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| Team: Michigan State, Junior |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 0"
W: 180 lbs
Bday: 05/24/1989
(20 Years Old)
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Current: PG
NBA: PG
Possible: PG
| Round: 1 Pick: 30 in 2010 Mock Draft
Rank 16 in NCAA Juniors
Rank 31 in Top 100 Prospects
RSCI: 36
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High School: Orchard Lake St. Mary's
Hometown: Sterling Heights, Mich.
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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| Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big Ten, Part One (#1-5)
August 28, 2009
Joseph Treutlein
After leading Michigan State to the National Championship Game with his steady point guard play last season, expectations are high for Kalin Lucas and the Spartans this season, with most of their key players returning. Lucas had a strong season overall himself, improving notably from his freshman campaign and making a stronger impression in the eyes of NBA scouts, something he’ll look to build on as a junior.
Looking at Lucas’ game, there is much to be impressed with from what he brings to the table, starting with his floor general abilities. Lucas possesses a sure dribble with good but not great advanced moves, which he uses to manage his team’s offense outstandingly, spreading the ball around the floor in the Spartans’ pass-heavy, team-oriented attack. Lucas is equally comfortable in the halfcourt and in transition, making use of his strong court vision and excellent knack for delivering the ball to spaces where his teammates are most comfortable. He is not one to over-dribble, playing just as much off the ball as on it, while showing a good sense of spacing and being a big part of why his team’s offense operates so well.
In terms of creating shots for his teammates, one way he does so is the pick-and-roll game, where he makes excellent reads to complement his precision passing. Lucas doesn’t create many good shots for himself out of the pick-and-roll, however, due to his lack of size and not great short-distance burst. This places less burden on defenders to contain him, allowing them to better cover the pick man, something that could pose more of a problem at the next level.
Lucas is a good scorer in his own right, possessing a good outside shot, especially spotting up, where he shows good form when he has his feet set and in rhythm, boasting a high release and good quickness. His touch can be a bit questionable at times, as he’s prone to overshoot badly on occasion, and he also has some form inconsistencies pop up when shooting off the dribble. He’s not as good of a shooter pulling up, not having great balance when moving side to side, something he needs to work on, as at his size, being a more deadly outside shooter will definitely help his chances at the next level. He currently shoots under 40% from inside the arc, which is a good indication he still has room to improve in this area.
In terms of attacking the basket, Lucas doesn’t have a blazing first step, but he changes speeds very well, has good shiftiness in the lane, has a good top speed, and picks his spots well, which currently allows him to get to the free throw line at an excellent rate. In the lane, he shows good creativity with the ball, but due to his size, he has trouble finishing in crowds and is prone to having his shot blocked, something that should be an even bigger issue at the next level. He shows flashes of an effective floater and pull-up jumper in the lane, but his consistency needs to improve with both. Lucas does most of his damage attacking the basket catching and driving from the wing area, not excelling as much in pure isolation situations.
Lucas’ offensive versatility is another plus for him, as he can play on or off the ball in the halfcourt, doing an excellent job of moving and maintaining spacing without the ball in his hands. He does sometimes struggle to get separation in these situations, however, due to his size and good, not great, burst. In transition, Lucas really excels, not slowing down with the ball in his hands, doing a good job of adjusting at top speed, and making good decisions with the ball.
Defensively, Lucas does a good job on the perimeter, playing an aggressive style with a high motor. His lateral quickness is solid, losing to a quick first step on occasion, but his reflexes are excellent, at times showing the ability to stay in front of his man through a series of moves, being right in his face the entire time. His size poses a concern, however, as players are able to shoot over him, especially in the lane, and getting through picks can be a problem.
Projecting to the next level, Lucas will be getting plenty of looks come draft time, and he should fit in well as a backup in a team-oriented offense that takes advantage of his game managing skills. Because he’s not a great one-on-one player and is disadvantaged size-wise without elite explosive abilities to make up for it, he may not ever project to a starter in the league, but if he continues to improve his shooting ability and other aspects of his game, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for him to find the right situation and truly excel.
 [Read Full Article]
Blogging through the Final Four (Part One)
April 4, 2009
The star of this game for the Spartans was clearly Kalin Lucas, even if his 21 points, 5 assists and 3 turnovers on 7-15 shooting doesn’t quite do justice to how important of a factor he was on the floor tonight. Lucas ran his team’s offense with the poise of a 10 year NBA veteran, doing a great job getting everyone involved and keeping mistakes to a minimum, using clock when the situation called for it, and looking more than capable of going out and creating offense on his own when the situation called for.
