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42 - Alando Tucker

6-5, 210 Shooting Guard/Small Forward
Wisconsin Senior
Birthday
02/11/84 (40.2 yrs)
Hometown
Lockport, IL
High School
Township
Team Site Profile
2006 Statistics
Athleticism
9
Size
7
Defense
7
Strength
8
Quickness
8
Leadership
8
Jump Shot
7
NBA Ready
9
Ball Handling
6
Potential
7
Passing
6
Intangibles
9
91 Overall:

NBA Comparison: Josh Howard

Matthew Maurer – 2/13/2007

Strengths: Possesses an NBA ready body that is strong enough to absorb contact in the lane and finish Has three point range on his jump shot Back to the basket skills are highly developed Owns a nice turnaround jumper Excellent finisher who is blessed with cat like body control to get off even the most difficult shots in traffic Tough minded player who enjoys physical play and will not back down from a challenge Unselfish player with the willingness to set-up open teammates Physically he has all the tools needed to be a quality defender: quickness, good hands, long arms and intelligence Crafty scorer who uses a number of fakes and his leaping ability to create scoring opportunities for himself Solid rebounder due to his athleticism and body strength Smooth player on the floor who lets the game come to him rarely forcing things Coachable player with a great work ethic to improve Does a great job of creating contact to draw fouls Excellent finisher in transition where he will finish with flair Emerging as a player who understands how to effectively move without the ball

Weaknesses: Defensively Tucker could stand to improve on his intensity Doesnt seem to possess great anticipation skills nor the awareness to play the passing lanes Ball handling, while improved, still isnt great Perimeter shooting remains prone to streakiness Not a great shooter coming off screens Solid three point shooter when his feet are set but struggles to hit with regularity due in part to his slow release Despite being a great athlete, Tucker rarely explodes off the dribble due to his average first step Doesnt always use the mid-range jumper to his advantage, often hell slash to the basket or shoot the three From a position standpoint there is concern about what position he will play in the NBA While blessed with athleticism, he may struggle to shoot consistently enough to play shooting guard and his height might be a detriment at small forward While his game has progressed considerably over the past 5 years, one has to wonder how much more he can improve Below average free throw shooting limits his ability to take full advantage of the contact he creates

Alexander Kaftan – 1/17/2007

Strengths: Tucker’s greatest strength is his terrific athleticism, which is well above average even for NBA standards. He has a 38 inch vertical, which is usually among the top three in each draft-worthy class. He jumps off the ground rapidly, enabling him to grab rebounds and convert put backs that a player his size normally wouldn’t. He doesn’t run the floor much, so his speed is not exhibited, but this could be primarily due to Coach Bo Ryan’s slower paced offense … He has added strength without compromising his athletic ability. He remains a springy leaper, able to grab boards from players that are bigger and/or stronger. The offense has gotten more fast-break opportunities, and they often end with a Tucker dunk. He’ll be an excellent finisher, especially in transition, due to his athletic ability In the past 2 years he has added definition without losing agility, especially in the arms. This has allowed him to convert better after contact, to post or defend the post, and in boxing out … Alando is blessed with a very long wingspan, making him play like someone who is 6’7″. He uses his length well in defending, rebounding, and finishing close to the basket. His hands are excellent. He catches everything, and deflects with his alert hands. His hands are large enough to easily palm a ball, which is an underrated attribute for slashers … He has greatly improved his ball-handling to the point where it’s probably average if not slightly better than average for an NBA small forward. This enables him to easily beat bigger forwards off the dribble, and post up smaller guards with great intelligence and savvy … Tucker is very patient on offense, rarely forcing the issue on ill-advised drives. This aspect of his game has shown an amazing improvement in the past year. He has added a great midrange jumper, especially after a jab step or ball-fake. Essentially, he sets up the jumper with the threat of driving. He often makes use of his superior athleticism, even when it comes to his improved J, backing his man down, then stepping out to shoot. Defensively he has terrific lateral quickness when guarding perimeter players. He uses his feet extremely well, which will be a great attribute when playing against the quicker NBA guards. Tucker’s long and lively arms make it difficult for players roughly his size to pass around him. Not only a physically gifted defender, Alando is a smart defender as well. Rotates well, and is versatile enough to cover four positions in college, but probably two or three in the NBA, depending on the height/quickness of the opposition. His added strength, coupled with his wingspan, quickness, leaping ability, and smarts, will likely permit him to guard most NBA small forwards … His size, length, and smarts, with an improved effort, could make him become a great pro defender. Despite this, it is very clear to anyone that has watched his career, from his first season as a scrappy, raw, 6’5″ 190-195 lbs power forward to this year, as a polished, seasoned star capable of easily creating his own shot in a variety of ways, that his offseason training is top notch. He clearly works hard on his gameCjump-shooting, dribbling, film, etcCand will likely continue to do so in the future … His basketball IQ is very high, as he has become even more cunning on offense, He has also gained a “leader’s swagger” that he previously lacked, indicating his arrival as Wisconsin’s top dog.

Weaknesses: At 6’5″, Alando is slightly undersized to play shooting guard and is very undersized to be an NBA small forward. But his length and athleticism help … He sometimes forces shots, not many, but some. This almost always happens near the baseline. I however doubt that this’ll be much of a problem in the NBA, as he won’t be called to carry the scoring load … He still does not catch and shoot, and oftentimes takes a bit of time before making his initial move. His shooting form may be a bit of a concern. Oftentimes, an ugly yet effective form, such as Leandro Barbosa’s, gets unfairly criticized. If a shot works, it works, and the form usually is exceptionally overrated. However, Tucker has a very low release point, potentially having his shot vulnerable to getting blocked. This may not be a problem, since it has not stopped other awkward shooters, like Shawn Marion … Alando still has excellent tools to become a great defender, but he seems to not try as hard as he used to. This may be because he tries to conserve energy for the increased scoring load he carries. In the NBA, he’ll have to play with intensity on the defensive side, as that’ll likely be his calling card.

Notes: He is a redshirt senior, and you can tell by his incredibly high basketball IQ. He lead the Big Ten in scoring last year, and is on pace to do so this year as well. He’s almost a lock for Big Ten Player of the Year, and he’ll likely be an All-American and maybe the NCAA Player of the Year. His game has improved to the point where he’s a true superstar on the college level. Tucker started the season 0-9 from three, but hit three huge threes against Marquette. Since then, he has gone 8-16 from downtown and has risen his 3-pt percentage to 36% on the year.

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