June 17, 2014

You're never going to get a taxi there, Lasan.

A good but overlooked player at George Washington, Kromah transferred to Connecticut for his senior season to be the defensive specialist for a team already plenty stacked with scoring guards in Ryan Boatright and Shabazz Napier. This decision ultimately won him a national title, as he provided a very effective accompaniment to the dynamic duo.

Kromah really is an excellent defensive player, a good size wing with decent athleticism and length to go with relentless determination and motor. He denies, traps, helps, strips and hustles, an excellent defender and leader with strong intangibles on that end, and with the physical profile to defend multiple positions. With good hands, mobility and instincts, Kromah projects as a capable defender at every level if he keeps this up.

Offensively, Kromah is far less developed, but not useless. While he is a poor three point and free throw shooter, Kromah can hit a mid-range jump shot, and does some work off screens to create both these looks and some drives to the basket. A smart extra passer, Kromah moves the ball and himself to good effect, not an invisible player on the offensive end by any means. His handle is very limited and easily stripped, and his offensive game is pretty much solely running the court, curling a bit, flailing wildly at the rim on straight line drives and hitting open shots (it's not going in if it's contested). There is some value to all that, however.

There's always said to be something more noble about being a strong defender with underdeveloped offense than a strong scorer with poor defense, and Lord knows coaches love it. To that end, Kromah should do all right for himself in his inevitable European career.

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