| Malcolm Lee |
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| Team: UCLA, Sophomore |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 5"
W: 190 lbs
Bday: 05/22/1990
(19 Years Old)
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Current: SG
NBA: PG/SG
Possible: PG/SG
| Round: 1 Pick: 11 in 2010 Mock Draft
Rank 8 in NCAA Sophomores
Rank 12 in Top 100 Prospects
RSCI: 22
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High School: North (John W.)
Hometown: Riverside, CA
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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| Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Pac-10 (Part One: #1-5)
September 12, 2009
Jonathan Givony
Coming off a fairly non-descript freshman season in which he averaged just 3 points in under 11 minutes per game, most people would probably not expect to find Malcolm Lee’s name at the top of this Pac-10 prospect list. Part of that has to do with how overall depleted the conference appears to be at the moment in terms of returning talent, while plenty more has to do with the glimpses of potential that Lee flashed this summer as a counselor at the Adidas nations camp in Dallas.
Lee played a miniscule role for UCLA last season, only using four possessions per game on average. The overwhelming majority of his offense came off the ball, mostly in the form of spot-up jumpers, transition plays, offensive rebounds and cuts to the basket. This year, with the starting backcourt of Darren Collison and Jrue Holiday off to the NBA, Lee will surely be forced to shoulder a considerably larger amount of responsibility in Ben Howland’s stringent offense. How much he’s up to that task will likely play a big part in the amount of success that UCLA will have in what appears to be a transition season.
Offensively, Lee is at his best in an up-tempo setting, where his terrific athleticism really allows him to shine. He’s often the first one down the court, looking like an absolute jet with or without the ball, and regularly getting to the basket where he can make some very acrobatic plays. He’s an extremely fluid, explosive player, able to change directions on the fly and looking extremely quick and shifty in everything he does. Guards who can pick apart a defense on their own with a blazing first step are all the rage in today’s NBA, and Lee shows the potential to develop into that and much more down the road.
In the half-court, Lee is mostly a mixed bag at this point. While very much capable of blowing by his defender, he struggles to finish around the rim in traffic, as his body is extremely underdeveloped, and his improvable ball-handling skills mean that he’s often out of control by the time he gets to the rim. His jump-shot still needs a considerable amount of work, as it often looks flat, complete with an inconsistent release point, sometimes with his elbow flailing out badly. Lee shows the ability to make shots both spotting up and off the dribble, so there is definitely hope that he can sort out this part of his game if he continues to put the work in on his own.
Somewhat stuck between positions at the moment, Lee is at his best with the ball in his hands, but clearly is not a point guard at this juncture, even if his size might lead him in that direction down the road. His decision making skills are still on the raw side, being fairly turnover prone and relying excessively on his pure athleticism, which has not yet caught up with his feel for the game. This is not really a shock considering how old Lee is, but it’s something he must work on as he gains more experience and continues to learn the game, as he’s far more attractive a prospect if deemed to project as a combo guard rather than as an undersized shooting guard.
Defensively, Lee is an absolute menace, already being a shut-down stopper type, but showing even more potential as he continues to grow into his frame. He possesses superb lateral quickness, being capable of getting right in his matchup’s face and sticking with him for long stretches, while showing great intensity in the process. He gets in the passing lanes on a regular basis, and will even come up with an occasional blocked shot. Lee’s willingness to defend, coupled with the frenetic energy he brings to the floor will surely endear him to NBA decision makers, as he’s capable of guarding multiple positions already and still has room to improve down the road.
It will be interesting to see what kind of year Lee is capable of having, as he doesn’t appear to be the greatest fit for Ben Howland’s system, but will still need to be at his best if his team has any chance of sticking around the top-25 polls this season. While it may be a bit premature to be lavishing so much praise on a player who did so little as a freshman, Lee has the physical tools and natural talent to make a huge leap this year.