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Michigan State had a decided advantage in transition tonight, and much of that had to do with the speed of their sophomore playmaker. He was able to get his team easy points in the form of layups and jumpers when UConn was late getting back on defense, and was also extremely effective in the half-court, particularly with his long-range shooting. Lucas made three 3-pointers in this game, both coming off screens and spotting up on kickouts. His ability to create off the dribble in one on one situations was incredibly important for the Spartans when things broke down, and he showed an extra gear that helped keep UConn’s big men at bay when trying to rotate and block his shot.
Defensively, Lucas was solid as always, although he wasn’t quite as important on this end of the floor as senior Travis Walton, one of the biggest keys to this win.
[Read Full Article]
Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big 10 (Part Two: #6-10)
September 13, 2008
A few years ago, a freshman season like Kalin Lucas’s would have drawn a fair amount of attention from the basketball community; last season that wasn’t the case though. With blue chip prospects now forced to spend at least a year in the college ranks, Lucas’s solid first year with the Spartans was lost amongst so many other impressive freshman campaigns. Either way, Head Coach Tom Izzo has to be feeling pretty good about returning a point guard who averaged 10.3 points and nearly 4 assists per game in 25 minutes per game.
At 6’0’ (and that might be generous), Lucas is severely undersized for the NBA; a lack of strong leaping ability doesn’t help his cause either. What he does possess is excellent quickness as well as a knack for changing speeds very effectively. Lucas certainly will need to improve on his point guard skill set in order to have a legitimate shot at reaching the next level, as he often looks to shoot first and pass second, but you can’t teach the terrific instincts and aggressiveness he shows on the floor, and there is very little doubt that Lucas will continue to make strides as he matures in age.
The majority of Lucas’s shots come when he looks to spot up on the perimeter. He has a quick release and solid form; he does have a tendency to short arm his shots when he is rushed by defenders though. Lucas certainly has range on his shot, but wasn’t a tremendous threat from the perimeter, attempting less than two 3-pointers per game and connecting on 36.4% of them. When given a moment to set his feet, Lucas can be very effective. When he shoots off the dribble he becomes a much streakier shooter, though. Though he has good ball handling skills and a great first step, Lucas is often very off balance when shooting off the dribble. Despite this less than textbook technique, he still connects on a respectable number of these shots.
Lucas is at his most dangerous in the transition game where he gets to use his speed and aggressiveness to his advantage. He is very tough to stay in front of when he has a full head of steam going, and doesn’t back down from bigger defenders. He shows great body control around the rim and is capable of hitting some pretty acrobatic shots, but this is a result of his lack of size. Lucas tended to force the issue often when driving the lane, making life easy for bigger defenders who would be waiting for him around the basket. This is certainly a sign of inexperience and will be something to keep an eye on as Lucas will need to drive and dish more often as a sophomore. He has good court vision and doesn’t turn the ball over at too high a rate, though, which leaves plenty of room for optimism regarding his playmaking skills, which already show a lot of promise.
Defensively, there is work to be done for Lucas. Certainly he is at a disadvantage since most of the opponents he will be guarding will have several inches on him. He shows quickness on the offense end, but his lateral quickness doesn’t appear to be all that great and he bites on a fair number of dribble moves. Getting stronger in his upper body would help him a lot here as well; often bigger guards are able to bump him out of position to free themselves up for good looks at the basket.
Last season Lucas was the young, promising freshman who showed plenty of potential. His inconsistency (18 points vs. Wisconsin, 19 points vs. Pittsburgh, 4 points vs. Ohio State), while a sign of youth, needs to improve this season, especially now with the departure of fellow backcourt partner Drew Neitzel. Lucas also needs to develop his offensive game more and rely less on his natural speed. Adding a couple of dribble-drive moves would make him much more of a threat with the ball.
Lucas is at least a couple of years away before he should even begin considering the NBA, but there is promise when you look at his all-around combination of skills, athleticism and intangibles. He will always be labeled as being a bit too small initially, but improving his perimeter shooting and distributing the ball at a more consistent rate should be enough to intrigue at least a handful of scouts.
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