Overview: One of the NBAs brightest young stars. Simply tremendous athletically. Has good size and a big frame for a post player. Still has room to add weight as his career progresses should he choose to shift from power forward to center when Shaquille ONeal moves on. Unbelievably explosive, and benefitted from the Suns incredible medical staff when he had to bounce back from his knee surgery. Very quick leaper. Possesses an unreal first step for a player his size. A physical specimen who has rounded out his offensive game. Almost impossible to guard due to the development of his midrange game. Not the most involved defensive player. Was utterly dominant on the high school level. Went from Cypress Creek HS (FL) straight to the NBA and the Rookie of the Year Award. Beginning to hit his stride against after missing his fourth year as a pro due to an injury. Three time All-Star. One of the best young players in the game. Should be a dominant force for a long time, as long as hes willing to be coached and co-exist within a team structure, which evidently isnt always the case.
Offense: Gets his touches from a very equal blend of diverse situations including: spot ups, fast breaks, cuts, post ups, isolations, and pick and rolls. Ranks as one of the most efficient offensive players in the game due to the number of open looks he gets at the rim. Is the beneficiary of great guard play and a tremendous supporting cast, but is a tremendous talent as well. Does a great job moving into the open area at the rim when his teammates draw his defender. Runs the floor well, and trails plays straight to the rim looking for putbacks. Makes extremely quick cuts to the rim from the high post. Has no trouble finishing at the rim. Uses his incredible athleticism to weave around defenders for easy lay ins. Blows by his man, even with very limited room to operate. Likes to take a dribble left and use his extremely explosive first step to get his man next to him before using his footwork to seal his man away from the ball. Uses leverage to get to the front of the rim or get position for offensive rebounds. Has become a great catch and shoot player. Has a very high release point on his jumper and nice touch. Capable of turning over either shoulder to score with his back to the basket. Uses incredibly quick up and under moves and drop steps. Goes right at his defender and heads to the line at a very high clip. Shoots a pretty good percentage from the charity stripe. Pretty good on the pick and roll. Good offensive rebounder. Loses the ball periodically when he puts it on the deck around the rim. Simply too explosive to contain for most defenders.
Defense: A nice weakside shot blocker who is starting to improve his defense on a night-to-night basis, but still has a long way to go. Doesnt maximize his physical tools regularly on defense. Wont get in a low stance to defend the perimeter or use leverage as effectively as a he does offensively when defending the post. Tends to not hedge the pick and roll despite the fact that he is more than capable of doing it. Wont commit when he does, leading to easy outlet passes. Likes to stand in the middle of the paint and wait for the play to come to him. Isnt a very good man-to-man defender, but can be when he makes the effort to force tough shots. Extremely foul prone. Doesnt grab many defensive rebounds. Has always been paired with a more prolific rebounder. Could stand to work harder on the glass. Needs to dedicate himself on the defensive end to take his team to the next level.
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