After heading to UCLA as a McDonald’s All-American, T.J. Leaf had a productive season to help the Bruins reach their highest level of national media attention since Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook.
Who is T.J. Leaf?
T.J. Leaf was born in Israel, where his father played ball professionally. He holds dual citizenship, but spent most of his childhood learning the game in Lakeside, California. After originally committing to the University of Arizona, Leaf had a change of heart and committed to the Bruins.
The freshman had a very nice season, earning himself a spot on the First-Team All-Pac-12, and leading the Bruins in points and rebounds.
| School | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 35 | 29.9 | 6.7 | 10.9 | .617 | 5.9 | 9.2 | .644 | 0.8 | 1.7 | .466 | 2.1 | 3.0 | .679 | 8.2 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 16.3 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 4/6/2017.
Leaf declared for the draft and signed with an agent shortly after UCLA lost their sweet 16 game to Kentucky. There wasn’t a ton of NBA hype around the freshman before the season started, but his impressive season shot him into first round and lottery considerations.
He’s set to turn 20 years old on Apr. 30. Draft stocks tend to flat-line outside of the lottery when a prospect is set to turn 21, so it’s smart for Leaf to capitalize on his opportunity to be a first round pick this year.
The UCLA big man would have needed a Frank Kaminsky-type sophomore season to see his draft projections improve even more.
As it stands, he should be a fairly safe pick for a team that’s in need of a stretch four with a high basketball IQ.
Now, let’s look more in depth what the Bruins freshman did well, struggled with, and his possible fit with the Milwaukee Bucks.