| Christian Watford |
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| All Tweets | DraftExpress: RT @GoodmanCBS Indiana just released statement that both Christian Watford and Cody Zeller are coming back.
2012-04-10 09:45:07 | DraftExpress: RT @JeffRabjohns Sources tell http://t.co/2VlriZJr Indiana's Christian Watford will return to school for his senior year. #iubb
2012-04-10 09:20:08 | DraftExpress: Christian Watford showing a serious scoring arsenal. 3-pointers, post-ups, putting ball down. He's a major matchup problem at the 4.
2011-12-10 06:52:03 | DraftExpress: DX Top NBA Prospects in Big Ten, Part 2: Trevor Mbakwe, Christian Watford, John Shurna, Rodney Williams, Deshaun Thomas http://t.co/MsriJY5
2011-09-08 06:01:59 |
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| Team:
Indiana, Junior
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| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 8"
W: 215 lbs
Bday: 04/28/1991
(21 Years Old)
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Current: PF
NBA: PF
Possible: PF
| Rank 27 in NCAA Juniors
RSCI: 38
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High School: Shades Valley H.S.
Hometown: Birmingham, AL
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| Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big Ten, Part Two (#6-10)
September 8, 2011
 | | Icon SMI |
Matt Kamalsky
Last time we checked in on Christian Watford, we opined that the extensive playing time he saw as a freshman would pay dividends for him as a sophomore. Despite struggling to boost the Hoosiers above the .500-mark, the rising junior definitely reaped the benefits of the minutes he played in 2010, showing substantial improvement in a number of facets of the game.
As a freshman, the Alabama native spent most of his time playing a basic, hustle-based role as a power forward, seeing most of his touches working off the ball in the paint. He struggled with the strength of opposing four men on both ends, but flashed an intriguing, albeit raw skill set.
This past season, Watford was able to play much more like the small forward he showed the potential to be as a recruit, stepping out to the perimeter regularly to spot-up, operate one-on-one, and even run the occasion pick and roll.
This shift to the perimeter let Watford play in his comfort zone. Despite having to get creative to find ways to get open at times, Watford got a chance to face the basket away from the rim at an exponentially higher rate than he did as a freshman, even if he was mostly doing so in a losing cause playing for a team that went a disappointing 3-15 and finished last in the Big Ten.
This new role also let Watford showcase his improved jump shot. After knocking down just 27.9% of his jumpers as a freshman, Watford connected on 35.3% as a sophomore—including 37 3-pointers--looking far more comfortable shooting both off the catch and off the dribble while finding a rhythm in his somewhat lengthy mechanics.
Watford showed some degree of progress as a back-to-the-basket scorer, improving his field goal percentage in post-up situations from 30% to 40% according to Synergy Sports Technology. Though Watford remains on the skinny side, it was clear that the bulk he did add and the experience he gained as a freshman made him more comfortable mixing it up down low.
Though Watford made some big strides last season and is poised to have a break out year for what should be a significantly improved Indiana squad, there are still lingering questions about his NBA potential.
Despite taking a small step forward as a post-scorer, Watford still ranked last in our database among power forwards in 2P% at 43.8% and struggled to finish when quicker defenders cut off his lane to the rim and forced him to attempt a runner. He will need to improve as a passer or shore up his ball-handling ability and decision-making to compensate for the fact that he doesn't have blow-by quickness or outstanding explosiveness at the rim.
In addition to his occasional struggles inside, Watford's skill set still leaves him a bit in between position from a NBA perspective as he doesn't have great size and interior efficiency for a four, but still hasn't quite shown the polish and ball-handling ability that allowed college four-men like Danny Granger to make the transition to the wing full time. Considering what he showed last season, it wouldn't be surprising to see Watford define his future position with a bit more clarity this coming season.
Though Watford has some loose ends to tie up with regards to his position offensively, the more pressing concern for scouts is who Watford defends at the next level, as well as his rebounding. He uses his length well to contest shots in the post and has solid fundamentals, but his lack of explosiveness and strength are a potential limiting factor down low, and his inability to consistently deny dribble penetration against wings is problematic on the perimeter.
On the glass, Watford's lack of production is indicative of his laid-back approach, as well as his lack of strength and explosiveness. Watford recruit boxes out somewhat effectively, and pursues the ball in his area, but doesn't bring the warrior-like mentality that would help him on the board and as a defender.
Watford has had a busy summer, working as a counselor at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy and competing in the Indy Pro-Am alongside a number of current and former Hoosier standouts. If he takes another sizeable step forward as a perimeter player, he will take a substantial amount of pressure off of incoming freshman Cody Zeller and put himself in good position to show NBA scouts that he's a prospect who needs to be taken seriously. Helping his team win more games than they did last season would surely help his cause.
 [Read Full Article]
Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big Ten, Part Two (#6-10)
September 3, 2010
Jonathan Givony
Playing huge minutes for a freshman at the Big Ten level last season, the experience Christian Watford garnered last season will surely pay off down the road.
