NBA Comparison: KJ McDaniels

Strengths: He’s an athletic wing with a non-stop motor … He plays above the rim and is good for at least one highlight reel above the rim play in every game … He’s a tenacious and versatile defender … He can guard multiple positions … Has gotten stronger and more physical in his three years at Indiana … He excels when he runs the floor and fills the lane … He was a positive teammate on and off the court … Hustles and scraps for every loose ball, never lacking for effort … His midrange shot (10-15 feet) has shown improvement over the last three years … He went from a 20.7% three point shooter his freshman year to 34.7% his junior year … If he understands that it would be in his best interest concentrating on defense and rebounding, he can make an impact on a team …

Weaknesses: He’s very inconsistent and that’s been for three years … He’s gotten better from three point range, but still inconsistent and happens to take them at the wrong time … Ball handling ability has improved, but is still sloppy, and is the root of his turnover problems …  Can be a little overeager defensively and leave his feet on pump fakes … All though not foul prone, he has a tendency to make bad fouls … Needs to improve his consistency on a game to game basis … Disappeared too much. Nine single digit games and two were a zero and a two point game. That’s too many for a junior with his talent … He needs to play with a better pace, he tends to get out of control very quickly … Sometimes it’s hard for college stars to understand they’re going to be role players in the pros, that question is still in the air for Troy …

Notes: Measured 6’6 (in shoes) 193 lbs, with a 6’8 wingspan at the 2012 LeBron James Skills Academy

Aran Smith 6/21/16