New Orleans Pelicans 2015 NBA Draft Profiles: Cliff Alexander
It is that time of year again. With the NBA Draft just a few weeks away it is time to start looking at players that the New Orleans Pelicans can potentially draft. While most of the players that we profile will be second round players since the Pelicans currently only have a second round pick, there will also be a few first round talents mixed in with the bunch as well. Considering the Pelicans are pretty set in the backcourt and at power forward the profiles will focus on wing players that fit into a small forward role and backup big men, places the Pelicans can stand to get a bit better.
Yesterday, when looking into Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse was mentioned as one of those schools that should be an automatic red flag for prospects. Players that come out of there are consistently busts, or not ready for NBA, especially on defense. Another school, while not as notorious as Syracuse, is beginning to gain a similar reputation. Kansas, with head coach Bill Self, isn’t very well known for pushing out incredible players despite it’s prestigious history as a basketball school. More often than not, players that go to Kansas don’t develop, and their stock is hurt. One of those players was Cliff Alexander.
The Basics:
Age: 19
Height (with shoes): 6’8.5”
Weight: 243
Wingspan: 7’3.5”
Standing Reach: 9’1.5”
2014-2015 stats: 7.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 blocks in 17.6 minutes per game
Draft Projections: Second round.
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Strengths:
Cliff Alexander is a big man with measurements and athleticism that might allow him to be an undersized center despite only being 6’9. He has the ability to run the floor, which will allow him to do some nice off ball stuff, and his lengthy wingspan shows potential as a defender. He also showed flashes in the little amount of time he spent on the court with his 1.3 blocks and 5.3 rebounds. He clearly knows how to use his size and athleticism, but the lack of minutes are a head scratcher.
Alexander’s Per 40 minute numbers were very often better than the guys playing over him, and yet he still struggled to find playing time. This is where Kansas’s history of stunting prospects comes into play. Alexander had the talent to play, and he was a dominant big man in high school, but Bill Self will always pick the players that fit his system better. This is hard for players looking to showcase themselves to the NBA. All of that said, there is clearly talent there with Alexander, and it’s hard to not see him at least succeeding in some way in the NBA. He looks to be a hustle player that grabs rebounds, throws down put back dunks, and sets a hard screen, but he has the potential to be so much more than that. It’s just hard to know how much more due to his low minutes.
Weaknesses:
Alexander injured his knee in a workout for the Los Angeles Lakers, and so far that has made his ability to attract NBA teams rough. He averaged less than 20 minutes per game at Kansas, and workouts were the perfect time for him to shoot up draft boards. Now, he’s forced to rely on a small one year sample size along with a lot of hype coming out of high school.
What we do know about Alexander is that he has a fairly limited offensive game. He didn’t show very many post moves at Kansas, and his jumpshot is too iffy to trust. His lack of floor spacing will be an issue since a lot of his skill set fits more as a center than it does as a power forward. He’ll be playing undersized a lot, and even though he has skills to make up for that, it’s going to be exploited.
Projected role:
If the Pelicans were to draft Alexander, he’d be an undersized center tasked with providing big man depth. There would be no need for immediate results since Alexis Ajinca, and Omer Asik, are already on the roster. However, the lack of playing time could further hurt his development just like it did at Kansas. At 19 years old, Alexander has a lot of room to grow, and the Pelicans haven’t shown much patience in developing players.
The biggest problem with drafting Alexander is that a lot of his current skill set overlaps with former Kansas big man, Jeff Withey, who is already on the roster. Even though Alexander has much more upside, it seems silly to draft another big man out of the same school, with the same skill set, and not attempt to better develop the one they already have.
Stats and measurements came from Draft Express
Information came from Upside Motor