DraftExpress: RT @EyeOnCBB: C.J. Leslie going back to N.C. State http://t.co/7awzhsrN The Wolfpack are going to threaten to take the ACC title 2012-04-18 12:36:55
DraftExpress: Richard Howell and C.J. Leslie are physically dominating San Diego State's frontline. Should be up more than 33-29. Good game so far. 2012-03-16 01:39:11
DraftExpress: DX Trending Prospects: Updated scouting reports on Doron Lamb, C.J. Leslie, Darius Johnson-Odom and Bernard James http://t.co/9g00o2oi 2012-02-27 04:46:13
DraftExpress: DX: Top NBA Prospects in the ACC (#6-10) http://t.co/RWy42JPz - C.J. Leslie, Bernard James, Reggie Bullock, Dexter Strickland and Ian Miller 2011-09-19 02:37:41
DraftExpress: Despite Sidney Lowe's imminent firing at NC State, C.J. Leslie will NOT be entering this year's NBA draft, sources tell DraftExpress. 2011-03-15 01:39:17
Last time we checked in on C.J. Leslie, he was in the middle of an up-and-down freshman campaign under Sidney Lowe that ended with North Carolina State finishing below below-.500 for the third time in 15 years. Opting to stay in school despite Lowe's resignation, Leslie has had a much more efficient season for the Wolfpack for first-year Head Coach Mark Gottfried.
One of the most gifted athletes at the power forward position in the college game, the questions surrounding Leslie's NBA potential remain largely unchanged, despite the fact that he's been significantly more productive in a number of areas as a sophomore.
As we noted in our last report, Leslie's biggest strength as a prospect is his impressive blend of length, quickness, and explosiveness. He gets up the floor as well as any player his size in the country and while he lacks significant strength, he has the quick second jump to be an effective rebounder on both ends of the floor and when dialed in can make a major impact defensively.
Despite his merits as an athlete, his ability to consistently make the most of those assets is inconsistent at best at this juncture and is the most significant limiting factor on his impact in the college game and upside as a pro.
The young forward may still struggle at times with his approach to the game, but he has shown improvement in some areas. Getting most of his looks in simple catch-and-finish situations last season, or in transition, where he truly excels, Leslie has become a more prominent fixture in North Carolina State's offense, seeing significantly more opportunities to create his shot in one-on-one situations than he did as a freshman, both on the perimeter and in the low post.
Lacking significant polish on the block, Leslie relies on his ability to face-up and beat his defender to the basket in close quarters. He has little trouble finding his way to the rim or getting his shot off when he uses a simple drop-step, but doesn't always have the fundamentals, footwork, counter-moves, and aptitude for using fakes to regularly capitalize on the looks he does create for himself.
Often making a move and elevating off-balance as soon as he sees daylight, Leslie still manages to score 43.9% of his shot attempts in the post according to Synergy Sports Technology, a near 11% improvement from last season and a testament to just how valuable his athleticism is at the high-major level.
Leslie's propensity to take tough shots around the basket limits his efficiency to some degree, but his athleticism makes him a more than capable finisher around the rim, especially when he's getting the ball with a running start in transition or pulling down an offensive rebound for a put-back. On the whole, Leslie is most efficient when his teammates are creating shots for him, even if he has shown some budding skills in the post.
Away from the rim, Leslie is still in the early stages of his development out on the perimeter. His ball-handling ability remains unpolished, even if he uses straight line drives effectively when he faces up down low, thanks to his tremendous first step. Mostly guarded by power forwards at the NCAA level, Leslie doesn't need to make too many fancy moves to simply blow by his defender from the high post in isolation situations, which is a significant part of N.C. State's half-court attack.
To make the full conversion to playing on the perimeter, and to be able to begin his moves outside the 3-point line rather than at the elbow, Leslie will need to continue to shore up his ball-handling skills and decision making ability, which could have a huge impact on his effectiveness in the half-court.
As a jump shooter, Leslie hasn't made much progress, but he's been significantly more discerning with his shot selection. While he's still making less than 30% of his jumpers, he's not forcing the issue as frequently as he did last season and has shown marked improvement at the foul line, even if he is still only shooting 62% from the charity stripe. Only having made three 3-pointers on the season through 29 games, Leslie obviously still has a ways to go before he can be asked to play out on the perimeter full time.
