STRENGTHS

Size & Length - 6'11" with a 7’2” wingspan

Offensive skill set - Face up game - can knock down 15 ft jumper; Play with back to the basket
Footwork - Uses pivots and steps through moves to score
Feel for the game - Looks for double teams, surveys the floor. Quick spins when he needs to
Post game - Seals defenders under the rim; Excellent touch around the basket; Turns off either shoulder with both hands
Hands - Good hands catches the ball in traffic in pick & roll situations

WEAKNESSES

Athleticism - Not a great athlete, plays below the rim
Fit - How does he fit in the pace and space NBA
Shooting range - Inconsistent from college 3 though he has potential to add to his range
Defense - Doesn’t project to be a good shot blocker; Lack of foot speed on defense would be taken advantage in PNR

Saint Mary’s has the plug on Australian ball players and the latest in line is 6’11” Jock Landale. I want to call him Young Jock but the moniker is reserved for Denver Nuggets Center Nikola Jokic. And that’s where the similarities end between the two bigs. Landale is an old school back-to-the basket big though he does have the skills to play in the pace and space NBA.

Landale was one of the most improved players in the country last year doubling his scoring and rebounding in an increased role. Averaging 16.9 ppg and 9.5 rebounds per game, Landale did it efficiently with an array of post moves off of either shoulder. He’s got great footwork and will show you reverse pivots from time to time and also a mean baseline spin when his defender plays hard on his inside shoulder. In pick and roll, Landale has great hands and can finish in traffic due to his excellent touch around the basket and length. He has enough mobility to roll quickly or slip to the open spot. But through and through, Landale wants to play with his back to the basket. I was impressed with his patience on the block: he was never in a rush as he surveyed the defense looking for cutters (he finds the open guy) or monitoring where help would be. He showed a decent face up game and can hit the jump shot out to about the college 3 point line.

On the flip side, Landale might be a flip phone in a world full of smart phones. He’s still gets the job done, but the game is trending away from post ups. Even the really good post players in the league like DeMarcus Cousins and Marc Gasol are shooting threes. There is film of Jock making jumpers but not enough to consider it an attribute. Landale’s athleticism isn’t exactly a positive. He’s mobile enough on offense but defensively he’s pretty slow. He’s not exactly seeing NBA level talent in the West Coast Conference. Speaking of talent, I found it a bit alarming that Landale couldn’t move Lauri Markannen in the NCAA Tournament, or that Markannen was able to stifle Jock a few times at the rim.

JAMES BARLOWE - OCTOBER 10, 2017

SUMMARY

Here is a breakdown of Lawndale's possessions over the 2016-17 season