SkalLabissiere.gif

1 - Skal Labissiere

7-0, 215 Power Forward/Center
Kentucky Freshman
Birthday
03/18/96 (28 yrs)
Hometown
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
High School
RYD Prep
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
9
Size
9
Defense
8
Strength
7
Quickness
9
Leadership
6
Jump Shot
9
NBA Ready
6
Rebounding
7
Potential
9
Post Skills
7
Intangibles
6

NBA Comparison: Channing Frye

Strengths: Labissiere possesses a prototypical combination of height (6’11) and length (7’2" wingspan and 9′ standing reach) … Springy athlete that can get off the floor quickly and runs the floor with very good speed and fluidity … Great second jump, almost always the first off the ground … Uses his size well to defend the rim … Doesn’t go for head or pump fakes often on smaller players … Has enough lateral quickness to switch on to a guard in pick and roll defense … A natural, high level shooter with excellent form. Also has great range on his jump shot. His shooting is what gives him such great intrigue … Didn’t show it often at Kentucky, but proved he could knock down threes consistently at the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit … Excellent in pick and pop plays … Some of his post moves (turnaround hook shots with either hand) show promise … His potential is his real selling point right now … His performance at the Nike Hoop Summit in which he dominated Thon Maker in practice and excelled throughout the week and in the game sold many scouts on his upside and some even thought he could be the top overall pick … Has a frame that should allow him to add more bulk without it affecting his speed and athleticism … Has a great attitude, and by all accounts a smart, high character kid …

Weaknesses: Never quite lived up to his billing or preseason hype at UK. Whether due to too high of expectations, too much pressure, or just a lack of readiness to perform at the college level, Labissiere’s one season at Kentucky was a major disappointment to say the least … Missing junior year of high school and lack of overall experience seemed to catch up with him in his lone year of college … Must develop into more of a killer and learn to flip the switch from his nice-guy-off-the-floor personality … Seemed to lack the intensity and energy to succeed when he entered games …  Doesn’t have the muscle or toughness at this point to bang on the interior … Often gets pushed around and easily moved out of the way by stronger players on both ends of the floor … Must add strength if he’s going to realize his potential in the league … Had a few games where he seemed to finally put things together, but never was able to sustain it … Committed fouls way too often when on the court … Developed slowly as the season progressed … Relies too much on his athleticism at times … Must learn better fundamentals and develop a few go to post moves … Floated through possessions and games … Too often would get lost on the court … Didn’t do much to stand out when he wasn’t involved regularly in the offense … Doesn’t seem to understand how to fully utilize his athleticism, and is hesitant to explode with aggression around the rim … There are cultural and development factors at play as he came from Haiti (in 2010) and is late at picking up the game and playing in a structured environment at a high level … Therefore it is misguided to just label him "soft" or a "bust" … Appears extremely sensitive and didn’t react well to the in-your-face motivational coaching style of Coach Calipari … Seems that he will need to develop a tougher mindset in order to handle trash talking and criticism to succeed … Still very raw as a player and seems to get down on himself and lose confidence easily … A player whose NBA success will probably be contingent upon landing in the right "nurturing" situation … Rebounding should improve as he gains strength and toughness …

Notes: 2015 Jordan Brand Classic member … 2015 Nike Hoop Summit World Team member … Native of Haiti … Survived the 2010 earthquake before moving to the United States …

Outlook: Has to be considered a project, but if he can become tougher and gain the competitiveness and desire to compete at a high level at all times, he has a very high ceiling … Labissiere definitely could have used more time at Kentucky to refine and shore up his game, but his potential will likely get him selected in the lottery … If Labissiere can add muscle and strength and remain a threat to knock down perimeter shots he could become a valuable player today’s NBA … While his deficiencies were brought to light, he never seemed disgruntled with the lack of success or role during his time as a Wildcat … The team that selects him will likely need to be extremely patient with him, in order to get the most out of his potential …

Brandon Jefferson 5/8/16

Strengths: 7 foot forward/center that can score from anywhere on the floor … Smooth shooting mechanics. Gets great elevation on his jump shot. Excellent pull up jumper. Has a high release point, hard for defenders to contest … Can score off the catch or dribble … Scores and passes out of double, even triple teams. Sees the floor well for a bigman … Great frame, will add strength with time. His shoulders and legs show excellent muscle tone and have improved considerably over the past 2 years  … Rare ability to create own shot for a player with his size … Great attitude and work ethic. Vocal leader and very coachable … Great footwork and advanced scoring arsenal for a such a young player, doesn’t rely on physical tools … Good defender, has shot blocking instincts and gets off the ground well, doesn’t leave his feet on shot fakes … Rebounds in his area … Stays poised, doesn’t get rattled under pressure …  Great ambidexterity … Student of the game … Possesses a great attitude. Great work ethic, and extremely coachable …

Weaknesses: Labissiere is such an advanced young player; we are reaching as he doesn’t possess many weaknesses. He still has room to get stronger physically, particularly his legs … He could have been more active when trying to block shots as a help defender and rebounder, but may have been saving his energy for offense as he had to do almost everything for his inferior Reach Your Dream Prep … He doesn’t have a soft reputation but can still be more aggressive … Added strength will help his ability to play physical … Can develop into a better leader over time. Some injury concern exists after missing JR year with back INJ …

Notes: Due to transfer rules, Labissiere played his senior year with newly formed Reach Your Dream Prep, however he made the most of his senior season … After sitting out the majority of junior season with a back injury, he was able to showcase his talent this year … Although RYD was inferior to some of the powerhouses they played against, Labissiere was positive through the whole experience and caught the eye of evaluators who haven’t seen him play in a while … Kentucky is losing most of their production going into next season but Labissiere will contribute immediately and projects to be one of the NCAA’s best … His combination of elite physical tools, great work ethic, and mentality separates him from most of his peers and provides him with huge, untapped potential …

Evan Tomes 6/15/15

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