NBA Comparison: James Ennis

Strengths: Ellis is a wiry, 6’6, 167 pound SG with adequate length and very good vertical athleticism … Has the foot speed, lateral quickness and explosive leaping ability that only helps the case for his projections on the wing at the NBA level …  Runs like a deer in the open court and is a good finisher at the rim, where his leaping skills shine the most … A backdoor alley-oop threat … Possesses quick and active hands (nearly 2 steals a game as a Sr.); is really a pest as an on-ball defender…A loose ball-handlers nightmare, Ellis pressures the ball and moves his feet well to be effective at both denying dribble penetration and generating deflections…Can guard anywhere on the perimeter…Good shooting stroke from long range with his feet set (37% 3FG); has a quick, high release and consistent mechanics…Also had some success shooting off screens and running to open spots in live ball action last season…Has the makings of a 3-and-D type prospect…Uses his quick leaping skills to contribute on the glass (6.1 rpg as a Sr.)…Led the SEC in FT% at 88%, further showing his shooting touch

Weaknesses: Has shoddy fundamentals, shows bad habits on both ends of the court at times … At 167 lbs, Ellis is very thin for the wing position at the NBA level, and doesn’t appear to have the frame to get much bigger. .. Had some issues with the bigger, more physical wings he matched up with at times … Poor ball-handling ability; gets out of control the more he dribbles … Also struggles with changing directions and creating his own offense, the ball slows him down … Lack of shot creation limits his ability to show off his athleticism; doesn’t get to the rim nearly as much as someone with his explosiveness should … Tends to get overly aggressive defensively swiping for steals and relying too heavily on his athleticism to contest shots; found himself in foul trouble frequently during his time at Bama (2.7 fpg as a Sr.) … Doesn’t have a mid-range game … Feel for the game is middling, especially for a Sr .… An older prospect at 22 years old, which makes breaking some of his habits on the court a bit harder …

Overall: Ellis is a former JUCO standout that earned a starting role at Alabama this past season after being a rotational player as a Jr … He boosted his draft stock with a productive season, as he made an impact defensively for a Bama team that had to regroup on that end of the floor last season with the losses of Herb Jones and John Petty … He showed nice athleticism, and promising flashes as a shooter that makes his 3-and-D profile at the next level worth looking into … But he doesn’t bring much shot-creation potential to the equation and he needs to show that he can improve on some of his fundamental deficiencies…Still, he has some clear-cut traits that could be useful for teams and is worth a look

Notes: Measured: 6’3.5” barefoot, 6’4.75” in shoes, 8’6.0” standing reach, 167.4 lbs, and a 6’8.5” wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 5/24/22