Not Nor Cal related but... From Kevin Ding: "With a three/four-step lead-up, UCLA's Zach LaVine had a 46" vertical here at his Lakers workout."
That's definitely a wow!
Yes, NBA draft folks certainly have to seriously consider projection but also without giving actual production short shrift. The 6-foot-5 LaVine is not a point right now so, as a two guard, what is the determination on his handle? Also, will he evolve to being able to get his own shot? Will he generate a consistent shot?
As a freshman, LeVine shot 44%, 37% and 69% overall respectively, 38%, 37% and 71% in conference On the season, he attempted but 68 free throws, 41 in league. His assist-to-turnover ratio was 66/42 overall, 34/19 in the Pac-12. He is also not a positive factor defensively.
From the Draft Express folks:
LaVine is also an impressive shot-maker, sporting unorthodox mechanics but looking very confident in his shooting stroke, be it with his feet set, pulling up off the dribble, or even coming off screens. The ball comes out of his hand very smoothly and he has deep range and a quick release on his jumper. LaVine started off the season in very impressive fashion, making 42 of his 97 3-point attempts (43%) in the first three and a half months, but then tallied off quite a bit in his final month in college, making just 6 of his last 31 attempts (19%), which brought down his season percentage to a still decent 37.5%.His actual draft spot will be fascinating. It seems, like with so many others, it all boils down to how hard is he willing to work to correct his current weaknesses rather than rely on his athletic prowess? Is the necessary mindset there, especially after landing a nice initial contract?
Besides making spot-up jumpers and coming off screens, LaVine's only other real source of offensive production comes in transition, where he sees a significant share of his possessions. His terrific quickness allows him to leak out and make impressive plays in the open floor, and he's quite a handful to deal with in early-offense situations when opposing defenses aren't set thanks to his tremendous burst and leaping ability.
Where LaVine struggled this season was when he was forced to take more responsibility upon himself and create offense in the half-court in pick and roll or one on one situations. He's just an average ball-handler, as he doesn't do a great job of reading defenses and playing at different speeds, and struggles badly finishing through contact around the basket, particularly with his left hand. LaVine made just 17 shots around the basket in the half-court this season in 37 games, and did so inefficiently at that, only hitting 45% of his attempts in these situations. He only got to the free throw line 2.8 times per-40 minutes pace adjusted, which rates dead last among all college players in our Top-100 prospect rankings. LaVine's feel for the game and decision making skills leave a lot to be desired at this point in time, as his shot-selection can be very poor and he has a difficult time making the simple play at times. His propensity for settling for long 2-point jumpers hurts his efficiency, and he doesn't do a great job of creating for teammates, as all his passing metrics are poor even for a wing prospect. He generates an assist for a teammate on just 13% of his possessions (18th best of the 22 SGs in our Top-100), and dished out 2.8 assists per-40 pace adjusted, which also ranks similarly among SG prospects...
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