Post by jhb on Feb 8, 2021 18:15:15 GMT -5
Kiki VanDeWeghe
SF
6'8"
220
21
UCLA
An exciting prospect who burst onto the national scene in his final two seasons at UCLA, VanDeWeghe is a late bloomer who showed an increasingly potent offensive game each season. After enduring two coaching changes during his tenure in LA, VanDeWeghe finally blossomed under Coach Larry Brown, who impressively pulled double duty as a college coach and TMBSL player until being dealt from the Clippers to the Hawks.
After really stepping onto the scene as a deadly fourth option behind David Greenwood, Brad Holland, and Roy Hamilton on a Final 4 team as a Junior, Kiki declared his arrival as a senior by continuing to lead a high-powered offense to not really miss a beat despite missing it's top three players from the season before. He was deadly from all over the court, showing a smooth jumper out to 20 feet and an adept handle and variety of post-up moves to score in the paint. VanDeWeghe cleaned the offensive glass and piled up second chance opportunities for the Bruins. His shot mechanics are such that he should be able to adjust to the three point line at the next level, though scouts are unsure how much he'll take advantage of that because of his inside scoring ability. He used his size and strength to get to the free throw line and was efficient there. While VanDeWeghe's senior season was his most productive at 19.5 points per game, scouts feel that was just a result of being surrounded by talent and blossoming later than most in his class and they feel VanDeWeghe will continue to grow into a deadly scorer at the next level.
VanDeWeghe's offensive firepower will be needed to make up for what he gives up on the defensive end. He isn't a superb athlete and his defense suffers for it. He isn't the worst defender in the league, but there may be times that his coach opts for a better defender in late-game situations.
