Notes on Otto Porter vs Marquette

Marquette 49, Georgetown 48

This was a tight game the whole way through between two great defensive teams. Both are tough to drive on - for Georgetown it is because of their length, while Marquette's defenders have quick hands that create a lot of steals. This was more of a great defensive battle that was fun to watch as opposed to an ugly offensive affair.

Otto Porter finished with 13 points and lead the Hoyas with 13 shot attempts. He was able to get a lot of good looks in the mid-range area, where he is generally very successful with his jumper. Porter isn't a guy who creates these mid-range looks with the ball in his hands, instead he has an old school approach where he actually spots up from 15-18 feet. He has no problem getting his shot off in this area with his quick, high release. Porter also gets mid-range looks off curls and post up opportunities. He has solid fundamentals in the post and can hit contested turnaround jumpers.

His ball handling isn't very creative and he lacks an explosive first step. On a couple of occasions, he had trouble creating any kind of space against Jamil Wilson. Porter's go-to off the dribble move is a behind the back move, which is mainly only successful in creating a small space for jumpers.

When he does get penetration, Porter is a great passer and has the length and smoothness to finish at the rim - but again, he isn't very explosive. One thing I like about Porter is that he is always around the boards when the shot goes up and looking for someone to box out. There are a lot of parts that scream "old school" about his game and his toughness is one of them. It goes back to the days of pickup basketball against his dad and uncles.

Defensively, Porter is a great team defender who creates problems with his feel for the game and length. He stuffs the box score with steals and blocks. He is versatile and can cover just about anyone in the college game. In the NBA, his versatility, IQ, and length should make him an above average defender although he will struggle more with the spacing of the NBA game. He is not especially quick laterally.

Vander Blue - Blue continues to hit jumpers this year, a new development in his game. He takes some extremely tough, acrobatic shots and has a knack for making them. These high percentage shots aren't ideal, but certainly show his talent. He needs to be a much more reliable threat spotting up though. He's like a wide receiver who makes the highlight reel plays, but struggles to make the routine plays consistently.

After a strong game against UConn, Junior Cadougan couldn't make anything vs Georgetown. Cadougan is the heart and soul of the offense and as he goes, so does the scoring. He still was able to manage the game as always though, and helped Marquette squeeze out an ugly win.

Trent Lockett has struggled finding his role with his new team, but played one of his best games thus far, grabbing 10 rebounds. He should become more of a factor in the physical battles that the Big East brings.

Sean Kilpatrick's Draft Stock

Sean Kilpatrick has emerged from a off the bench scoring threat his freshman year to the best player on Cincinnati's top 25 team this season, this being his junior campaign. Turning 23 in January, Kilpatrick's time is running up and should at least test the draft waters this year. His upside is limited, but as a mature shooter, Kilpatrick could be the type of guy who can be drafted in the second round and contribute right away.

Kilpatrick's calling card is his ability to shoot. Last year he took 56% of his shots from deep. He has a quick release which allows him to get shots up with little space and always has his shoulders square to the hoop. He shows good balance and is able to pump fake to keep defenders honest and pull up in the mid-range area as well, where he is also very good.

While Kilpatrick is a shooter, I wouldn't classify him amongst the elite shooters in college basketball. He's more of a streaky shooter who will have some nights where he front rims everything. His free throw shooting testifies to this, as he is a career 71% shooter.

Kilpatrick does have a more rounded offense game than other shooters in this draft like CJ Wilcox, Caldwell-Pope, and Reggie Bullock. He's shooting slightly less threes this year and has made his offensive impact felt in other ways. Last night against Campbell, he only had 4 first half points but I was encouraged to see him still involved and creating for his teammates.

Kilpatrick has only a solid first step, not much of a left hand, and no real advanced ball moves but when he hits the lane, he shows good balance and keeps his head up to find teammates. He showed the ability to find teammates near the rim and also drive and kick last night. He also cut off the ball and used his solid frame to get looks inside.