Unfortunately it was mostly in a losing effort, as Indiana struggled to a 4-14 record in the Big Ten and a 10-21 record overall as part of the continued rebuilding efforts in the wake of the Kelvin Sampson scandal.
A top-50 recruit coming out of high school, Watford shows some intriguing characteristics that will surely keep scouts interested in his progress over the next few seasons. He's 6-9, has a nice frame, long arms and is a good (but not great) athlete, which is a nice place to start. On top of that, he shows some budding skills in various facets of his offensive game, clearly being a player with some talent that has yet to be fully harnessed.
Raw, but pretty versatile, Watford shows potential in his jump-shooting ability, ball-handling skills and at times with his post-up game. He's a mismatch threat at the power forward position, as evidenced by the way he was able to get to the free throw line, nearly five times per game. He also has a nice stroke from the perimeter, connecting on 15 3-pointers last season, and 80% of his many free throws, which is pretty interesting at his size. Unfortunately he only converted on 28% of the 100+ jump-shots (from any range) he attempted last season, which shows that he still has quite a bit of work to improve on his consistency and shot-selection.
As a ball-handler, Watford has a nice first step and looks comfortable attacking his man in a straight line off the dribble from time to time. His lack of strength hampers him significantly once he gets to the basket, though, as he often struggles to finish through contact and does not possess the raw explosiveness to just rise up over the top of the defense. His 2-point percentages were horrendous for that reason (along with his affinity for shooting jumpers), converting 38.5% of his attempts inside the arc, which is simply an unacceptable rate.
Watford's post up game suffers for many of the same reasons, as he lacks the strength and possibly some toughness to establish great position in the paint, and tends to fade away from contact if a very physical defender is bodying him up. He does show some potential with his ability to knock down smooth turnaround jumpers or jump-hooks, though, complete with a high release point. He does not have any resemblance of a left hand at this stage, and posted an extremely poor 1/4 assist to turnover ratio, not always realizing his limitations and often struggling to make great decisions in the half-court. He did shoulder an inordinate amount of offensive responsibility on a young and somewhat talent-deprived Indiana roster, though, which helps explain his lack of efficiency offensively.
Defensively, Watford is a mixed bag at this point. He has the length to make his presence felt both on the perimeter and in the post, but lacks the fundamentals and lateral quickness to stay in front of smaller players and the strength and toughness to hold his own against more physical big men. Watford tends to lose his focus at times on the defensive end, being very upright in his stance, but when fully dialed in he can do some nice things on this end of the floor.
Watford is not a good rebounder at all at this stage, posting an underwhelming 8.4 rebounds per-40 minutes pace adjusted last season. His lack of strength is once again an issue here.
Watford's frame seemed to have improved significantly when we saw him a few weeks ago at the adidas Nations experience in Chicago, something that will make his life significantly easier in the Big Ten next season. Evaluating his film from last year, he clearly made strides as his freshman season moved on, and made some extremely intriguing plays from time to time that hinted at good things that might be in store for him.
Watford seems to be fixated on calling himself a small forward from the comments we've seen in the media, something that may be a mistake considering his strengths and weaknesses as a prospect. Long, athletic power forwards with inside/outside games are all the rage in today's NBA, and he's probably not nearly as interesting if his focus is on playing strictly on the perimeter, particularly on the defensive end.
We'll likely know a lot more about how Watford's NBA prospects are shaping up after this following season, but it might take him another season after that to truly establish himself on the national level.
[Read Full Article]
adidas Nations Experience: 2009 High School Prospects
August 19, 2008
A player with a wide-range of opinions regarding his prospects according to the various recruiting services, Christian Watford (#47 Scout, #40 Rivals, #11 ESPN) wasn’t really able to help his team as much as you would have thought considering how highly thought of he is in some circles.
It’s not hard to tell what people like about Watford, as he appears to have outstanding tools to play the game. A 6-8 combo forward (probably more of a 4 than a 3 right now), Watford is extremely long and lanky, with a nice frame, and is a good athlete to boot. He’s an active player who is certainly raw offensively, but is able to contribute in a variety of ways. He can put the ball on the floor a little bit, make the occasional perimeter shot, and use his excellent physical tools to make somewhat of an impact as an offensive rebounder and shot-blocker from time to time. He seems to play with good energy and appears to have a solid feel for the game.
On the other hand, Watford’s shooting mechanics are not consistent (he brings the ball around the world before shooting and thus has a slow release), his ball-handling skills need plenty of work, and he’s too skinny right now to be much of a presence defensively or finishing around the rim. Watford looked eager to show himself at times, even though he’s a ways away from putting his tools together and being a productive piece, especially if he’s to become a full-time small forward. There is obviously a lot to work with, though, and that’s why colleges like Kentucky, Indiana, Memphis and Louisville are after him hard.
[Read Full Article]
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