Post by jhb on May 17, 2021 13:51:47 GMT -5
Zach LaVine
SG
6'5"
200
19
UCLA
Another extremely athletic, extremely bouncy athlete in this class that won't be 20 before his rookie season and has all the upside in the world. Scouts compare him to another UCLA alum that recently came to the league in Russell Westbrook, saying they have similar explosiveness. He's likely to be among the competitors annually in the dunk contest if he doesn't outright win it many times in the next decade. LaVine has the athletic ability to become a very good player, but he needs to learn more of the game and may be a bit of a project. Teams that select him shouldn't look for him to be a starter-level player right away but with the right development, he could be molded into a very deadly scorer and a significant contributor.
Offensively, Lavine shows a lot of upside. He elevates well and has an incredibly quick release on his jumper. He has a great handle and has shown some street-ball style flair in his game. He's shown solid mechanics that should allow him to be consistent at the next level and he made 38% of his threes in college. He is able to hit the jumper off of screens or the dribble so you have to account for him with and without the basketball. He needs to be a bit more consistent from the free throw line and he had a long cold stretch in his season at UCLA where he didn't hit well from deep, but he's a 19 year old and just getting more reps will help clean most of that up. He's a human highlight reel once he gets in the paint, and he finishes in the lane with some truly dazzling dunks and layups...especially in transition where he's a real menace. He has a soft touch in the paint and if he doesn't finish with the jam he can also deploy a floater that's pretty successful. He isn't frail by any means, but he doesn't play as strong as he appears and doesn't really get to the free throw line much for a player that has his handle and ability to finish at the rim...he also will too often settle for the mid-range jumper when there may be another pass or an opportunity to drive. This is why many scouts label him as a combo guard instead of a point, while he has the handle to be the lead guard he just doesn't have the court vision or passing ability to create a lot of shots for his teammates at this point.
Defensively, Lavine is extremely underwhelming relative to his physical tools. He's got all the upside in the world defensively considering his explosiveness and quickness. While he still could play a little stronger and improve there, his athletic tools alone should have made him an above average to great college defender and it just didn't manifest. He doesn't have great instincts and doesn't appear to be as engaged defensively as he should. He's constantly looking openings where there may be a change in possession or quick rebound so that he can leak out as an outlet for his teammates to start a transition opportunity. That means he is constantly out of position when opposing teams start making extra passes or kick it out from the paint and he's rarely engaged on the boards, which is a shame considering his leaping ability.