Kilpatrick has trouble finishing though, as he is right hand dominant, and lacks great length and explosiveness. He has the body to absorb contact and it also is a reason he can drive the lane despite average skills, but he is still an average finisher at best.

I liked what I saw from Kilpatrick's overall offensive game last night, but it doesn't change much for him. He is still turning 23. He still is a streaky shooter. And he still isn't a very good ball handler or finisher. His confidence and ability to play under control will allow him to maximize his average gifts this season, but it doesn't make his ceiling for the NBA very high. Still, it is good to see a shooter that is not completely one dimensional. 

McLemore Takes off in win against Chattanooga

Highlights of Ben McLemore vs Chattanooga - both videos are different

I wrote after the Michigan State game that with Elijah Johnson at the point guard, Ben McLemore will have a chance to step up as a much needed playmaker for the Jayhawks down the road. With Kansas down as much as 10 points to Chattanooga in the first half, McLemore decided that the time to step up was now.

I'll let the videos do most of the talking, but McLemore was outstanding last night. He was excellent at getting open, moving without the ball and around screens to get multiple open looks on jumpers. He also made some great cuts to the basket for the alley-oop finishes. I'd say his movement without the basketball stood out the most about his game.

McLemore played much more mature than a regular freshman, making some smart skip passes and driving and kicking for a few more assists. And he definitely knows how to get to the foul line - he got there ten times against Chattanooga and made his last 5 after missing 3 of his first 5.

Defensively, McLemore brought intensity throughout the game, even early on when the rest of the team was going through the motions. He has solid length and a strong frame used to handle contact. He gambled for steals on multiple occasions and only came away with one, so he still needs to become more disciplined. McLemore also rebounded the ball very well.

Thoughts on Jarnell Stokes vs UNC-Asheville

Tackling the second game of this long day of basketball, the Vols played UNC-Asheville and held a steady lead most of the game en route to winning 75-68. Without Jerrone Maymon, the Vols went with a balanced attack with 5 players scoring between 12 and 14 points. The most impressive of those players is the 18 year SOPHOMORE Jarnell Stokes.

Stokes stands at 6'9'' in shoes, but has a huge 270 pound frame and a 7'1'' wingspan to make up for his height. He is your typical undersized power forward prospect in a lot of ways, but at only 18 years old, has plenty of time to improve his game. He already has a lot of natural tools to work with, starting with his big and strong hands that allow him to be an outstanding rebounder. Once Stokes gets his hands on a ball, it is his. His hands help him in the same way on the offensive end.

Stokes also understands his limitations and strengths and chooses to operate primarily from the post. He works hard to get excellent position and shows good footwork after getting the ball. He plays a physical brand of basketball.He isn't fancy in the paint, but understands how to use his pivot and displays good body control and solid enough creativity to finish in traffic.

He took 15 shots today, making 8. Like most undersized power forward prospects, Stokes shoots very well from the field and pulls down a monster amount of rebounds. I actually thought Tennessee should have featured Stokes more today as everytime they did feed it to him, he was able to get a high percentage shot.

At only 18, Stokes has plenty of time to work on things to separate himself from other undersized power fowards. We can start at the free throw line where he only shot 57% last season. Building off that, Stokes needs to show he is comfortable facing the rim by stepping out and hitting some jumpers. In the NBA, he will need to do that with regularity.

He also needs to make himself a better target coming off pick and rolls. Tennessee isn't the biggest pick and roll team there is, but he should get an occasion bucket rolling to the rim.

Defensively, Stokes isn't a rim protector and never will be. He moves his feet well though, and may be able to cover some small forwards if he loses some weight.

Right now Stokes would likely find himself in the early second round area if he declared after this season. For a guy like him, he needs to make sure every part of his game is fine tuned before taking his talents to the next level. For him, that means his free throwing shooting and mid-range jumper. The amount of tough effort he displays on the court and the fact that he was an honor student in high school makes me think he will work hard to make sure he improves. At only 18, he has plenty of time.