Player Analysis by Draft Express

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/NBA-Scouting-Reports,-Southwestern-Division--Part-One--2878/


Houston Rockets


Rafer Alston

Overview: A playground legend who is a solid fit for Rick Adelman’s offense when his shot is falling. Handles the ball as well as any person on the planet. Possesses average size for a pure point guard. Has great quickness, but is more fluid than explosive. Didn’t have the easiest time getting to where he is now. Spent time at two different Community Colleges before spending his senior season at Fresno State. Managed to get drafted, but still had to pay his dues in the CBA and NBADL before finding a niche in the League. Used his time in the minors to get used to playing in a structured offense. Ironed out many of his playground skills and developed a solid jump shot as well. Has always been a tremendous distributor. An important part of Houston’s system—fought off heavy competition to again average a great deal of playing time.

Offense: A talented offensive player who isn’t a very efficient scorer, but is great at setting the table. Get one third of his offense from spot ups with another third coming from pick and rolls. Very apt at dribbling off screens to create a passing angles to the roll man. Extremely creative passer and ball handler. Always find a way to deliver the ball. Will turn the ball over due to his style of play. Hard to stop in transition. Makes defenders commit before giving up the ball. A solid, but unspectacular scorer. Has a repertoire of floaters, but has a tough time producing consistently from the outside. Puts great touch on his lay ups and midrange shots. Can beat his man off the dribble due to his handle, but doesn’t do it enough. Likes to drive left and look to score at the rim. Not much of a free throw shooter or offensive rebounder. Can make a killing as a jump shooter in Houston’s offense when he’s hitting shots—the problem is he takes too many outside shots.

Defense: A very good defensive player who has the quickness to hang with most point guards. Puts in a great effort. Maintains a low stance. Has a hard time defending taller players who can shoot over him. Quick hands. Will pick his man’s pocket from time to time. Good defensive rebounder for his position. Likes to box out, read the situation, and then get into position to receive the outlet pass.

Shane Battier

Overview: The ultimate role player who is capable of doing a little bit of everything. Plays the 3 and the 4 effectively. Has good size and strength, but lacks ideal quickness and explosiveness. Arguably the most fundamentally sound player in the League. Can score in a variety of ways, but functions primarily as a jump shooter. Isn’t a one-on-one player and tries to score by playing his role in an offense rather than asserting himself unnecessarily. Might be the best defensive forward in the NBA. Does the little things. Extremely high basketball IQ. A coach’s dream. Has been a winner since his youth, garnering the Naismith award as a senior at Detroit Country Day high school and the Wooden Award as a senior at Duke. Possesses great leadership skills. Comes through when it counts. Becomes an extremely valuable asset to the Rockets when he is knocking down his perimeter shots. Plays a ton of minutes.

Offense: Extremely sound and efficiency offensive player. Gets more than half of his offense as a spot up shooter. Very good in that role. Will hit shots from three point range with very good consistency—most of his shots come from behind the arc. Never takes a shot without his feet set. Very selective. Very predictable off the dribble. Tends to go to the rim when he drives right and pull up when he drives left. Won’t assert himself off the dribble very often. Great finisher at the rim despite his lack of athleticism. Knows how to use fakes and protect the ball with his body to finisher with contact. Could should a better percentage from the foul line, although he rarely gets there. Passable ball handler. Good offensive rebounder. Great passer. Not turnover prone. The ideal system role player. Scores all his points in the flow of the offense. Doesn’t do anything outside of himself.

Defense: Probably the most fundamentally sound defender in the game. Won’t reach unless he knows he’ll get enough of the ball to keep the play in front of him. Not afraid to get on the floor to grab loose balls. Gets in a good stance and moves his feet. Will block shots just by maintaining good position. Always gets his hands up on shooters. Understands the nuances of contesting shots. Great help side defender. Always knows his rotations and will slide over to protect the basket when his teammates get beat off the dribble. Loves to try and take charges. Calls don’t always go his way. Will commit smart fouls at the rim when he knows a player isn’t good from the line. Great defensive intangibles. Amazing awareness.

Aaron Brooks

Steve Francis

Overview: A veteran combo guard who is light years away at this point from being a “franchise” player. Was once an imposing athlete, but a series of injuries have relegated him to minor roles on the teams he’s played for recently. Pretty tall and very strong for a point guard. Used to have an extremely quick first step and first-class leaping ability. Had the ability to score at will off the dribble. Seems to have lost much of his explosiveness. Has never played a full season, but has missed more games than usual in recent years. Possesses the versatility to still be a nice role player as he uses the season to get back into shape. Has proven capable of putting up great numbers. Had a nice college career despite spending time at two community colleges and a single season at Maryland. Won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2000. Three time All-Star. May not have the mindset to function as merely a role player. Needs to show that he can play within a team concept and defer to teammates in order to receive a chance to return to form.

