Al Jefferson (59 views)

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Al Jefferson

C
6-10
289
19
Prentiss High School (Mississippi)

Offense: An incredibly talented young big man, with a phenomenal feel for scoring in the post.  Has outstanding hands, footwork and touch inside. Very good right handed baby hook that he can utilize in the most difficult of angles, which he mixes in with a steady dose of drop-steps, step-throughs, shot-fakes and turn-around jumpers. Surprisingly explosive first step. Tough to stop him from getting where he wants to go. Has some nice counter moves. Shows off a great spin move off the dribble from time to time. Needs to finish more consistently with his left hand. Very good ball handler with his back to the basket. Doesn’t turn the ball over a high rate, which is something of a surprising considering the number of touches he gets and his experience level. Very strong with his moves and with the ball. Goes to the line at a good rate due to his willingness to throw his weight around. Can finish with contact, and will get above the rim in traffic. Still developing his jumper. Lacks consistency and fluidity in his release, but it’s becoming a tool for him. Will benefit from defenses respecting his range. Not much of a catch and shoot guy right now, but can run the pick-and-pop to some extent. Tremendous hands allow him to come down with a lot of offensive rebounds. Should continue to get better in almost every facet of the game.

Defensively, he has the length and strength to be effective on this end, but lacks the fundamentals and effort level to capitalize. Used to be extremely foul prone, but has learned to sacrifice points on the defensive end for the sole purpose of staying on the floor longer. Does a poor job defending the post, allowing defenders to back him down too often and outright giving up on plays. Shows great timing and anticipation when contesting shots, but isn’t quite quick enough to be a major factor coming over from the weakside. A liability when attempting to defend power forwards, which forces his team to play him as an undersized center. Needs to lose weight and improve his conditioning level to help in this regard. Struggles to hedge screens on the perimeter--doesn’t recover to his man very quickly. Is limited by the same characteristic when closing out shooters. Takes up too much space down low not to be a solid defensive rebounder.