BAM ADEBAYO
BIRTHDATE: 7/18/97
POSITION: Center
HEIGHT: 6'10"
WEIGHT: 250 lbs
SCHOOL/ TEAM: Kentucky
CLASS: Freshman
OFFENSE
*Strong frame with great length
*Outstanding athlete, who is explosive and fluid
*Plays above the rim easy and has a quick second jump
*Runs the break hard with hands at ready
*Good hands for catching passes on the move
*Devastating finisher on the break
*Average touch on his below-the-rim attempts around the basket
*Not necessarily an intuitive cutter but is always a threat near the rim as the defense shifts
*Attacks the offensive glass
*Can be hit or miss finishing through contact but draws fouls at a good rate
*Inconsistent with his screen contact, but turns and dives hard from the point of the screen
*If the lob isn’t there will settle into a place that he can score from and make himself available to the ball handler
*Has the tools to be an elite rim runner
*Fights hard for post position, prefers to work out of the left block
*Does a good job pinning his man and catching the pass over the top
*More comfortable turning his left shoulder and working towards his right hand
*Best on quick moves, face up and drive or spinning to the baseline and getting to the rim
*Doesn’t have great touch on his hook but gets in good position
*Has good feet and shows flashes of advanced footwork
*Is a better passer than his assist numbers would indicate
*Can hit the weakside shooter when the help comes
DEFENSE
*High energy player, gives multiple efforts
*Moves very well in space, can competently switch onto smaller players
*Slides his feet and keeps his hands up as players approach the rim
*Gives a good cushion but is still able to contest pull up jump shots
*Fantastic closing out on shooters for a guy his size
*Able to break down and change direction when a shooter attacks the closeout
*Able to hedge a PNR hard and recover to the roller or a shooter in PNP
*Can sometimes release a second too late back to the shooter
*Takes up good help defense positioning
*On time in his rotations from the weakside
*Alters more shots than he blocks, tries to play with verticality
*Competes for post position, tries to move opponents out of their comfort zone
*Once a player gets into their shooting motion, he tends to stand straight up with his hands straight up but doesn’t always jump
KHAIRI AKILI -
Strong, athletic center with broad shoulders and NBA ready body.....Height of a Power Forward skill set of a center..Limited post package.
Go to move is a hard drop step to dunk......I believe he'd be most effective as hard roller to the rim......Average hands
Physical presence in the paint, nothing finesse or skilled about his game......
While other big men prospects struggle to of up strong through contact....Bam looks to power up and dunk every time
*Has the athleticism and foot speed to thrive as a rim runner....Draws a lot of fouls..Averages less than 8 rebounds per game despite size and athleticism.....Must improve foot work and touch to be an effective post scorer....Has shown glimpses of being able to make 15 foot jump shots
Struggles to score when bodied outside of the paint....Needs to add quick touch shots to improve non dunk finishes around the rim
Ugly post game despite good advanced numbers..
RAFAEL BARLOWE - FEBRUARY 8, 2017
Bam is as physical as his name sounds. He's a very good athlete and runs the floor. He's active in the paint whether it be giving multiple efforts or tussling for position. He might be able to play good PNR defense. He will challenge shots.
He's pretty limited outside of dunking. He will shoot 15 ft jumpers but he isn't making them very often. I don't know if he's 6-10 and if he is, he 100% plays like a center. Not necessarily a negative but he reminds me of Ed Davis.
Physical
Runs the floor
Athlete
Will shoot 15 foot jumper but still needs a lot of work
Turns off both shoulders
Very active in the paint
Multiple efforts
Should be able to defend NBA pick rolls
Shows potential in protecting the rim
Plays like a center though he listed at 6-10
Will he able to score besides dunking?
Finishing in traffic.
Can he guard centers?
Could end up being Ed Davis 2.0
JAMES BARLOWE - DECEMBER 29, 2016