Playing more like a power forward that he did last season, Leslie has found a way to be more productive and efficient despite his lack of polish, something he did not manage to do last season. If he's going to be successful at the next level, he'd be well served to show a more consistent motor running the floor, be more aggressive crashing the glass, or look to refine his face up game significantly, as questions remain about where he fits offensively.
Possessing all the physical tools necessary to be successful on that end of the floor, Leslie would benefit from playing a role that would allow him to capitalize on his athleticism in transition while affording him a chance to develop a comfort level as a face-up scorer from the midrange.
Defensively, Leslie is limited to some degree by his lack of bulk, but is mostly inhibited by his inconsistent motor. By no means is he an incapable defender, as he's been terrific for stretches, using his length to block shots at the rim and his quickness to deny dribble penetration, but he has not consistently competed with an intensity that let him get the most out of his abilities.
Taking possessions off, not always looking to rebound his area, and not contesting his match-up's short-range shots at all on occasion, the sophomore does not make the most of his tremendous length and quickness off the floor. If the light bulb does come on, his upside on this end of the floor is significant, but that still hasn't happened up until this point in his career.
Moving forward, it will be Leslie's work ethic and approach to the game that dictates how the early part of his career unfolds. With North Carolina State firmly on the bubble after four straight losses, Leslie's ability to get his team into the tournament and his play in March will be significant, as he's had some strong outings for the Wolfpack in recent weeks even if his team has not been winning games.
A potential early entrant, Leslie's draft stock is bound to his upside, and in the right situation with the right group of teammates and coaches at the next level, he could really make a team happy considering where he's likely to be picked. At just 20 years old, Leslie clearly has some maturation and a long career ahead of him, and considering his strengths and weaknesses, is an intriguing a boom or bust prospect to consider in the 20-40 range. [Read Full Article] Trending Prospects (2/3/2011) February 3, 2011
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Walker Beeken
C.J. Leslie entered his freshman season at North Carolina State with big expectations, but so far it's been a rough road. The combo forward possesses all of the physical tools to be a big-time talent, but his poor mental approach and unpolished skill-set has led to an inconsistent season that likely has NBA scouts being much more hesitant about his future prospects.
Leslie's intrigue lies in his lanky 6'8” frame, long wingspan, and excellent athleticism. And while he's not the most skilled player, he is a very fluid athlete who looks to have the potential to expand on his perimeter skills as he continues to develop, and eventually become a full time small forward.
This season, Leslie is playing the power forward spot for the Wolfpack, but he stills seems insistent on trying to display his skills on the perimeter, even though that is clearly not a strength of his game at this stage. Overall, Leslie's offensive production has suffered, as he's scoring an inefficient .72 points per possession so far this season.
Unable to create much off the dribble in the perimeter or in the post at this point, Leslie gets most of his offense by cutting to the basket, running the floor in transition, and crashing the offensive boards. And although he has great elevation and plays above the rim, he struggles as a finisher due to his underdeveloped frame, a lack of touch, craftiness, and not going up strong. He's converting only 44% of his shot attempts in the basket area so far this season, which is a big issue for him, since he is extremely inconsistent from the perimeter as well.
Leslie is shooting an abysmal 27% on jump shots this season as well as a poor 54% from the free throw line. He has a bit of a slow release and low release point, but he does show decent touch, and seems to have the potential to be able to expand his range and be a serviceable shooter with his feet set if he puts in the work and improves his shot-selection.
Overall on the offensive end, Leslie lacks the polish and feel for the game to play up to his potential consistently at this point. He's fluid enough to be the type of combo forward who can eventually face up on the perimeter and knock down shots and utilize his explosiveness to get to the basket, but right now he'd probably be best served by being an energy guy on both ends of the floor who makes plays with his length and athleticism, while he continues to develop his perimeter game. He doesn't seem to have much of a concept of what his strengths and weaknesses are right now, though, and the undesirable situation he's in at N.C. State surely can't be helping matters much, as things only seem to be getting worse as the season moves on.
Defensively, Leslie has all of the physical capabilities to be an outstanding defender, but right now he's stuck in between the 3 and the 4 positions, and he has trouble guarding anybody. He lacks the strength and toughness inside to defend power forwards, and he gets beat badly when attempting to cover players on the perimeter, mainly due to a lack of focus, positioning, and effort.
