| Willie Warren |
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 | | STRENGTHS: |
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| - Ability to get to free throw line | | - Efficiency | | - Excellent skill-level | | - Pick and roll play | | - Scoring instincts | | - Ability to create own shot | | - Ball-handling skills w/either hand | | - Change of gears/Hesitation moves | | - Defensive potential | | - Aggressiveness | | - Assertiveness | | - Potential | | - Ability to create for others | | - Ability to finish through contact | | - Body control | | - Excellent first step | | - Solid frame | | - Strength | | - Wingspan | | - 3-point range | | - Ability to create separation from defender | | - Perimeter shooting potential | | - Solid free throw shooter | | WEAKNESSES: |
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| - Shot-selection | | - Defensive fundamentals | | - Off-ball defense | | - Versatility to defend multiple positions | | - Consistency | | - Experience | | - Size for position | | - Poor rebounder | | - Shooting mechanics |
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| Team: Oklahoma, Sophomore |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 4"
W: 200 lbs
Bday: 10/22/1989
(20 Years Old)
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Current: SG
NBA: SG
Possible: SG
| Round: 1 Pick: 3 in 2010 Mock Draft
Rank 1 in NCAA Sophomores
Rank 3 in Top 100 Prospects
RSCI: 14
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High School: North Crowley HS
Hometown: Fort Worth, TX
Best Case: Ben Gordon
Worst Case: Rashad Mccants
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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| LeBron James Skills Academy Player Profiles
July 13, 2009
-Willie Warren- Offensively, there wasn’t a more impressive player in attendance, as few possess the shot-creating tools that Warren does from the perimeter. His combination of athleticism, scoring instincts and aggressiveness made him quite a force here, as his shiftiness with the ball and long strides allow him to get nearly wherever he wants to go. When he wasn’t creating angles for himself to get to the rim, Warren showed an advanced ability to make contested shots from the mid-range and beyond the arc. On the downside, Warren measured in shorter than advertised at just 6-3 ½ in shoes with a 6-6 wingspan, and didn’t look anything like the point guard some experts have billed him as. It’s pretty clear that he’s most comfortable first and foremost looking for his own shot, as he seems to get tunnel vision once he starts driving down the lane. The coaches that worked with him raved about his attitude, which seems to be a constant theme.
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NCAA Weekly Performers, 3/9/09
March 10, 2009
Willie Warren has made quite a bit of progress since the last time we evaluated him in late December, establishing himself as arguably the best scorer in this freshman class, but continuing to do so with excellent efficiency. Warren shows a pretty complete offensive repertoire, and has terrific potential to continue to develop down the road, as he’s a very good athlete with extremely advanced scoring instincts.
Warren’s 3-point shot seems to have steadied out significantly over the past few months, as he’s shooting over 38% in Big 12 conference play, up from 32% when we last looked at him. Despite possessing unorthodox shooting mechanics—with his elbow flailing way out and a low release point—Warren gets outstanding elevation on his jumper and shoots the ball identically on every attempt. He has range that extends past the NBA 3-point line, and great touch from anywhere on the floor—giving him excellent potential in this area.
Warren looks increasingly comfortable operating in the mid-range area as well, doing a nice job setting his feet before pulling up off the dribble, which makes him very dangerous when considering his ability to effortlessly create separation from defenders. From time to time Warren will show questionable shot-selection, settling for tough jumpers with a hand in his face—but this has been far less of an issue than previously thought going into the season.
What gives Warren truly special potential as an NBA shooting guard is his ability to put the ball on the floor and create offense for both himself and his teammates. He can handle the ball with either hand, showing a terrific first step, the ability to change gears and directions, phenomenal body control weaving his way through the lane, and the strength to finish aggressively through contact. It’s pretty obvious that creating his own shot is something that comes quite naturally to him, and certainly makes him a rare commodity in college basketball. As he continues to gain experience in this area and learns to truly harness his talent, he could potentially develop into a primary offensive option, even at the NBA level.
Warren has looked better and better at running the pick and roll as of late, showing nice patience and surprisingly good vision finding teammates on drive and dish plays. He’s seen quite a few minutes as Oklahoma’s primary ball-handler, and although it’s pretty clear that he’s most comfortable looking first and foremost for his own shot, he does appear to have the ability to facilitate an offense and handle some spot duties at the point, at least for a few minutes each game. Considering that he’s slightly undersized at 6-4, this might be something NBA teams want to see from him.
