2010 draft prospect: Luke Babbitt

One of the highest impact freshman in the country last season, Luke Babbitt has picked up right where he left off as a sophomore, upping his numbers across the board and just playing outstanding basketball for the Wolf Pack.

On the offensive end, Babbitt possesses an extremely high skill level to go along with an outstanding feel for the game, assets which allow him to score easily and efficiently from all over the floor. The smooth left-handed shooter is hitting with deadeye accuracy from the free-throw (89%) and three-point lines (41%), while also showing strong ability off the dribble, namely with his mid-range jumper.

Using a combination of ball fakes and jab steps along with rangy strides with the ball and excellent footwork, Babbitt does a very good job getting separation for his jumper in spite of his limited athletic ability. Getting open inside the arc, he shows very good ability to hit jumpers on the move, going left and right, with a hand in his face, and fading away from the basket.

Strengths: Babbitt is one of the most skilled players in the country, and coming off an impressive freshman year with Nevada, he did not disappoint as a sophomore ... He has a smooth and accurate lefty stroke with NBA 3 point range and a solid mid-range game, he shot 41% from downtown while averaging 21.9 points per game ... Above 90% free throw shooting attests to his shooting prowess ... He can shoot off a pass, as well as off the dribble ... Uses an effective jab step to knock his defender off balance in order to create space and separation to get off a shot ... Has quite the arsenal when it comes to shot selection: can pull up, fade away, hit off-balance jumpers when driving regardless of if his shot is contested ... Developed a nice post game, while having the ability to use a high release and knock down fade-away jumpers with a defender on his back ... He's very crafty with the ball, and maintains good body control and high awareness in regards to finding the lane and taking the most efficient route to the basket ... He's not a playmaker, but does have good enough vision and passing skills to hit the open man ... Has above average handle for a 6'8 forward ... Can run the floor and finish in transition ... Defensively he is intense, and uses equal amounts of energy on both sides of the ball ... He is an excellent rebounder, mostly due to his high energy and desire to go after the ball ... His excellent feel for the game should allow him to make the necessary changes to his game to be succesful at the next level ...

Weaknesses: Without question the tweener label fits Babbitt ... The biggest obstacle Babbitt will have to overcome is guarding small forwards at the next level, since he is not physically strong enough to guard a power forward ... He lacks lateral quickness, and will be an eye-opening target for any quick and athletic forward who is matched up with him ... Not the greatest or quickest athlete, which could be another obstacle for him, as he won't be able to create as much space for himself in the NBA the way he did in college ... Able to aggressively finish in college at the rim, but will have difficulty when challenging 7 footers at the next level ...

Overall: Babbitt has a fun game to watch, as he can score in a number of ways ... Defensively he will be a liability when manning up on the wing, but can fill a nice scoring role off the bench for a good team as he is likely to be drafted in the mid to late first round ... If he was stronger, more athletic and more explosive, he would be a lot higher on GMs draft boards

Jonathan Wasserman 4/28/10