Post by jhb on Jan 23, 2021 17:51:46 GMT -5
Steve Stipanovich
C
6'11"
245
22
Missouri
Stipo and teammate Jon Sundvold led Missouri to a very successful senior season before a crushing loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a #2 seed. Scouts see him as a very safe pick, a finished product that can come in and make an impact immediately. Though he isn't a tremendous athlete by any means, he does have the requisite size and length to play the position at the next level. He will play excellent defense in the post and will shut down driving guards with excellent positioning though you shouldn't expect him to be competing for shot blocking titles.
On offense, he is crafty in the paint despite his lack of elite strength. He makes his bones on finishing pick and roll and pick and pop type plays and cleaning up missed shot opportunities by his teammates. His shot mechanics could improve but he is ahead of other bigs in this class in that respect. He isn't going to spend much time with the ball in his hands but he is a traditional pivot who will work to create offense with his off-ball movement, setting screens and opening up good looks. He is a respectable rebounder but not elite by any means.
The bottom line is that, while Stipo lacks an elite trait, he also lacks any real weaknesses to speak of. He's just an all around solid player and should contribute to a TMBSL team for a long time.
