionable as there have been some games where he was matched physically and he seemed to react poorly … Post footwork is still a bit choppy, but to his credit has improved since the beginning of the season … Hasn’t learned how to effectively defend in the post without picking up fouls due to his over-aggressiveness … From a fundamental standpoint, Jawai’s knowledge of the game isn’t on the level of most of his 1986 international peers … Back to the basket skills are average right now due to the fact that Jawai lacks good execution and variety … Fails to quickly identify double teams before they happen …
Matthew Maurer - 2/6/08
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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SEASONS |
GP |
FG% |
3PT% |
FT% |
SPG |
BPG |
RPG |
APG |
PPG |
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2006-07 Midland JC. |
14 |
49.2 |
--- |
64.5 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
6.1 |
0.9 |
11.4 |
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2007-08 Cairns Taipans |
30 |
57.5 |
--- |
64.5 |
0.4 |
1.0 |
9.6 |
2.0 |
17.7 |
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NBL Totals |
30 |
57.5 |
--- |
64.5 |
0.4 |
1.0 |
9.6 |
2.0 |
17.7 |
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- Details
- Written by The Draft Review
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Strengths: Athletically, Thompson is blessed with great foot speed making him capable of running the floor with ease … Does a great job of keeping the ball high in the post or when gaining rebounds … Fundamentally, he knows all the little nuances of the game … Has strong and quick hands that enable him to snatch most balls without problems … When posting up his refined post footwork become apparent as he will usually use a spin move or turnaround jumper to score … What’s even more impressive is his relation to the basket skills – he doesn’t get lost and is precise in his execution … Quality rebounder who uses his long arms and effective boxing out to gain any balls in his area … Once facing up he has the ball handling ability to drive past slower power forwards … Mobility allows him to be a quality help defender where he gets a good portion of his blocks … Court vision is excellent - has little problem operating in a high post offense … Crafty scorer around the basket who understands how to draw contact from opposing defenders … Owns an extremely high basketball IQ … Has shown the ability to catch and shoot 16 feet from mid-range … Not a dominating shot blocker but his timing is top notch … Body type suggests that he can add more weight without sacrificing his quickness …
Weakness: Athletically, Thompson lacks explosiveness like many at his position … From a defensive standpoint this will limit his ability to be the shot blocker he is on the collegiate level … Offensively, sometimes has trouble setting up in the post without getting pushed out … With more bulk added to his frame this should be less of an issue … Back to the basket game is still in the developmental stages - although not raw, Thompson lacks variety … Free throw shooting has become a point of frustration after being an average shooter for the past three years … Needs to learn how to get his body wide when positing up to give his teammates a bigger target to pass into … Can go through periods where he isn’t always assertive - despite being his team’s top player, he’ll pass off … Appears to have average hands that aren’t soft, which could be the reason he bobbles passes that are thrown to him in the post … Not a big fan of getting physical contact and mixing it up on the defensive side … Foul trouble could be a reason for this but Thompson must still stay in the game …
Matthew Maurer - 12/17/07| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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SEASONS |
GP |
FG% |
3PT% |
FT% |
SPG |
BPG |
RPG |
APG |
PPG |
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2004-05 Rider |
30 |
44.1 |
23.1 |
65.9 |
0.7 |
1.0 |
7.4 |
1.5 |
9.1 |
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2005-06 Rider |
27 |
54.6 |
33.3 |
70.3 |
0.9 |
1.8 |
8.4 |
1.6 |
16.6 |
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2006-07 Rider |
31 |
52.0 |
27.3 |
72.4 |
0.7 |
2.2 |
10.1 |
2.1 |
20.1 |
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2007-08 Rider |
34 |
56.0 |
32.4 |
58.1 |
1.1 |
2.7 |
12.1 |
2.7 |
20.4 |
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DIV I Totals |
122 |
51.7 |
29.0 |
66.4 |
0.9 |
2.0 |
9.6 |
2.0 |
16.7 |
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- Details
- Written by The Draft Review
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Strengths: Solid athlete overall who can run the floor very well for his size … Once Erden gets the ball out on the perimeter he can shoot a quality perimeter shot from 16 feet or use a dribble drive, depending how the defense is playing him … Isn’t mechanical or stiff in his movements, but is rather fluid, a rarity for centers … Defensively, he works hard to deny post position to opposing players … Good touch around the basket where he is a quick finisher with dunks or lay-ups … Decent rebounder out of position thanks to his long arms and mobility … Erden is capable of making some impressive plays in the post when he is focused … Lateral quickness enables him to guard small forwards on the perimeter … Potentially, Erden has a lot of skills for an NBA team to work with … Does a good job of getting his body wide when he sets up in the post … Has the soft hands needed to catch most passes thrown into him … Underrated post passer whose court vision has made some improvements … Fundamentally sound player with great confidence in his abilities … Back to the basket moves are solid, and more importantly, showing development …
Weaknesses: Could stand to add more muscle weight to his body … Lacks the explosiveness and instincts to be a high level shot blocker in the NBA … Picks up foul calls when defending in the post as he tends to be overaggressive … Doesn’t always work hard to establish himself in the post … Below average offensive rebounder due to his inability to effectively box out opposing players … Post footwork isn’t bad, but every so often Erden will lose his balance … Intensity level is questionable - a player with all his gifts should easily dominate … Some have questioned his work ethic and desire, as he has developed into what most predicted for him back in 2003 … Not a very consistent player - one day he plays like a first rounder, the next you barely notice him on the floor … Can take some questionable shots and doesn’t seem to fully understand what his strengths are yet … Doesn’t do a good job of creating contact to draw fouls from opposing defenders …
Matthew Maurer - 2/4/08
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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SEASONS |
GP |
FG% |
3PT% |
FT% |
SPG |
BPG |
RPG |
APG |
PPG |
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2005-06 Fenerbahce |
27 |
55.5 |
--- |
49.3 |
0.5 |
1.0 |
5.4 |
0.2 |
6.5 |
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2006-07 Fenerbahce |
36 |
59.2 |
00.0 |
62.9 |
0.7 |
0.8 |
3.8 |
0.6 |
6.4 |
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2007-08 Fenerbahce |
31 |
53.6 |
37.5 |
50.6 |
0.7 |
0.7 |
4.8 |
0.6 |
7.3 |
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Totals |
94 |
55.6 |
27.3 |
54.8 |
0.6 |
0.8 |
4.7 |
0.5 |
6.7 |
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- Details
- Written by The Draft Review