Brandon Clarke
Forward, Gonzaga
Brandon Clarke is a manchild. When it comes to athleticism, the only way to describe him is off the charts. He can jump out of the gym and has the quick twitchy lateral movement about him to back it up.
The issue with Clarke however, will be when someone asks the question “but what else can he do?” At 6 foot 8 and 215 pounds, he may not have to do much else other than that his first year or so, but where does his game go from there?
In college, you like to see players show versatility against that level of competition because even if they have to focus on their strengths early on in the NBA, you have a representation of what they could possibly grow into at the next level. This is especially the case when it comes to what type of offensive player a prospect might become. When it came to offensive production, Clarke showed hardly anything else besides close-range scoring right at the basket.
He averaged 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists this past season for Gonzaga on 68.7 percent shooting but literally almost all of his shots came in the paint. Out of 374 attempts this season, 359 of them were two-point attempts, and the majority of those were within 2-3 feet of the basket.
Clarke could be an explosive finisher on the pick and roll and a terror in the open court as a finisher. In the current NBA however, one that is becoming more and more about the perimeter, he may not have the necessary skills to be a big-time player.
The Miami Heat need scoring in the worst way, and they need players capable of getting it done in a myriad of ways. They can’t afford to take a flyer on a guy that may not be able to do what they need, and that is put the ball in the hoop in a variety of ways. That is the main reason why they should stay away from each of these players.