NBA Comparison: Anthony Peeler

Strengths: NBA-ready body frame … Has the size and strength to play either guard position in the NBA at 6-foot-4, 210-pounds with a 6′ 8.75” wingspan … Finished in the top-10 in almost every category at the NBA combine’s athletic testing … Versatile combo-guard at the college level … Good court vision in the half court … Above-average/underrated passer and capable of creating for teammates … Showed solid instincts distributing the ball off the dribble and out of the pick-and-roll … Ball-handling skills have improved … Impressive scoring instincts … Has shown flashes of being able to operate out of pick-and-roll situations … Does a good job of utilizing screens … Shows a nice combination of quickness (has a quick first step) and body control when in attack mode … Attacking guard who has the ability to finish at the basket through contact … Is strong with the ball on straight line drives … When he does finish, he often does so creatively (knack for acrobatic finishes) … Has a knack for consistently drawing fouls and getting to the line…Can create for himself in space … Thrives in transition because of his aggression when attacking the basket … Capable of knocking down shots from beyond the arc (developing three-point shooter) … Has the ability to knock down quick pull-up jumpers off the dribble … Has a solid step back jumper … A tough defender with potential to good at the next level because he seems to possess good instincts on that end of the floor and has good athleticism … Plays defense with good intensity, a high motor, and great effort…Forces turnovers … Uses his solid physical frame to his advantage (played inside for short stretches) … Hard for players to get by him because of his build and quickness on the perimeter … Known as a player who does a little bit of everything for his team (scores, rebounds, steals, blocks, etc.) … Blocks more shots than most guards because of his height … Plays with a chip on his shoulder …

Weaknesses: Can he continue to develop as a point guard? … Not overly explosive but he does possess some explosiveness … Struggles with his shot selection … Needs to take more efficient shots … Questionable decision-making leads to an overall lack of offensive efficiency … Seems to play at an extremely high level of intensity in spurts, but not sure he is able to sustain that over an 82 game season … Tries to drive to the rim when there’s too many defenders in the paint … Needs to work on shooting/shot making consistency, especially from the 2-point/mid-range … Mid-range game is a work in progress … Isn’t a good enough three-point shooter to rely on that part of his game … Settles for too many stepback jumpers at times … Has no rhythm on his spot-up/catch-and-shoot jumpers … Shot 38% from the field, including 36 percent from 3-point range last season … His shooting mechanics are inconsistent … Has trouble finishing in the paint and around the basket against length … His questionable decision-making affects him greatly when trying to score in traffic … He’s turnover prone because of his tendency to force bad passes….Often has tunnel vision … Defensively, he’ll need to improve on his lateral quickness … Has room for improvement in his defensive awareness and fundamentals … Lack of length is concerning on the defensive end at the next level … Will he be as versatile at the next level? His size may limit how much he can play at the shooting guard position … Sometimes plays out of control …

Overall: Whitehead, 21, is coming off a successful sophomore season at Seton Hall in which he led the program to its first Big East Tournament championship since 1993 … He also led the Pirates to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years … The Brooklyn native averaged 18.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.2 steals, and 2.4 three-point field goals made in 32.3 minutes of action per game … After an injury-riddled freshman season, Whitehead was named to the First Team All-Big East and the Big East Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player this past season … He started to see the success that many thought he would have after coming to Seton Hall as a McDonald’s All-American and top-20 prospect in the class of 2014 … Whitehead showed a lot of improvement from his freshman to sophomore season … He showcased his all-around game as the team’s primary point guard, including his ability to hit the three, facilitate and defend, and has solid physical gifts standing at 6-foot-4, 210-pounds with a 6’8.75” wingspan … Scouts are concerned with his offensive efficiency, including his subpar mid-range game and struggles with finishing against length in traffic, and decision-making … Although there are some holes in his game like most young players, Whitehead does have NBA potential and should continue to show that he’s worthy of a late first-round or early second-round pick … 

Notes: Measured 6′ 3.25” barefoot, 6′ 4.5” in shoes, 210.0 lbs, 6′ 8.75” wingspan, and 8′ 4” standing reach at the 2016 NBA Draft Combine … Measured 6’4 (in shoes) 195 lbs with a 6’5.5 wingspan at the 2013 Nike Guard Skills Academy …

Tajh Jenkins 6/3/16