2016 NBA Draft Watch List: Shawn Long

Shawn Long, Senior, Louisiana-Lafayette, Forward, 6’11, 246

(2014-15, 28.0 mpg) 16.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.6 spg, 1.6 bpg

54.2 FG%, 65.9 FT%, 36.4 3FG%, 60.1 TS%, 57.9 eFG%

27.1 USG%, 12.3 OREB%, 27.7 DREB%, 20.2 TRB%, 5.8 BLK%, 14.4 TOV%

DOB: 1/29/1993 (22)

2015 First Team All-Sun Belt

2015 Pan-American Games

The Watch List is not meant to replace full scouting reports and is only meant as a guide for who and what to watch for this upcoming season

More from Hoops Habit

Things were a little tougher for Long as a junior with Elfrid Payton in the NBA, but he still had another very good year, averaging a double-double for the third straight season. Long, who has good length and athleticism, is a versatile scorer, able to score in the post or with a mid- or long-range jumper. He has good footwork in the low post, and he makes some very quick moves for his size. Long has nice touch around the basket and can finish with either hand around the basket. He uses his body well to get position in the low post, and he works hard to seal off his man for teammates to get to the basket. Long is a tough rebounder on both ends of the floor, using his body well to establish position around the basket and going strong after the ball. Long has a nice shooting stroke from the perimeter and good range. He hits well off the catch, or even off of 1 or 2 dribbles. Defensively, Long uses his body well to guard bigger players, and he does a good job moving offensive players away from the basket. He is a good help defender and uses his length well to block shots around the rim.

What he needs to show this season: The adjustment for the Ragin’ Cajuns to not having Payton around to draw help defenders and free up Long around the basket or on the perimeter did not go well at times, and Long found himself often struggling to get the ball. After a good sophomore year from the perimeter, Long started forcing more shots, at times off-balance, and he can still work on learning to open up quicker in pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll situations for better opportunities. Long also does a very good job drawing contact around the basket, though if he can get his free throw percentage up over 70, the points will start to add up. Where Long really needs to put in work is on the defensive end. He needs to work on his footwork on both the perimeter and in the post. Also, he should work on using his lower body more to defend the post instead of using his arms and upper body. Long improved his ability to get out and hedge on high screens, though his slow footwork often gets him picking up bad fouls.

Where he fits at the next level: Long is now listed at 6’11 after being listed at 6’9 heading into his sophomore year, and if his listed height is close to being accurate, Long becomes an even more intriguing prospect. His offensive skill-set is good enough for the NBA, though many areas of his game still need to be polished. It’s his ability to defend which is concerning, and while he has shown improvement in his ability to defend in the post, it’s his defensive footwork which really needs to come along, not only to defend better, but to avoid the needless fouls which take him off the floor. With his versatile offensive game and added strength, plus rebounding/shot-blocking ability, Long will get a lot of long looks from NBA teams, and even some minor improvements will put him in a better position come next June.

Follow me on Twitter – @NBADraftBlog

Email me: ed (at) nbadraftblog.com