Joseph TreutleinMatthew Dellavedova took no time adjusting to the college game, averaging over 18 points in his first four games this season, and doing a good job keeping the pace, as hes the Gaels second leading scorer while also leading the team in minutes at 34.6 per game.
At 64, the Australian-born Dellavedova has solid size for a combo guard, though hes a below average athlete by NBA standards, lacking in quickness and severely lacking in vertical explosiveness. Currently playing the vast majority of the time as the secondary ball-handler and shot creator for the Gaels, Dellavedova is relied on more for his scoring punch, though he also shows flashes of point guard game.
Dellavedovas best offensive weapon is his jump shot, unsurprising when you check the stats and see that of his 124 field goal attempts this season, a ridiculous 79, or 64%, have come from behind the three-point arc. An excellent pure shooter with outstanding touch (as evidenced by his 91% FT%), Dellavedova boasts a high and relatively quick release on his shot, and is capable of scoring in a variety of ways.
The interesting thing about Dellavedovas shot is that he has a pretty severe flaw in his mechanics in that he always brings the ball down to his knees before shooting, something that slows down his release speed, limits the ways he can get off his shot, and causes mechanical issues when he has to rush the ball, yet in spite of all these things, hes still an excellent shooter, making you wonder how good he could be if he removed that problem.
In space, Dellavedova is close to automatic, and he also shows the ability to make shots pulling up or coming off screens, doing a great job of keeping his balance when moving side to side. Hes not as good when rushed with a hand in his face, however, and much of that stems from his mechanical issue. This problem will be magnified even further if Dellavedova makes it to the NBA, where the defenders are much longer and much more athletic, so its definitely something he should work on fixing.
Dellavedova does have a bit of offensive game outside of his outside shooting, as he also gets to the line at a decent rate when you consider the volume of threes he shoots. Off the dribble, Dellavedova is crafty with the ball, making good use of changes of speeds and doing an excellent job of reading the defense. He doesnt have a quick first step and lacks much in the line of advanced ball-handling, but he makes due with his court savvy instead. In the lane, he has a nice floater that boasts great touch, but he struggles to finish going all the way to the rim, having trouble finishing over taller defenders.
While Dellavedova spends most of the time playing off the ball, he does show flashes of point guard skills, namely with his ability to run the pick-and-roll, something he does exceptionally well. Showing outstanding patience and court vision, Dellavedova does a great job of reading the defense and passing on the move operating off picks, being able to make the full repertoire of passes.
He doesnt show any tunnel vision in this area of his game either, as he sends just as many passes to off-ball teammates all over the floor as he does to the big screening for him. Beyond the pick-and-roll game and your standard ball movement in half-court sets, its tough to judge Dellavedovas floor general abilities, because he spends the rest of the time off the ball alongside 6-0 junior Mickey McConnell.
There are definitely some problems in projecting Dellavedova as a full-time NBA point guard, however, as he seems somewhat limited in his shot-creating ability, having trouble with traps at times and not possessing great quickness with the ball.
Defensively, Dellavedova has an excellent stance, getting his body low and keeping his arms outstretched, but he is severely lacking in lateral quickness and strength, and its questionable whether he could be an adequate defender at any position at the next level. He likewise struggles to get around screens off the ball, just not being fast enough to keep up with small guards on most occasions.
Looking forward, Dellavedova looks like a terrific college player already as a freshman, but probably has a ways to go before he can be considered much of an NBA prospect. He has he has quite a few things working against him, namely his poor physical tools and limited defensive potential. That said, he still has four years to work on his game, and its not unforeseeable to see him become a
Matt Bouldin-type player by the time hes a senior. The best ways he could help himself now are to clean up his shooting mechanics so he can maximize his scoring ability and really work hard on getting stronger and maximizing his athletic tools.
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