Offense: A once dynamic offensive player who has seen his role limited in recent seasons. Gets a quarter of his offense from pick and rolls with another quarter coming from spot up situations. Sees another third of his touches on fast breaks and in one-on-one isolations. Good ball handler and passer, but is incredibly turnover prone. Doesn’t always make the best decisions with the ball. Was never a great shooter, but isn’t as good now as he used to be, partially due to knee and quad injuries. Isn’t much of a factor from three point range. Will knock down midrange shots with solid consistency though. Much more effective off the dribble. Can create separation without a lot of trouble. Doesn’t finish as well as he used to, but can still get to the rim for easy baskets. Used to get to the free throw line at a great rate. Used to be more efficient across the board. It will be interesting to see how he plays once he rebounds from his recent injury problems.

Defense: Very capable and very aggressive defender in spurts. Has the athleticism to really be a nuisance, but injuries have decreased his ability to deny penetration to an extent. Can defend the shooting guard spot defending on the match up. Doesn’t make a lot of plays off the ball. Won’t always stay in good position when his man makes a move. Will create turnovers with his quick hands and ability to jump into passing lanes. Very good shot blocker for a point guard due to his leaping ability. Rebounds well for the same reason. Shows good intensity when it counts, but doesn’t always play up to his potential.

Michael Harris

Chuck Hayes

Overview: An undersized power forward who knows how to throw his weight around and make an impact despite his size. Has a 6-10 wingspan, but is severely undersized at 6-7. Possesses more than adequate strength and displays great toughness and durability. Uses leverage extremely well to fight for position in the paint. Shows an unorthodox jumper, and thankfully doesn’t use it often. Has one of the league’s most awkward looking strokes from the free throw line, complete with an awful hitch, and sub-50% averages to boot. Primarily a hustle guy offensively and defensively. Gets by on his basketball IQ and rebounding ability. Could put some points on the board with his back to the basket during his career at Kentucky. Plays an efficient offensive game and defensive game. Won’t go off on any given night, but doesn’t take plays off either. Doesn’t make mistakes, and is a solid passer. Understands his role. Brings some nice things to the table for the Rockets considering his contract. Offensive role decreased considerably in 07/08.

Offense: Doesn’t take many shots. Gets more than half of his offense by being active off the ball for cuts to the basket. Gets another fifth from offensive rebounds. Really doesn’t get any touches in the normal flow of the offense. Doesn’t take almost any jumpers. Has an awkward looking stroke that he shoots on a line drive on the way down. Pretty poor from the line. Not much of a ball handler either. Will only dribble if he has a wide open lane to the rim. Great at getting position for offensive rebounds. Always moving. Doesn’t turn the ball over often. Sets great screens with a very wide base. Purely a complimentary offensive player. Isn’t asked to do anything else.

Defense: A great hustle defender who manages to be effective despite his size. Has a very hard time covering taller players in the post. Will give everything he’s got to deny entry passes, and is terrific at coming up with steals. Uses leverage and great overall strength to push his man off the block. Goes straight up when his man goes to make a move. Will commit some fouls when rotating over in help side and when he’s beat. Won’t block many shots from the weakside. Gets most of his rejections by keeping his hands up and maintaining good position. Stays on his feet when his man tries to fake him into the air. Great at boxing out. Has excellent timing and smarts. Won’t get outrebounded despite his size. Provides great energy, but isn’t able to push his man around for the duration of a game.


Luther Head

Overview: An undersized shooting guard who needs to improve his consistency and efficiency to take his game to the next level. Displays good quickness and speed. Doesn’t have great strength for a guard, which makes him a liability defensively against taller opponents. Could really stand to develop his point guard skills, but Houston already has plenty of players at that position. Has put up solid scoring numbers, but has seen his minutes decrease in 07/08. Didn’t have to play point guard at Illinois with Dee Brown and Deron Williams handling all of the minutes there.

