Post by TinyTimPig on Aug 2, 2022 14:18:42 GMT -5
Jamaal Wilkes
SF
6'6
190
21
UCLA
The other piece of UCLA's two-headed monster alongside Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes enters TMBSL a bit more raw than Walton, but that doesn't mean scouts aren't just as excited about his potential.
Wilkes should enter TMBSL with a pretty well-refined inside game, one that has allowed him to score in the paint since his freshman year. What has scouts really excited is the evolution of his mid-range game that scouts saw during his third and final season at UCLA. As a result, everyone is excited about Wilkes' prospects as a scorer from anywhere inside the three-point line, though he's shown little ability to hit from outside it to this point. Coaches love that he is a very heady player who is very capable of playing without the ball, showing solid fundamentals both offensively and defensively and a strong commitment to the team, although he can get a little loose with his passes.
Despite being an above average athlete, Wilkes is merely an average rebounder. As a result, teams at the next level may be more inclined to move him over to shooting guard rather than having him play small forward, which he did in college. Doesn't have the length to be much of a shot blocker, but does a good job forcing turnovers: should do a good job of making baskets tough to come by for whoever he is guarding.
Playing in a system as productive as UCLA's, scouts are mixed on how much room for growth there is for Wilkes at the next level.
