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CAMERON OLIVER

BIRTHDATE: 7/11/96

POSITION: Power Forward

HEIGHT: 6'8"

WEIGHT: 225 lbs

SCHOOL/ TEAM: Nevada

CLASS: Sophomore

OFFENSE

*A bit undersized but strong frame

*Explosive athlete, especially good leaper off two feet

*Catches lobs in transition as well as the half court

*Can push the break a little bit but is shaky with his handle in the open floor

*Capable of finishing at the rim in transition or trailing for a 3

*Runs the break hard and maintains spacing

*Very good finisher around the basket despite being undersized and not having a great touch

*Average handle in the half court with some potential 

*Uses feints and pivots to get his defender off balance before starting his dribble

*Drives to both hands with equal frequency by is much more effective going towards his dominant right hand

*Likes to begin his isos free throw line extended and in the short corner

*Pretty good at the no dribble pull up in iso situations from short to midrange. They tend to fall short from 3

*His off the dribble shooting declines the further he is from the basket

*Doesn't have a runner in his game which could help at his size

*His offensive rebounding declined as he moved his game further from the basket but is able to finish with authority when he get them

*Very good cutter vs the zone. Finds the spot in the middle and either pulls up for a short jumper or drives to the rim

*Shifts along the backline well to open up lob opportunities when guards drive

*Frees himself up on the perimeter by setting off ball screens then popping/flaring out to the 3point line

*Sparing midrange shooter, most jump shots come from 3

*Improved as a shooter from college 3 while increasing his attempts dramatically

*Has some mechanical issues with his jump shot

*Doesn't square his feet or his body and has a knocked kneed gather 

*Despite his athleticism doesn't get much lift on his jumper and tends to fade unnecessarily while kicking his feet out, leaves shots short

*Takes a lot of contested shots

*Doesn't attack closeouts often 

*Used primarily as a pop man in PNR, best when he catches the ball on his right side and can pull up( left side PNRs)

*Gets his shot off quickly 

*Rarely rolls to the rim but has had success when he does

*Forms a wide base when competing for post position 

*Prefers to post up on the left block and go to his right hand towards the middle of the floor to get a short jumper off

*Has potential as a face up player, has a quick rip through move and good quickness/burst

*Should eventually be strong enough to hurt smaller players on the switch and quick enough to face up and go by bigger players

*Currently relies a lot on fadeaways in the post 

*Can get the ball to crosscourt shooters but doesn't put his passes in the pocket

*Good vision finding shooters out of the post

DEFENSE

*Has the tools to be a multipositional defender

*Moves his feet very well in space and stays with the ballhandler throughout the possession

*Quick initial defensive slide and takes good angles

*Gives a proper cushion when defending the ball to allow him to stop the drive and still contest the pull up

*Excellent timing on his shotblocking attempts, especially on ball 

*Gets off the ground quickly, surprises shooters

*Able to protect the rim much better than most players his size

*Will bite on ball fakes looking for the block

*Capable weakside shot blocker

*Quick hands

*Takes up good help defense positioning, but can be a bit hesitant on his closeouts

*The slow closeout allows him to adjust easily when the shooter decides to drive instead

*Fights for post position but can be sealed high as he tries to front

*Continues to compete hard for positioning after the catch in the post

*Has the tools to be able hedge and recover as well as be a secondary rim protector

Cam Oliver is an athletic stretch four with a lot of physical gifts. He's got broad shoulders and long arms at 6'8". Defensively, he has the ability to hedge PNR and does offer some rim protection. He has a lot of potential. 

 

The problem with Oliver is his motor or perception of him caring about basketball. He's active on the glass and defends but he doesn't run the floor. He seems content with trailing for 3 pointers in transition rather than rim running. He's got the physique and length to bang in the post but too many times he settles for a contested fade away jumper. Without knowing him, he looks like he has some of the worst body language ever. 

 

 

Physical athlete

Good shooter

Lateral quickness to be a good defender in PNR

Long arms

Rim protector 

Good rebounder 

Could be a steal

 

 

Doesn't look like he's playing hard 

Probably will be labeled a bad body language guy

Does his motor work?

Settles for fade away jumpers in the post

 JAMES BARLOWE - JANUARY 3, 2017

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