Offense: A solid shooter who gets about half of his attempts from behind the arc. Perimeter jumper has been his staple since college. Hasn’t had much of a problem expanding his range to the NBA 3-point line. Great catch and shoot player. Average ball handler. Likes to take the ball to the rim since he doesn’t have the explosiveness to get separation in the midrange. Not great at running the pick and roll. Can turn the corner, but is usually forced to give up the ball. Not a great distributor. Won’t make bad passes or turn the ball open often, nor will he set up teammates. Doesn’t go to the line at a high rate, but shoots a very good percentage from the stripe. Won’t crash the offensive glass. Needs to work on his point guard skills. Has found himself as a shooter, but would be a better fit if he could see some minutes at the point.

Defense: A solid defender who shows a good work ethic to compliment his above average athleticism. Has a tough time when asked to guard taller perimeter players, which makes it difficult for him to play the 2-guard spot at times. Can’t contest their shots due to his lack of ideal size. Capable of defending the point guard spot better. Good lateral quickness, but isn’t always be able to stay in front of smaller guards. Shows consistent effort. Won’t take a lot of risks, and for that reason he won’t make many mistakes. A nice option who brings energy, but doesn’t have the physical traits to be a dynamic defender.

Bobby Jackson

Overview: One of the league’s original combo guards. A bit of a trail blazer in that sense. A 6-1 shooting guard in a point guard’s body, but extremely effective over the course of his career nonetheless. Brings fantastic scoring instincts off the bench, and can change the complexion of a game with his pull-up jumper. Not bashful at all about making his presence felt, takes a lot of shots, and is not the most efficient player around. Made a name for himself on a great Sacramento Kings team under Rick Adelman. High character guy who has been somewhat injury prone year in and year out. Still extremely effective at age 35, but not might have all that much left in the tank when his contract expires in 2009.

Offense: Takes a lot of 3-pointers, and is a very good shooter. A master at hitting tough shots off the dribble. Better shot selection would have even made him a great shooter. Doesn’t get to the free throw line as much as he used to. Doesn’t turn the ball over that much either—has become more prudent picking his spots later on in his career. Isn’t quite as cat-quick as he used to be, but is very crafty and still plays the game with a tremendous swagger. Excellent ball-handler, goes left or right equally well. First step is average at this point, doesn’t get to the basket at a high rate. Likes to finish with a pretty floater around the rim when he does. Mostly looks to create for himself, but has the court vision to create for others as well. Has a tendency to over-dribble at times.

Defense: Competes defensively, but his physical tools limit him to a certain extent. Still very crafty about contesting shots. Fundamental, intense and really understands angles. Not afraid to stick nose in to take a charge. Will get in the passing lanes at times and come up with a steal. Also a solid rebounder for his position. Needs to guard point guards, but isn’t always able to do so because of his offensive tendencies. Severely undersized at the SG position, which makes it very easy for players to shoot over him.

Carl Landry

Tracy McGrady

Overview: An extremely gifted All-Star small forward who has had a hard time finding playoff success despite his surreal offensive skills. Has prototypical size for the small forward position. Filled out his once skinny frame pretty quickly. Jumps out of the gym. Possesses a great first step, a nasty crossover, and tremendous lift on his jump shot. Injuries have limited his once excellent athleticism, though. Developed his perimeter game early in his career. Won the Most Improved Player Award in 2001. Can get really hot from outside. Stuffs the stat sheet. Showed the potential be a dynamic player at Mount Zion Christian Academy HS, but needed some time to become the player he is. Forms a nice combo with Yao Ming, but misses a lot of games due to injuries. Durability is the only negative about him at this point. Seven time All-Star. Still waiting to make a deep playoff run. Cousin of fellow NBA star Vince Carter. Health will be something to monitor over the next few years. His star has dimmed a bit as of late.

Offense: Simply dominant when healthy, but not particularly efficient. The type of player that can put up big numbers even when his man is playing outstanding defense. Gets a third of his offense from pick and roll situations where he can simply dribble off and pull up, with another quarter coming from isolations. Impressive jump shot, but his shot-selection hurts his percentages. Gets incredible elevation and can shoot off balance with little trouble, particularly from mid-range range. Not very effective from beyond the arc, but still attempts quite a few shots from there. Operates as a bit of a point forward for Houston. Great one-on-one skills. Excellent hesitation moves and use of ball fakes. Plays the game at many different speeds. Effective crossover. Hard to stop off the dribble. Outstanding ball-handler at his size. Prefers to go left and go to the rim where he can finish explosively with either hand. Can get by his man when he faces up in the post. Great catch and shoot player. Doesn’t get a lot of transition opportunities. Gets to the line at a good rate, but needs to improve his consistency. Has gotten worse there every single year of his career, which is a pretty amazing feat. Great passer. Does a great job creating shots for others. Has become more unselfish later on in his career. Will turn the ball over periodically.

