June 17, 2014

Brady Heslip, six point shooter.

Like a few on this list, Heslip is a shooting specialist. This is self-evident from the stat line, and the 46.5% three point percentage is lovely. He gets open off the ball and shoots off of curls with ease. He spots up, throws subtle head fakes, and has been one of the best shooters in the nation. He succeeds in these things even when he is entirely gameplanned for. There's always a look in the halfcourt when Heslip is around, be it a back screen and baseline cut, or a pull-up in transition. The release is quick, and most importantly, the release is accurate.

However, there really is nothing else to report. Heslip never turns it over because he never handles the ball inside the arc, and barely outside of it. He is very small for a shooting guard, is weak, is not tough, is not fast, and is not athletic. He is not even pesky. He is extremely one dimensional offensively, too small to do much inside the arc and having no intent to get there, not even handling the ball in any screen action. He's an option or a decoy, depending on how well he is defended. And speaking of defense, Heslip's is poor. He is better than he was, but he was always going to be overmatched with those physical attributes, driven past and shot over as if he is not there. He also does not always compete, misses spots, keeps his hands down, has no knack for deflecting the ball, and generally provides no obstacle whatsoever. Heslip, then, is a shooter and only a shooter.

Mind you, it worked to the tune of 46.5% last year, so it works at the right level.

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