June 19, 2015

Cliff Alexander


An out and out post player, Alexander was something of a disappointment as a freshman, which is a little unfair given that no one ultimately can control the expectation of others but which nonetheless speaks to his underwhelming season, in which he showed distinct limitations.

Alexander has a strong frame with a good amount of muscle on it for one so young, and although he is not much of a run and jump athlete, he is not a stiff. His very long arms make up for being a couple of inches short of ideal in height, and he can outmuscle pretty much all the competition, particularly on the glass. The physical profile is quite established.

The skill set isn't. Alexander looks a bit bewildered in the post, has no handle and very little jump shot away from it, misses a lot of shots (his only consistent offensive tool is the dunk), shows little skill with his off-hand, and has little offensive poise or awareness. He also shows little defensive poise or awareness, being little help on the perimeter and either getting lost or jumping needlessly on the perimeter. At this point he's a rebounder and opportunity scorer, and given that he is not especially explosive (Alexander dunks a lot, but has to gather himself to do it), the skills are going to have to develop quite a lot to overcome the current problems.

As a general rule, early declarations should not be frowned upon, given the backwardness of the NCAA model. In Alexander's case, however, it might have been in his best interests. Some continuity and intense skill development is needed. Alexander will make money anyway, but the big money will elude unless things change.

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