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1 - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

6-6, 205 Shooting Guard
Georgia Sophomore
Birthday
02/18/93 (31.1 yrs)
Hometown
Greenville, GA
High School
Greenville
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
8
Size
8
Defense
7
Strength
7
Quickness
8
Leadership
7
Jump Shot
9
NBA Ready
8
Ball Handling
7
Potential
9
Passing
7
Intangibles
8

NBA Comparison: Kerry Kittles

Strengths: Natural scoring ability (18.5 PPG) and effortless range (37% 3PT) in a classic shooting guard frame. He displayed massive improvement from freshman to sophomore campaigns. A more relaxed shooter in his second year, fully utilizing his foundation for better balance to spring into the shot. Solid elevation and consistent point of release. The trey is his layup. One-man show at Georgia — any possession where he found space to fire was a good possession. Pick and roll was usually the offensive set of choice. He delivered 1.03 PPP in 97 overall P&R possessions, and 1.275 PPP when running right side P&R. Highly efficient dribbling into a deep three or pulling up off a hard left drive. Posted a 58.8% Adjusted Field Goal Percentage in spot up opportunities and 50% off a screen. Quick release with catch and shoot in one harmonious motion. Got to the free throw stripe 5.3 times per game as a sophomore, up from 2.5 as a frosh (earned FT’s in 19.2% of transition possessions). High riser off of one-foot behind a head of steam. Outstanding top end speed. One of the top rebounding guards in the nation (7.1 REB) – very much committed to finishing defensive trips and optimizing his 6’8 wingspan. Elite defensive capabilities: gets into his man, moves well side to side, has the length to disrupt shots and plays passing lanes tenaciously (2 SPG). Defense into offense is his forte. Shooting specialist with size and defensive/rebounding skills is never a bad classification.

Weaknesses: Caldwell-Pope’s repertoire is highly dependent on perimeter accuracy. Often takes the easy way out, settling for long range bombs rather than using his athleticism. 52% of his shots come from behind the arc. Smooth athlete, but lacks short range quickness or explosiveness — while he uses the dribble adeptly to buy space for jumpers (hesitation and step back), he does not possess blow by or shake up handles to get all the way to the rim. Attack needs to be encouraged. Adding strength would promote a more aggressive mentality as well. Does not serve as a facilitator with the ball in his hands, rarely aiding the cause of teammates. Posted a negative assist: turnover ratio of 1.8:2. Defensive prowess notwithstanding, he can be flighty at times and choose potential rewards over standard awareness; a trait not aided by his team’s inability to score.

Combine notes: KCP excelled in the speed and agility drills (top-five in lane agility and ¾ court sprint), but flopped in maximum vertical (34.5) and standing vertical (29).

Adam Ganeles 6/6/13

Strengths: Caldwell-Pope is an offensive minded guard with very good upside as an off-ball scorer … Has nice size on the perimeter at 6’6 and seems to have good length and a frame that should easily be able to get to around 205-210 lbs without any loss of athleticism … Possesses very smooth athleticism and is pretty fluid in his movements … Has solid leaping skills and can play above the rim, especially with a head of steam … Offensively, Caldwell-Pope is mainly known as a shooter who will let it fly in any situation … Attempted 6.7 3’s a night as a Fr., which showed his freedom early in his career and it will probably allow him to be more confident next season for UGA … Has all the tools to be a very good shooting prospect for a team, with the size to get shots off, a high release point, and a reasonably quick release and steady follow through … Already has NBA range on his shot, and is best spotting up, but will shoot from that deep off the dribble and off screens … Shoots a pretty ball and definitely possesses a soft touch … Is a good mid-range shooter too, but he prefers the deep ball … Was a bit of a streak shooter as a Fr., but he is a constant threat with his shot to the D and must be guarded tight when he has the ball … Doesn’t do a bad job finishing around the rim for a guy who is mostly lauded for his potential as a shooter … Is a rangy strider and shows potential getting a step on defenders off 1 dribble to get his shots off … Has a lot of upside and confidence, and should only improve offensively with the experience he garnered as a true Fr … Is good at getting a good jump in the passing lanes to get steals … Pretty fundamentally sound defender who is competitive on that end … Very willing and effective rebounder for a wing player … Slightly more physical than he’s given credit for … Really looks likely to blossom in the near future as a player, solid worker and wants to improve …

Weaknesses: For a guy who was a very highly touted shooter/player out of HS, Caldwell-Pope struggled with his efficiency as a Fr … He has the tools to eventually be a big threat with his shot, but he has plenty of kinks … He has a natural shot, but he is prone to taking contested shots with a hand in his face and doesn’t show very good shot selection yet … Needs time and space to be most effective with his stroke, doesn’t react to tight D or closeouts that well right now … He also presses, and will try and shoot himself out of slumps even if better shots can be found later in the shot clock for himself and teammates … UGA needed immediate scoring from him and he had a much shorter leash than Fr. typically do, and it showed with his decisions quite a bit … Falls in love with his jumper, doesn’t put the ball on the floor often enough at all … Actually was better the closer he was to the rim last year, but doesn’t have the handles or willingness to slash to take advantage of it that often … Isnt more than a basic straight line ball-handler, not going to break down a defense off the bounce much…Got to the foul line at a poor rate (2.5 ftpg) for a guy who played 32 mpg and put up 12 shots per game, and was he only hit 65% of his free throws, showing the massive improvements he needs to make … Not very strong or big right now, still growing into his body … Can be prone to falling asleep defensively, as a result of his youth and inexperience … Doesn’t pass the ball much …

Overall: Caldwell-Pope showed a lot of promise as a Fr., playing big minutes and being relied on heavily as a Fr. in the SEC … He is a natural when it comes to putting up points and his jumper really could take big steps in terms of efficiency this upcoming season … He will be relied on just as heavily, if not more, in 12-13 so he will need to continue to mature and grow … Right now he’s not quite polished and needs to show more ability putting the ball on the floor, but the has the talent to be a very good player and intriguing prospect in the near future …

Jorrye Nixon 7/29/12

YouTube Clip – 2/6/2010

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