Defense: A superstar who brings intensity to the defensive end only when he needs to. Makes a decent effort on the boards, but could pull down many more rebounds if he wanted to. Doesn’t have to cover an opposing teams best player which masks his inconsistent efforts. Will take bad passes coast to coast occasionally. Will box out when his man is around the basket. Has a tough time guarding bigger forwards. Not an ideal post defender. Will cut his man off when he wants to. Won’t attempt to challenge too many shots, despite possessing impressive length. His stance is indicative of his effort level. Becomes a good defender when it counts.

Dikembe Mutombo

Overview: An aging center who will probably always be good for a few blocked shots each game. Still a useful player, even at age 42. Very efficient, and an excellent rebounder. Born in the Republic of Congo. Extremely tall and relatively skinny. Owner of a huge wingspan. Doesn’t run the floor or get off the ground as well as he once did. Can’t score as well as he used to because of lost athleticism. Functions as a defensive specialist at this point. Has been a great shot blocker since his first season playing at Georgetown. Sits second all-time on the career blocks list. Used to change shots with regularity. Four time Defensive Player of the Year Award winner. Six time NBA All-Defensive team selection. Eight time All-Star. Can still block shots when given playing time. Has done a lot of good things off the court, especially in his home country. An inspiration to all African players.

Offense: Had his best scoring season as a rookie. Was never quite coordinated enough to be dominant on that end. Gets almost all of his offense off of offensive rebounds and cuts. Doesn’t have plays called for him in Houston. Displays essentially no jumper anymore. Can finish at the rim at a decent rate. Will dunk when he can. Can’t put the ball on the floor. Isn’t a very good passer. Has become less turnover prone as time has gone on. Used to be effective when playing next to good point guards. Mookie Blaylock helped him immensely. Was never known for his offense despite the fact that he put up pretty solid numbers early in his career. Highly efficient these days regardless.

Defense: One of the best defensive players of all time. Doesn’t have the same athleticism these days that made him a force. Will still block shots solely based on his wingspan. Grabs rebounds at a high rate for the same reason. Still foul prone, but it comes with the territory. Doesn’t play enough minutes to be an impact guy. Provides a nice option off the bench as a back up in terms of defense. Can be pushed around by more compact post players. Always brings energy, but doesn’t have the athleticism to turn that into production like he used to.

Steve Novak

Luis Scola

Loren Woods

Yao Ming

Overview: A once in a generation center who has the game to match his unique physical assets. One of the biggest players in the League, but has a relatively short wingspan. Developed his frame to the point that he doesn’t get pushed around as much as he used to. Has good footwork and overall mobility for his size in the half-court, but doesn’t run the floor terribly well. Not in the best shape, and probably shouldn’t play many more minutes than he already does in the regular season. Surprisingly coordinated for a player of his size. Has a great offensive repertoire. Incredibly smart, and a fantastic teammate. Superbly versatile—does many different things on the floor. The greatest Chinese basketball player ever. Five time All-Star. Has been indispensible in popularizing NBA basketball in Asia. Personality and background has made him a marketing juggernaut. An incredible asset to the NBA. Injuries have been a major problem for him and his team, and are a huge concern moving forward.

Offense: Gets over two third of his offensive possessions in the post. Requires a double team due to his size and skill. Great post repertoire. Displays great touch with both hands. Displays an almost unstoppable hook shot and turnaround jumper. No player his size shoots from the inside with comparable finesse. Prefers to set up on the left block, but is actually more efficient from the right. Tends to turn over his left shoulder, right into his hook. Decent passer. Really needs to cut down on his turnovers. Doesn’t always see the defense coming. Draws a lot of contact. Goes to the line at a high rate. Shoots a tremendous percentage from the line. Capable midrange shooter. Has become the assertive force that many expected him to be. Great passer with a superb feel for the game. A good offensive rebounder.

Defense: A good defender due to his ability to change shots. Does a solid job protecting the rim. Commits a lot of fouls due to his lack of overall quickness. Isn’t able to step out and cover the pick and roll like more athletic centers. Can be a liability against teams that get out in transition frequently. Great in half court settings. Good rebounder and outlet passer. Has become more aggressive on the defensive end since entering the League. Not the best defensive player skill wise, but his size makes him formidable.