K.J. McDaniels
Birthdate: Feb. 9, 1993 (Birmingham, Ala.)
School: CP Christian Schools (Birmingham, Ala.) Class: 2014 (OFFICIAL) Height: 6'6" Weight: 200 NBA Position: SF |
Scouting Report 1.0 — 05.21.2014 (Matthew Quammen)
Talk to fans of KJ and you’ll hear what an outstanding athlete he is, ability to lock down guards and wings, while also possessing a developing jumper. Talk to the haters (like me) and you’ll hear about an overrated athlete that defended college players well in a very weak ACC conference and still looks awkward on the offensive end. YouTube his highlights, and have a puke bucket ready for that jump shot. At the combine, he measured as an average athlete, with a mere 37 inch vertical and scoring dead last among wings in lateral quickness.
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He managed to shoot 31% on over four three-pointers per game, but push him back another four feet and that awkward jumper will be even more exposed at the NBA level. Lots of scouts compare him to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist due to his high motor and reputation as a lockdown defender. He was a terrific defender in college, but the elite athletes in the NBA will be able to expose his average athleticism. On top of that, like MKG, he won’t be able to be on the floor since smart defenses will clog the paint off KJ.
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He is, by reputation, a hard worker and he might turn himself into a serviceable three and D type of player, but it will take time. On top of that, analytics are showing more and more that wing defenders aren’t nearly as valuable as once thought. Wings that can’t shoot are playing themselves out of the league, so KJ will only be able to play once that jump shot develops much further. Worst case: Jonathan Bender, Average case: Renaldo Balkman, Best case: Thabo Seflosha.
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