NBA Draft 2017 Prospect Watch: T.J. Leaf
By Reid Mueller
What The Experts Say
(As of 4/11/17)
Draft Express (Jonathan Givony): 24th
ESPN (Chad Ford): 17th
CBS (Howard Megdal): 22nd
Sporting News (Sam Vecenie): 26th
The Step Back (Trevor Magnotti and Chris Stone): 33rd
Quotes:
Jonathan Givony of Draft Express breaks down the importance of the eventual UCLA loss to the Kentucky Wildcats for the prospect’s draft stock, and the concerns some scouts have about the freshman.
"“Scouts will also be keeping a close eye on T.J. Leaf, who continues to be a lightning rod of a prospect, with no clear consensus from talent evaluators. Naysayers point to his shockingly poor splits, which indicate that he struggles mightily against quality competition, while putting up tremendous numbers against woefully overmatched opponents. Supporters are quick to bring up his game against Kentucky in December, where he had 17 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists and was likely the catalyst behind UCLA’s upset win in Lexington."
Sam Vecenie of Sporting News is very complimentary of Leaf’s game, but alludes to his difficulties on the defensive end.
"“Leaf is the same guy he was early in the season: a polished stretch-four with some post ability, passing skill and better athleticism than he gets credit for. He also, though, hasn’t quite gotten to where he needs to be on defense.”"