Weaknesses
One of his biggest weaknesses, as mentioned during the team’s tournament run by his own coaching staff, is his ability to play physical basketball. Butler coach LaVall Jordan on the young player:
"“You could tell he’d be a good shooter for his position,” Jordan said. “He just had to get more physical and embrace contact. That was the big thing.”"
He’s shown the ability to play through contact if he’s the aggressor, but if his opponent is backing him up in the post, they’ll likely get an uncontested layup. I’m not exactly ready to say he’s too nice to play in the post, as he may have just been most concerned about not finding himself in foul trouble.
When a player has sat on the bench for two seasons, with NBA aspirations, floor time is the most important thing he can provide for himself.
Either way, I think he’s some tough love, and or a mentality change away from doing what’s necessary on defense. Adding muscle is also imperative, but even with added strength, he’ll need to change his mentality to make the leap.
When he plays off his instincts, he shows his NBA talent. When he thinks about what he needs to do on the floor, his game worsens. There’s no doubt that he cares about winning games, it’s just about getting his mind in the right position for him to succeed. The solution to that could simply be more and more time on the floor.