Strengths: Both long and athletic, plays bigger than his 63 205 lb frame would suggest Uses a combination of length, quickness, and strength to take smaller guards to the basket and dominate inside Causes a match-up problem for almost any guard/small forward forced to cover him Has developed a very respectable three-point shot as he shot 41% from deep as a sophomore and 36.4% as a junior An exceptional rebounder for his size (5.4 per game last year). Has the body and athleticism to be terrific on the boards and on the defensive end Shows good aggressiveness when it comes to doing the little things, does a good job of letting the game come to him and staying within Coach Ks system Has really stepped up his defense. Averaged a career-high 1.5 steals per game last season and is learning how to translate his long frame and athleticism into defensive success. Has the potential to be a lock-down defender A veteran with a true scorers mentality Averaged 14.1 points per game last season, but with Josh McRoberts gone and the Blue Devils lacking experience, Duke will lean on Nelson to be their #1 option, which could mean 18-20 points per game for the explosive wing in his senior year.

Weaknesses: Relies too heavily on the three-point shot at times. While that may be a product of Dukes offensive system, Nelson would benefit from attacking the basket more rather than settling for the long-range shot Free-throw shooting has been unspectacular in his three years at Duke (53%, 65%, 59%). Could average around 18 points per game if he could convert free throws at an average rate for a SG Ballhandling and playmaking skills are there, but he doesnt utilize them, partly because of the role he plays in the Blue Devil offense Had a terrible assist/turnover ratio last season (0.8/1) and has never had more assists than turnovers in his three years of college ball. Will have to improve upon that number to convince NBA GMs that he can be a shooting guard at the next level.

Notes: Nelson holds the all-time scoring record for California HS basketball with 3,462 points. The 63 wing also racked up 1,522 rebounds in his high school career, which ranks an incredible third all-time in the state of California. His 791 career assists are ninth all-time in the state Led the West team with 22 points in the 2004 McDonalds All-American game Averaged 24.5 points per game for the West in the USA Mens Basketball Youth Development Festival in 2003Is a high-character kid who is very active in the Duke community.