Leslie simply looks disinterested on most possessions, and he plays with nowhere near the energy level that he should. This a major concern for him, because it minimizes the advantages he has athletically. Players of his mold who are the most successful at the NBA level, such as Gerald Wallace and Shawn Marion, have tremendous motors that enhance their physical tools and make them terrors in transition, on the glass, and making energy plays in the basket area. Leslie shows flashes of these abilities, as evidenced by his impressive per forty minutes pace adjusted averages of 2.5 blocks and 12.3 rebounds, but his mental lapses and lack of consistent effort negate many of the good things that he does.
There have been rumblings that Leslie in unhappy at N.C. State, and that he'll likely enter the draft this summer. While he clearly has the upside that scouts covet with his excellent physical tools, his poor body language, inconsistent effort, and questions about his work ethic will be issues that teams will have to investigate much further. Leslie still has more time left this season to try and turn things around and find some believers in his NBA potential, but may ultimately have too many red flags for teams to be comfortable with using a high draft pick on this summer, unless he shows extremely well in private workouts. [Read Full Article]
Mcdonald's All-American Week Player Evaluations and Interviews April 5, 2010 Leslie was one of the most impressive players seen in the practice sessions of the McDonald's week, but struggled badly in the actual game. He's an amazing athlete who is an absolute terror in transition, but still has a ways to go in terms of maximizing his full potential. He likes to attack players off the dribble, but still needs to improve his ball-handling skills.
Jim Hlavac / DraftExpress
As a shooter, Leslie shows potential but is extremely inconsistent, which is often in large part due to his shaky shot-selection. He fancies himself a small forward, and will tell you as much himself, but can get into some trouble when he tries to do too much with the ball, which was the case at times in Columbus. While he definitely has the tools to play there down the road, he is probably better off as a face-up four at this stage.
Leslie can make a huge impact on the defensive end when he's dialed in, which unfortunately isn't always the case. Many a recruiting analyst talks about the inconsistency he shows from game to game both on and off the court, and there are clearly some concerns about whether he has what it takes to reach his full potential.
All in all we're talking about one of the biggest boom or bust prospects in this class, which will make it all the more intriguing to follow him at the college level. [Read Full Article] 2010 McDonald's High School All-American Dunk Contest Videos April 2, 2010 C.J. Leslie finished this round off struggling to get off the dunk he wanted, eventually being forced to throw the ball in somewhat half-heartedly, clearly not looking very pleased with the result afterward. The judges weren’t too impressed either, awarding him a 56 for his effort.
Boost Mobile Elite 24 Player Scouting Reports August 29, 2009 One of the biggest revelations from our perspective to emerge out of the Boost Mobile Elite 24 scrimmages was the play of C.J. Leslie (#13 Scout, #14 Rivals, #9 ESPN), clearly one of the most naturally talented prospects in the 2010 high school class. He made quite an impression in the scrimmage we saw, doing pretty much everything out on the floor, looking like arguably the player with the most upside of anyone on the court.
Leslie has elite physical tools at his disposal, as he is a freakish athlete with length who is extremely versatile and active. He regularly outquicks opponents to the offensive glass, bouncing up and down off the floor like a pogo stick before anyone else can react, and making his presence felt as a shot-blocker as well for these same reasons. Leslie will grab a rebound and take the ball coast to coast himself, weaving in and out of traffic impressively in the process. Without the ball, he’s capable of beating the entire opposing team up the floor in transition, only to finish with an emphatic jam at the rim. His body control and overall fluidity is extremely impressive, and definitely puts him in an elite class as far as physical attributes are concerned.
Leslie showed a propensity to post up his man in the paint, not displaying any incredible footwork, but looking quick and aggressive enough to get the job done. He played extremely hard throughout the scrimmage, something that has reportedly been an issue for him in the past, but looked like anything but in the short time we were able to evaluate him.
Leslie isn’t a great shooter, but he does show potential in this area—if he continues to improve on this part of his game, he could be downright scary. Right now he’s clearly stuck between the 3 and the 4 spots, but considering the direction the game is headed in, that’s really not that much of an issue in this case. More concerning are the red flags that many recruiting analysts warn of, though—he’s reportedly not the smartest, serious or most focused guy in the world, but that is supposedly improving. Hopefully that’s indeed the case, as his upside is truly off the charts if he can keep things together. It will be very interesting to see how things play out. [Read Full Article]
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