Post by jhb on May 14, 2021 13:39:05 GMT -5
T.J. Warren
SF
6'8"
220
21
NC State
Warren arrives in TMBSL after a sophomore explosion where he emerged as one of the most prolific scorers in all of NCAA. After emerging late in his freshman year to earn a spot in the starting lineup for the Wolfpack, he built on that success and became the clear alpha of the pack in his second season, leading the way with some incredibly efficient scoring. Scouts say he has incredibly instincts for scoring and is a high IQ player.
Warren's biggest weakness is his lack of position. He'll likely default to a small forward role on most teams because he simply doesn't have the length or the girth to hold up in the post and while his athleticism is not good enough to be even an average defender on the wing, he'll likely be easier to hide there. He at least is a high-energy, high-effort player who will try hard so it isn't an issue of being disengaged or disinterested, he is just at a physical disadvantage because of his slow feet and lack of quickness. He's also an effort player on the boards and will work to at least clean up the missed shots attempted by guys that have blown by him. Scouts were encouraged when he shed some baby fat coming into his sophomore year and looked a bit more of the part as a wing player, but concerns persist that the bad weight may return or that slightly improved athleticism just won't hold up as he ages.
Despite lacking quickness, it hasn't stopped Warren from developing his scoring ability on offense. He moves well on and off the ball to put himself in scoring position frequently. Despite not running the floor as well as some counterparts he's a terror in transition and finishes well at the rim even at high speeds and in traffic due to tremendous body control. While he isn't a super explosive athlete, he is good enough when leaping off of two feet to get the necessary elevation on his jump shot to create space for himself in the mid-range game. He does a good job of using a defender's leverage against them and is crafty at getting to the rim both with and without the ball and finishes with a soft touch. He's got good strength for a TMBSL 3 and will get himself to the free throw line when finishing through contact. His jump shot is smooth but he's most consistent with it from the mid-range; he was extremely efficient from 3 as a freshman but had a cold stretch to start his sophomore season and despite finishing the year strong, still put up a paltry .267 from 3 for the year. He'll need to be more even at the next level, especially for defenders to respect his shot and not clog the paint where he'll want to do most of his damage.