Defensively, Warren continues to show a good attitude on this end of the floor, looking pretty intense and very much willing to contribute. His strength, wingspan and lateral quickness give him excellent potential here down the road, but his lack of fundamentals and experience look very evident on a couple of possessions every night, where he can get taken advantage of. He tends to lose his focus at times, particularly off the ball, but in time he should be able to develop into a capable defender as long as he continues to display a good attitude here.
Not many players have helped their draft stock as much as Warren has over the past month or so, not only by showing outstanding upside, but also with his production and approach. You don’t find many freshman with his combination of shooting, slashing and physical tools, and it wouldn’t be shocking to possibly see him emerge as the next shooting guard taken off the board after James Harden. For now Warren is saying that he will be staying in school for another season, so we’ll have to see how things play out once he gets through the tournament.
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Evaluating the NCAA Freshman Class
December 24, 2008
With player of the year candidate Blake Griffin receiving all of the attention, it’s been the impressive play of freshman, Willie Warren, that has not only helped make the Oklahoma Sooners a top five team, but has turned Warren himself into a very intriguing prospect. Coming out of North Crowley (TX) High School and being a McDonald’s All-American, Warren was one of the most highly touted freshmen entering this college basketball season, and he has not disappointed. With the ability to score and handle the ball, Warren can cause havoc this season in the Big 12, and is a legitimate threat to light it up on any given night—as he showed just last game by scoring 31 points at Rice.
Warren is a 6’4” shooting guard who displays great strength, excellent athleticism and a very long wingspan. Although he has been asked to play the point on occasion, Warren is a natural shooting guard with a scorer’s mentality. He is currently averaging 20 points per-40 pace adjusted on 49% shooting from the field, and is 6th in the country in scoring amongst freshman.
Warren can score in a multitude of ways, yet he relies heavily and settles for too many 3’s, where he is shooting a dire 32.1% on 4.3 attempts a game. He has a very low release point, as he shoots the ball from his chin. It has not been an issue thus far, as he gets it off fairly quickly, but it is going to be something to keep an eye on with conference play being around the corner.
He’s proven he can hit shots from deep, but he has been very inconsistent thus far, as evidenced by a 22 point effort (11-13 FT Line) against Purdue, followed by a 5 point outing on 2 for 6 shooting against USC. The inconsistency is in his shooting mechanics as well; as he won’t always get the same lift off from shot to shot. He can go from shooting a set shot to elevating high off the court in the same game, not a good quality for any shooter. His confidence is never really affected however, as he plays with a certain swagger and self assurance which is easy to see.
In order for Warren to maximize his potential, he will need to better take advantage of his quickness and great ball-handling skills. When he decides to go to the basket or get in the paint, he’s proven that he can get by quick defenders because of his ability to change speeds and finish in traffic with his strength. On the other hand, Warren has shown a tendency to play out of control and over commit on a drive instead of utilizing a jump stop. Once he gains experience and learns how to control himself in the lane, his production will skyrocket.
In terms of going to the basket, Warren uses both hands effectively, but finishes with his right hand almost all of the time on both sides. He has a good knack of hitting the in-between shot but it would be nice to see him use his gifts to get to the foul line more (3.6 attempts per game). On the downside, he often tries to make the spectacular play, which can result in just that, but can also result in a costly turnover. His 1.44 A/TO ratio and 2.6 APG imply that Warren has done a pretty solid job buying into Oklahoma’s system, which was a bit of a concern going into college with the reputation he developed in high school.
In transition or secondary breaks, Warren will almost always spot up behind the arc, instead of getting out and filling the lanes to get an easier opportunity. There are a couple times throughout a game however, when Warren will run by the man he’s guarding after a shot attempt to leak out early and beat the defense down the court. This is a play that is commonly reserved for pick-up basketball and not high level division I competition. Although he’s been successful at getting out and receiving a long outlet pass from one of the Griffin brothers, Warren will have to learn to pick his spots and not jeopardize his team defensively.
Speaking of defense, this is an area of Warren’s game that is also inconsistent. He plays in spurts, not always showing a good stance or a desire to fight through screens. He gambles a lot on this end which is a main reason for his 1.6 steals a game. When he has it in his mind to lock down an opposition, he can do so with great lateral speed and as mentioned a long wingspan.
Assuming the role of Robin and playing in the shadows of a Batman-like superstar makes it difficult to stand out, but that is exactly what Warren has done this season. He plays with his emotions on his sleeve for better or for worse as the highs are often too high and the lows too low. With that said, as he gains some experience and becomes more mature, Warren can hopefully learn how to control his emotions, which will certainly elevate his game.
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