Just as i stated on the Sullinger analysis thread, i got to watch Melo in depth when his team faced Uconn this past winter/spring. Notes
1. Melo's jumper is better than we all think. He didn't just connect on one early in the game. But it was like 3 straight all over the court. One was from way deep near the three point line. Another from the elbow and another during a fast break. The fast break one especially proved that his jumpers were no fluke. After uconn missed, he was one the first to sprint to uconns end, then stopped , received a long pass and without hesitation shot a jumper in. Very impressive.
2. Outside of his jump shots, when he got the ball thrown at him at the post (which was not frequent), he made some nice spin moves to get bank shots in and also made decent outlet passes for easy jump shot looks.
3. He was very active on both ends of the court and never seemed out of breath. He def was intimidating as a shot blocker and had a few nice ones. Especially when he rushed a guy near the corner three and blocked his jumped shot. That was very nice.
4. He had some good rebounding moments on both ends. And can sky like an eagle to snatch it. But it would of been impressive if he could of snatched the difficult ones, the good rebounders are able to harness. Once he improves his positioning on the court and strength, it should def help him out get these ones. Other weaknesses were , being late on a few rotations, and not identifying guys like lamb cutting to the basket. Good at taking charges but can't be doing it too frequently, or else good penetrators will pass easy ones to Melo's man underneath the basket.
Overall, there is alot of promise. He really didn't get the ball much down low, which was a shame, since when he did, he was converting at like 70 percent of his shots. He has a great centre body with more than enough athleticism + quickness to be able to play in the NBA now. But needs to add more muscles (10-15 pounds) to be highly effective. I really liked his competitive spirit and ongoing motor. He really tries hard running from one end to the other
Other player notes if you wanted to know
Andre Drummond: You really couldn't tell if he was 12 spots higher pick worthy than Melo. His fundamental basketball skills are still very raw. Good athleticism and quickness, but he didn't know what to do really when he got the ball down low. Also on a few occasions forgot to box out his man on the defensive end.
Jeremy Lamb: The kid was a ghost on the court. He was playing hot potato with the ball most of the night. Got passes on top of the key, then passed it back right away to the same guy who passed it to him etc. He has a good looking shot, but overall was too passive for a guy with his talent.
Dion Waiters: Picked 4th now understood. The guy was relentless. He was the anti lamb. He made things happen on the court and penetrated at will , getting in shots or making some sweet easy passes for his teammates to score. Jump shot looked ok also, though i don't think he shot even one 3 pt shot. Very tough on both ends and has a never stopping motor.
Kris Joseph: Our own 2nd round pick was good. He was on and off at times on the court. Passive like Lamb in the first half though more aggressive in the 2nd. And when he had his chances, he shot the ball without hesitation or penetrated in for some nice baskets. Nice length and build for SF, and got to the FT line quite a bit. He has some PP in his game. Honestly better than I expected.
Topic: Melo analysis: Uconn vs Syracuse 2012 (Read 5637 times)