James Posey

Overview: Efficient player who understands his role and sticks to it. Has excellent size and strength for the small forward position. Plays unselfishly, limits mistakes, and generally does what’s asked of him. A very good defender who is a terrific perimeter shooter, particularly in the clutch. Has the added versatility of being able to operate as an undersized PF in small-ball lineups. Was one of the heroes of the 2008 NBA Playoffs and Finals making big play after play for Boston when he was most needed, which in turn earned him a big contract with New Orleans the following summer.

Offense: Posey gets the overwhelming majority of his shots by simply hanging out behind the 3-point line and waiting to receive the ball for a spot-up jumper. He’s mastered the art of knocking down the open 3-pointer, and has thus become a reliable, although very one-dimensional, offensive player. When forced to shoot with opposition or off the dribble, his percentages drop considerably, to the point that he’s no longer effective. If he does put the ball on the floor, he’s generally going all the way to the basket, as he has very little ability to pull-up from mid-range. He is an average ball-handler with his right hand and incredibly limited with his left, while not being a great finisher once in the lane either as he’s not a great athlete. Posey knows all this, though, and thus mostly sticks to what he does best—which is shoot 3-pointers. 67% of his shots come from behind the arc in 07-08, and he hit them at a solid 38% rate. He does not get to the free throw line very often, and thus, also rarely turns the ball over.

Defense: Posey has great size for a small forward at 6-8, a chiseled 230 pound frame, and very long arms—giving him great tools to play defense on the perimeter. He plays with great intensity on this end, going hard after every loose ball. He is very disciplined and clearly does his homework studying his match up, doing a great job using his length to contest shots. He also maintains his composure and doesn’t gamble for steals at all. With that said, Posey’s lateral quickness is not outstanding, and therefore he does have issues at times chasing quicker players around screens and staying in front of athletic guards he gets matched up with. It’s not rare to see an athletic shot-creating wing play blow by him off the dribble if matched up with him one on one. If forced to defend a back to the basket type forward who likes to play around the paint, he’s very effective, as he’s extremely physical. As a team defender, he is a real asset thanks to his size, smarts, intensity and experience level.