NBA Comparison: Theo Ratliff

Strengths: Clowney is a sleek and mobile 6’10 210 C/PF who fits the mold of what teams look for in modern day bigs/frontcourt guys and has the frame to add significant mass … Runs the floor well and shows pretty solid leaping skills with a head of steam, making him a promising transition player on both ends of the court … Very rangy and long (reportedly has a 7’2 wingspan); can cover massive ground on the move and is a hard player to get shots over which makes him a promising frontcourt defensive player … Good timing as a shot-blocker (0.9 BPG), particularly as a help defender; can get his hands on shots at the highest point … Has the tools to switch and guard on the perimeter as he gains experience, and showed nice flashes of ability to be disruptive with his length against smaller players as a Fr … Has some of the best numbers in this draft class as a finisher in close, and is a player who can convert above the rim or with some finesse (67 FG% inside the arc) … Good hands & reflexes to grab both rebounds (8 RPG) and errant passes outside of his area … Solid on the offensive glass … Likes to face-up and has soft touch & 3-point range on his shot, with the potential to be a solid producer as a spot-up threat in time (34 made 3s as a Fr.) … Feel for the game is ahead of your typical raw bigman prospect; generally doesn’t force action or try to play outside of his role/strengths … Hustles and is a willing cutter who gets rewarded with alley-oops and dumpoffs … Likes to set screens and get himself shots by rolling to the rim or popping out for jumpers, making him a player who can feed off teammates and chip in as a scorer without having to create for himself directly (9.8 PPG) … Form on his shot give his scoring and shooting a lot of intrigue, despite unimpressive efficiency … May just be scratching the surface of the talent he possesses; more of a late blooming, diamond in the rough type who could grow into an important player with more experience … A ‘young’ Fr. who will just be turning 19 years old shortly after the 2023 Draft …

Weaknesses: Needs to fill out his frame and improve his base strength and toughness; got knocked backwards when met with contact often at the college level by bigs and some wings, which doesn’t bode well taking a step up in competition … Sometimes can be overly reliant on his length to bail himself out defensively, and can be neutralized when slashers get into his chest/body which leads to fouls (2.5 FPG) … More of a linear run-jump athlete than a lateral mover due to his high center of gravity; really needs to work on sinking his hips and sliding his feet consistently … Bit of a ‘tweener’ big at the moment; could struggle with quickness switching in space on the perimeter and from some NBA PFs but also may struggle with the physicality of some NBA Cs … A face-up frontcourt guy but doesn’t show much handling the ball or creating offense … Haven’t seen him show much as a post scorer either; won’t have many plays drawn up for him … Shot looks solid fundamentally, but the efficiency is still improving as of now (28.3 3FG% on 3.3 3FGA/G) … Doesn’t pass the ball much (0.8 APG) … Drew fouls at an OK rate but needs improvement converting at the line once he gets there (65 FT% on 3.1 FTA/G) … Pretty green, not yet the sum of his parts …

Overall: Noah Clowney has been one of the fastest risers in the 2023 Draft Class relative to draft stock before the 22-23 NCAA hoops season over the past half dozen months, putting himself on the radar largely from an impressive 16 point, 11 rebound performance against then-1st ranked Houston early in the season … Clowney was a 4-star recruit in 2022 but was overshadowed by Bama’s other more touted recruits (including potential top 3 pick Brandon Miller), only to start all 36 games as a Fr and finish 3rd on the team in scoring and minutes, and 2nd in rebounds and blocks … Clowney showed good athleticism as a finisher, while also showing potential as a shooter and defensive player with his long arms and range … He will need to get stronger and add mass to his frame to rectify certains nuances to his game, as well as gaining polish and experience on both ends of the court … Still, the groundwork is there for Clowney to keep improving over time and tweaking certain skills and fundamentals … He could develop into a role-player who doesn’t need the ball to be effective at his best, given his shooting touch and potential impact on defense as he grows … Clowney is one of the youngest prospects in the 2023 Draft class, and his range is likely somewhere in the top 35, with him possibly being selected as early as the late teens in the 1st round …

Jorrye Nixon 6/7/23