Joseph Treutlein
After missing the first 21 games of his sophomore season due to academic suspension, Troy Gillenwater finished off strong, averaging a very potent 14.6 points in just 22.8 minutes per game for the Aggies, while scoring at a high efficiency as well. Despite dealing with ankle injuries in the offseason, Gillenwater should be fully healthy to start his junior year, where he'll look to expand his production with a larger role.
On the offensive end, Gillenwater does the majority of his damage operating with his back to the basket, something he's very well suited for in mid-major NCAA, though likely far less than ideal from an NBA perspective. Possessing good base strength and a nice arsenal of hook shots and turnaround jumpers, Gillenwater finishes very well around the basket, showing good touch and instincts in the post. The problem, however, is that from an athletic standpoint he is not particularly impressive, and he struggles to get great separation on his moves, which makes it tougher for him to finish against bigger, more athletic opponents.
Off the ball, Gillenwater does a good job finishing on cuts, pick-and-rolls, and offensive rebounds, but he isn't featured in these situations very often and his lack of great athleticism makes it unlikely for him to develop into a big time threat in these areas. Likewise, despite showing a decent comfort level with his ball-handling, his first step is very weak, making his face-up game very non-threatening.
On the other hand, Gillenwater does excel greatly with his spot-up shooting, possessing range to the college three-point line and very good accuracy on his shot. According to Synergy Sports Technology, Gillenwater scored 1.23 points per possession on his jump shots, which ranks in the 94th percentile of college players. If he can maintain his 40% three-point shooting on a larger number of attempts per game (he averaged just 2.5 as a sophomore), this is one attribute that will be very helpful to him projecting to any higher level of competition.
Defensively, Gillenwater does a good job in the post, where he shows solid fundamentals and moves his feet pretty well, while he also shows good but not great base strength to hold position. He isn't tested much on the perimeter, either in isolation or pick-and-roll situations, but when he is, he doesn't look particularly comfortable. Gillenwater also does a good job contributing on the glass, averaging 11.1 boards per pace adjusted 40 minutes, something he can hopefully maintain with increased minutes this year.
Looking forward, Gillenwater appears to have a steep uphill climb to establish himself as a surefire NBA draft prospect, as his lack of great athleticism or size combined with the question marks about how his post game will translate is a lot of cards stacked against him. Continuing to develop as a three-point threat, maximizing his athleticism, and developing into a more versatile defender should be among his priorities, and he should have plenty of chances to do so this year.
Comments