Post by jhb on Mar 30, 2021 13:39:35 GMT -5
Nick Van Exel
PG
6'1"
170
21
Cincinnati
Van Exel was an excellent prep player with grade issues who had to spend two years at JUCO before being able to qualify to play college ball for Cincinnati and after two years of college, is just beginning to scratch the surface of his capabilities. He has a smooth shooting stroke and improved year over year on his consistency at hitting it. He has the confidence to pull the trigger from anywhere, pulling 8 per game as a senior and making 36% of his threes in college. Van Exel plays like a stereotypical crafty lefty, moving below the rim but using his quickness and his handle to bait defenders into missteps before driving by them and making his way wherever he wants on the floor. He has a sublime handle and protects the ball extremely well, which will come in handy at the next level. He was primarily a scorer for Cincinnati first, but he isn't efficient enough at converting opportunities to do the same at the next level and will need to learn to share the ball more with more talented teammates.
Defensively, Van Exel lacks the length to be able to switch and defend more than just his position, but that is something he should be able to do at a high level. He showed a knack for disconnecting his assignment with the basketball while still maintaining good positioning and playing within the team concept. He doesn't gamble and get out of position and so long as he isn't stuck guarding a man with a huge length advantage, he should be able to hold his own very well. That size does mean he isn't much of a contributor on the boards, barely making an impact there outside of the occasional lucky long bounce he picked up. He's better off leaking out and looking for opportunities to start the next possession in transition.
