Wednesday, January 23, 2013
What Shabazz Muhammad must prove
By Joe Kaiser
Shabazz Muhammad is a name that often comes up when people talk about the top pick of the 2013 NBA draft. But while the UCLA freshman has been sensational from the perimeter, shooting an incredible 45.8 percent from 3-point range, there are still some things he has to prove he can do before an NBA team thinks about selecting him No. 1 overall (or anywhere in the top three, for that matter).
He has to show that he can be less reliant on his left hand, and drive right more frequently.
He has to show that he can affect them game in more ways than being a scorer.
And, with the help of Synergy Sports Technology, we can see that Muhammad surprisingly has a lot of improvement to do in his transition game. Over 26 percent of Muhammad's offense comes in transition, more than any other play type, yet Muhammad is scoring just 0.987 points per play in those situations. That ranks in the 42nd percentile among all NCAA players, which is actually hard to believe.
The question, then, is why? Is Muhammad pulling up in transition and taking a lot of long, lower-percentage jumpers? Is he not the finisher he was touted to be? Is he relying too much on his left hand? These are some of the things NBA scouts will be on the lookout for between now and the end of the season.
