luke-babbitt-hd.jpg

5 - Luke Babbitt

6-9, 218 Small Forward/Power Forward
Nevada Sophomore
Birthday
06/01/89 (34.8 yrs)
Hometown
Reno, NV
High School
Galena
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
8
Size
8
Defense
6
Strength
8
Quickness
7
Leadership
8
Jump Shot
9
NBA Ready
8
Ball Handling
8
Potential
8
Passing
7
Intangibles
9


NBA Comparison: Keith Van Horn/Chris Mullin

Strengths: Babbitt is one of the most skilled players in the country, and coming off an impressive freshman year with Nevada, he did not disappoint as a sophomore … He has a smooth and accurate lefty stroke with NBA 3 point range and a solid mid-range game, he shot 41% from downtown while averaging 21.9 points per game … Above 90% free throw shooting attests to his shooting prowess … He can shoot off a pass, as well as off the dribble … Uses an effective jab step to knock his defender off balance in order to create space and separation to get off a shot … Has quite the arsenal when it comes to shot selection: can pull up, fade away, hit off-balance jumpers when driving regardless of if his shot is contested … Developed a nice post game, while having the ability to use a high release and knock down fade-away jumpers with a defender on his back … He’s very crafty with the ball, and maintains good body control and high awareness in regards to finding the lane and taking the most efficient route to the basket … He’s not a playmaker, but does have good enough vision and passing skills to hit the open man … Has above average handle for a 6’8 forward … Can run the floor and finish in transition … Defensively he is intense, and uses equal amounts of energy on both sides of the ball … He is an excellent rebounder, mostly due to his high energy and desire to go after the ball … His excellent feel for the game should allow him to make the necessary changes to his game to be successful at the next level …

Weaknesses:
Without question the tweener label fits Babbitt … The biggest obstacle Babbitt will have to overcome is guarding small forwards at the next level, since he is not physically strong enough to guard a power forward … He lacks lateral quickness, and will be an eye-opening target for any quick and athletic forward who is matched up with him … Not the greatest or quickest athlete, which could be another obstacle for him, as he won’t be able to create as much space for himself in the NBA the way he did in college … Able to aggressively finish in college at the rim, but will have difficulty when challenging 7 footers at the next level …

Overall: Babbitt has a fun game to watch, as he can score in a number of ways … Defensively he will be a liability when manning up on the wing, but can fill a nice scoring role off the bench for a good team as he is likely to be drafted in the mid to late first round … If he was stronger, more athletic and more explosive, he would be a lot higher on GMs draft boards

Jonathan Wasserman 4/28/10

Strengths: Crafty player whose consistent lefty stroke and ability to post up have made him a very difficult matchup … He prefers catching the ball just inside the 3 point arc, facing up, using jabs to create space and either letting it fly or taking his man off the dribble … His shot is a text book left handed release, it is very efficient with no wasted motion … Currently he operates mostly in the midrange, but has shown plenty of range to step behind the NBA arc … He gets minimal elevation, but he uses this to his advantage, as he can shot fake and make a move with very little effort … His understanding of spacing and movement could make him a great pick& roll player … For a player his size, his handles are pretty impressive, he is very comfortable pushing the ball in transition off a rebound or putting it on the deck and attacking his match up in the halfcourt … Going both ways he has a nice mid-range pull up that is very difficult to defend because he throws in a stepback and a fadaway to keep the defense guessing … With his back to the basket, he uses head and shoulder fakes before shooting his soft turnaround jumper … He has a fairly strong upper body that allows him to clear space and go to the glass …
Weaknesses: For all the craftiness, his physical shortcomings are still fairly exposed … He lacks the explosiveness and athleticism to matchup with the PF position, and his mediocre lateral quickness and first step will give him fits defending wing players, or trying to beat them off the dribble … He needs to diversify his low post game, even though his jumper is a tremendous weapon, he will need to incorporate some new moves if he is to exploit smaller players … Settling too much for the midrange shot, makes him seem passive at times, rather than taking the ball to the rim and drawing contact, he seems to shy away from it … His dribbling gets him into trouble as he tries to push the ball against pressure or when he over penetrates into traffic … He shows flashes of his range and touch from the outside, but currently he is only attempting 2.2 threes per game, and shooting at a mediocre 36% (has not made more than 2 threes in a game) … He needs to become more consistent and prove that he can spread the defense game in and game out, but with experience and as he grows more comfortable playing away from the basket, there is no reason to think he won’t be able to accomplish this …

Borko Popic – 8/29/2008

Borko Popic is a lead scout/contributor to NBADraft.net. Please check out his premium website / scouting service hooprospects.com, an essential tool for college coaches, and European and NBA scouts.

SEASON
TEAM
MIN
PTS
REB
AST
TO
A/T
STL
BLK
PF
FG%
FT%
3P%
PPS
2008-09 NEV 32.616.97.41.41.90.720.70.71.80.4560.8640.4291.35
2009-10 NEV 37.121.98.92.12.40.8910.82.60.50.9170.4161.48
PerGame 34.919.48.11.82.10.80.90.82.20.4800.8930.4211.42

 

SEASON
TEAM
GP
MIN
FG
FGA
FTM
FTA
3PM
3PA
PTS
OFF
DEF
TOT
AST
TO
STL
BLK
PF
2008-09 NEV 3411101944251521763377573631882514765242461
2009-10 NEV 34126025150219921742101743702333037281352787
Totals 6823704459273513937517813161334215541191465951148

 

YouTube Clip – 11/2/2008

YouTube Clip – 06/16/2010

 

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