Post by jhb on Feb 5, 2021 12:40:59 GMT -5
Jeff Ruland
PF
6'10"
240
21
Iona College
Ruland doesn't have the attention of many scouting departments because most had him pegged as a 1981 guy before he signed with an agent and was declared ineligible for a further season. But overlooking this prospect may be a mistake.
Jeff Ruland is a bully in the post. He is unique compared to his classmates simply in the way in which he used his muscle to move opponents out of the way and create easily convertible shot opportunities. As a collegian, Ruland managed to convert his shot opportunities at a 63.5% clip. We expect that to continue in the league. Once he gets the ball in his hands, don't expect it to come back out of them without a shot opportunity or an opponent separating him from the basketball (if there's one glaring weakness in his game, it's this, the man has very limited ball-handling ability). While he plays below the rim, he just does an outstanding job of using his body to create leverage and space and when he gets that space, he converts. His strength also allows him to get to the free throw line, where he converts at a respectable rate. He's shown the ability to stretch out to around 20 feet to make his jumper, but he needs to continue to refine his form so that he converts more of those. He does a good job of using his size to position himself for rebounds, and he should be an asset to any team on both ends of the court securing rebounds.
Ruland is no slouch on defense either. He bullies opposing big men in the post, shutting down their attempts to score with their back to the basket simply by not budging an inch once they post up. He suffocates his assignment and blocks more shots than you would expect a man so vertically limited in jumping ability to do. He'll never be winning DPOYs but he won't be a sieve underneath and he'll defend his man. Just don't ask him to travel away from the basket and switch on pick and rolls because guards will exploit his lack of quickness to drive right by him.
