DraftExpress: Is Rakeem Christmas not even in Syracuse's rotation? Things are going to get crowded next year with DaJuan Coleman coming in and Melo back. 2011-11-23 11:13:59
DraftExpress: USA coach Don Showalter putting Anthony Davis, Rakeem Christmas and Michael Gilchrist through big man drills. http://plixi.com/p/90294895 2011-04-07 12:17:42
DraftExpress: Looking at DOBs...does anyone have any idea why Rakeem Christmas is so much older than his class? Almost two years older than Gilchrist. 2011-04-07 01:01:30
DraftExpress: Michael Carter-Williams and Rakeem Christmas discuss their future legacy with the Syracuse Orange: http://bit.ly/igdXY8 2011-04-05 07:31:03
DraftExpress: Syracuse commits Michael Carter-Williams and Rakeem Christmas on the mic... http://plixi.com/p/87875793 2011-03-29 01:47:56
2011 Nike Hoop Summit: USA Team Measurements April 12, 2011 Rakeem Christmas Height (with shoes): 6-9 ¼
Weight: 229
Wingspan: 7-3 ½ [Read Full Article] Mcdonald's All-American Interviews: Plumlees vs Zellers, Cuse Recruits April 5, 2011 Michael Carter-Williams and Rakeem Christmas discuss their future legacy with the Syracuse Orange.
HoopHall Classic Scouting Reports: Elite Prospects (Part Two) January 22, 2011 Jonathan Givony
There isn't much new to report about Rakeem Christmas (#16 Scout, #12 Rivals, #11 ESPN) following the very poor performance (3 points, 5 rebounds, 25 minutes) he put in at the HoopHall Classic, a game in which his squad blew a 16-point fourth quarter lead and lost to a very average team.
The 6-9 Christmas has clearly added weight and looks even more the part of a top prospect from a physical standpoint, with his excellent frame, super long arms and terrific athleticism. He's a quick jumper who runs the floor extremely well and can play well above the rim.
Beyond that, though, he clearly has a ways to go, as he has a very low skill-level offensively and has never really tried to exert himself in the half dozen or so times we've seen him play. His hands are somewhat questionable, his footwork in the post is poor, and his fundamentals on defense leave a lot to be desired. People who have watched him extensively report that these types of performances are not out of the norm for him, especially on this current high school team he plays for.
With that all that said, it's not difficult to see where the excitement about Christmas stems from, as players with his tools are very rare, and it usually takes big men longer to develop. His effort level, feel and polish will have to improve if he wants to get major playing time immediately at Syracuse, though, as he's going to play for a team that is returning a pretty solid frontcourt. [Read Full Article] Adidas Nations Tournament: High School Prospects August 24, 2009 A consensus top-5 recruit in the 2011 high school class, it’s easy to get enamored with Rakeem Christmas’ (#5 Scout, #4 Rivals, #7 ESPN) upside. He passes the look test and then some on first glance, showing decent size, a good frame, long arms and downright freakish athleticism. Christmas (no relation to ex-Temple swingman Dionte Christmas) jumps out of the gym, runs the floor like a deer, and is extremely quick off his feet.
Offensively, Christmas is extremely limited at this point, which probably isn’t a huge surprise considering the stage of development he’s currently at. He gets most of his offense by running the court in transition, presenting himself at the rim for easy finishes, and crashing the offensive glass. On the block, he has very little in the ways of footwork or post-moves, and doesn’t seem to be all that interested in scoring actually. Disinterested is a word that seems to come up a little more than you’d hope when it comes to Christmas, as he doesn’t always seem to be competing all that hard, looking fairly apathetic at times and not really putting his terrific tools to good use.
Defensively, Christmas has huge potential, and he already can be very effective as both a shot-blocker and man to man defender when he puts his mind to it. His length and terrific leaping ability allows him to establish himself as a major presence rotating from the weak-side, and we saw him send back quite a few shots while watching him play, sometimes in emphatic fashion. His lack of strength makes it difficult for him to avoid being posted up by stronger big men, but his length and lateral quickness can be extremely bothersome, leaving a lot of room for optimism in this regard as his frame continues to fill out. He can already step out and hedge screens on the perimeter quite effectively, which is a nice asset to have from your big man.
Christmas is someone that obviously jumps off the page immediately right now thanks to the undeniable potential he possesses, mostly thanks to his terrific physical attributes. He’s still got quite a ways to go obviously, though, especially in terms of the effort level he displays. [Read Full Article]
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