DWAYNE BACON
BIRTHDATE: 8/30/95
POSITION: Small Forward
HEIGHT: 6'7"
WEIGHT: 221 lbs
SCHOOL/ TEAM: Florida State
CLASS: Sophomore
OFFENSE
*Good size and good length for an NBA swingman
*Strong frame that he uses effectively to play through contact
*Good athlete who can finish above the rim
*Really likes to get out in transition, can lead the break or fill the wings
*Aggressively hunts for his shot on the break and will look to score from all 3 levels
*Can settle for too many mid-long 2s in transition
*Flashes solid vision in transition but is much more scorer than creator
*Slightly above average finisher around the rim, has increasingly nice touch on his floater
*Average ballhandler, very right hand dominant
*Able to get to his spots in college but lacks the creativity or shiftiness to consistently create on the next level
*Plays with his head down and can get out of control
*Gets by his man mostly with his first step and basic moves, then uses his body to shield the ball
*Initiates contact to keep defenders off balance
*Struggles to finish when he drives baseline
*Most effective off the dribble in the middle of the floor
*Doesn't run his man into screens
*Puts pressure on the defense by immediately looking for his shot when coming off ball screens
*Has a habit of coming off the screen and trying to cut back towards the direction he just came from. It interferes with the roll of the screener
*Operates in high PNR the most but is more effective on side PNRs in a limited sample
*Mostly looks for his midrange pull up coming off ball screens
*Rarely sees the roll man, but will try to force it to him occasionally which results in a far share of turnovers
*Doesn't consistently put the ball in the shooting pocket when he drives and kicks
*Isn't always aware of how he affects spacing along the perimeter, can set up too close to a teammate
*Ok shooting form but his mechanics aren't the same every shot
*Doesn't jump straight up and down on his pull up attempts, leans and fades often
*Knees sink towards his center when gathering for his shot
*Misses badly fairly frequently, shot off to either side or very hard
*Capable of attacking closeouts to multiple levels. He can get all the way to the rim, floater or midrange pull up
*Below average shooter from range but accurate inside the arc
*Is much more streaky than consistent, capable of big runs and droughts
*Seems to be a better shooter with a hand in his face, especially in catch and shoot situations
*Struggles shooting off pin downs, Slow to catch, square and fire
DEFENSE
*Poor defender in space, gives up straight line drives and is overreactive to crossovers
*Has the strength to size up and guard bigger players
*Don’t contest pull up jumpers well
*Can be foul prone when isolated
*Likes to gamble for steals when off ball that take him out of help defense positioning
*Gets caught ball watching, often out of position to closeout on spot up shooters
*Gives known shooters too much space
*Commonly dies on ball screens and lacks effort through the rest of the possession
*Doesn’t always choose the proper means of navigating the ball screen, will sometimes go under when he should be fighting through it
*Slow fighting through off ball screens as well, far too often doesn’t even get a contest
KHAIRI AKILI
Dwayne Bacon has a good frame and looks like he's a good athlete. He relies a lot on his mid range jumper. He's pretty streaky from 3.
Bacon looks like he's patterned his game after the old version of Kobe. He settles for a lot of contested pull up jumpers and has a questionable shot selection. He isn't asked to play much PNR and isn't much of a playmaker.
POSITIVES:
Good frame
Good athlete
Mid range reliant
Streak shooter
AREAS OF CONCERN:
Looks like he patterns his game after 35 year old Kobe
Doesn't play much PNR basketball or isn't asked to
Questionable shot selection
Takes a lot of contested shots
Isn't much of a playmaker
JAMES BARLOWE - JANUARY 3, 2017