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Jordan Brand Classic Games (Day Three)
April 20, 2008
Despite starting off the game slowly, Malcolm Lee still found a way to have a pretty impressive all-around performance (7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 turnovers, 3-7 FG, 18 minutes). He logged significant minutes at the point guard position, and got mixed results. Early on he seemed to be forcing the issue a bit, not finding the open man cutting to the rim or spotting up on the wing, and may have been looking a bit too much for his own shot. That changed in the second half, though, as he settled down considerably and started making some terrific drive and dish passes, particularly in transition.
The fact that this was an all-star game where many of his colleagues played virtually no defense didn’t seem to impress Lee at all—he continued to get right in his man’s face, contesting shots and also making a significant effort to crash the glass. He’s a tough kid who doesn’t back down and never gives up on a play—which is going to make him very popular with Ben Howland. He’s still a raw player who has plenty of work to do on polishing up his all-around skill-set in many facets of the game (his off hand, body, perimeter shooting, advanced ball-handling skills), but has considerable upside and should emerge as a legit prospect down the road.
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Nike Hoop Summit Recap: Team USA
April 16, 2008
Looking at the box score, it would appear that Lee had a very insignificant role for team USA. Exactly the opposite is true however, considering Lee set the tone for the team defensively during the run that allowed the US Team to pull away from the international players. Another player attending UCLA next season, the guard will spend some of his time off the ball for the Bruins but projects as a point guard down the road. Showing good size at 6’4” with above average length, his defensive ability should get him on the court for some good minutes during his freshman season.
Though not falling during the game, Lee showed a nice outside shooting stroke during the practices with the ability to knock down the set shot or take a couple of dribbles and knock it in from mid-range. The guard also shows a nice first step and above-average ball-handling, but will need to work on finishing plays inside at UCLA.
He’ll be playing in a crowded backcourt next season and it’s unlikely that he’ll really emerge as an immediate NBA prospect until further down the road, but Malcolm Lee has the defensive ability and size that will always make him worth watching.
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RBK U - Sunday Night Session
July 9, 2007
Player number one: Malcolm Lee (Team Crawford/Moreno Valley, CA/Committed to UCLA/2008). Lee battled Jennings and Thomas all night long, and still ended up with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting (4-5 3-pt FG). His signature bucket came late in the game to keep it close, when Lee crossed over Thomas and drained an NBA-range three. However, Lee did struggle to play the point effectively, turning the ball over 4 times while dishing out just 3 assists. It will be fun to see Lee and Jennings battle it out in the Pac-10 in 2008-09.
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2007 RBK Eurocamp: Day Two (Part One)
June 11, 2007
Regardless of what the stats might indicate, Malcolm Lee was flat-out the most impressive player seen in Treviso in day two of action, bar-none. He looked so far ahead of the players 2-5 years older than him that it wasn’t even funny, making it quite scary to imagine how good he’ll be in a few years when his body starts to fill out and he finds a true position for himself. What’s certain is that UCLA seems to have a future stud committed to them.
Lee is a freakishly quick combo guard with a knack for getting into the paint. He can go left or right equally well, and possesses an outstanding first step and even better body control finishing in the lane. He showed nice instincts finding the open man on the drive and dish, even if he looks to be more of a shooting guard at the moment than the point guard he is listed at on the roster. That might have had to do with the limited minutes he played at that position, though, as the extremely short Isaiah Thomas played 26 minutes and wasn’t going to be anywhere else except on the ball.
Lee also has a really nice jump-shot he can go to, either from a static position or pulling up off the dribble. He’s also a fantastic defender, putting great pressure on the ball and showing excellent commitment to keeping his man in front of him. He came up with quite a few tips in the passing lanes thanks to his excellent instincts and hands for his efforts.
In terms of weaknesses, the first would obviously be his body. Lee looks very far right now from being anywhere close to physically mature, which isn’t a huge surprise considering he just turned 17. He has a very thin frame that will need some bulk before he’s able to maximize himself at the college level playing for UCLA. Lee could also stand to improve his ball-handling skills, which is a little bit tougher than for most because of how long his arms are. Lee has a tendency to dribble the ball with his head down, so becoming more aware of his surroundings, particularly if he’s indeed going to play the point at the next level, will be a big priority.
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