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A.J. Graves

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
Weight: 155 lbs (70 kg)
Position: SG
High School: White River Valley High School (Indiana)
Hometown: Switz City, IN
College: Butler
Current Team: Butler
Win - Loss: 17 - 14

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NCAA Tournament: Stock Watch (round of 32, Saturday games)--Stock Up

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Mar 17, 2007, 04:08 pm
Graves didn’t play his absolute best game of the season, but he put together a very solid performance in helping Butler advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003. The jack of all trades shooting guard did a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor, coming up big when his team needed him the most.

After getting off to a slow start, missing several perimeter shots, Graves started relying on his craftiness to get himself in the lane where he was able to do damage against a spread out Maryland defense. Though not the fastest or the most athletic guard by any means, Graves is very good at turning the corner on defenders thanks to his ability to use angles to his advantage. Once in the lane, he is very good at floating shots over taller players, and protecting the ball by using his body. Where he struggled was when a second defender came from behind. Graves did not show great vision for trailing defenders and had a few lay up attempts pinned by James Gist. Graves got hot from the outside in the second half; hitting a total of 4 three’s for the game. On the season, he has only been shooting 35.5% from the outside, but has shown a knack for hitting from beyond the arc in big situations.

Graves is only a junior so he has another year to develop as a player, which he very much will need. At just 6-1 he is severely undersized for the shooting guard position in the NBA, so he needs to develop his point guard skills. His isn’t very fast or athletic, so whether or not he can guard perimeter players at the next level is a major question mark with him. Despite these questions and doubts, Graves is one of those players that just seems to get things done. There is a certain confident swagger to his game, as if he is the only one who knows what he is capable of with a basketball in his hands. With a solid tournament already, and another year left to develop, Graves has a chance to get some 2nd round looks from the NBA next season if he works hard on developing his all-around game.