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2014 NBA Draft Profile: Wichita State Forward Cleanthony Early

By Jonathan Wagner

Mar 23, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Wichita State Shockers forward Cleanthony Early (11) reacts after scoring against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men
Mar 23, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Wichita State Shockers forward Cleanthony Early (11) reacts after scoring against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men /
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Key Fact & Stats

Age: 22 (born 4/17/91)
Class: Senior
Height: 6’8″
Weight: 220 pounds
2013-14 Season: 27.4 minutes, 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 1.9 turnovers, 48.6 fg%, 37.5 3-pt fg%, 84.4 ft%.

Strengths

If the accolades that Early collected in junior college and during his first year at Wichita State, along with being the best player on a team that went 35-1 weren’t enough, Early’s 16.4 points (on 48.6 precent shooting) and 5.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore were especially impressive considering that he posted those numbers in just 27.4 minutes, on a deep team which used a rotation of nine players that saw at least 12.4 minutes each.

Early has a good mix of an inside-outside game and is an offensive threat from a variety of ways from several different places spots on the floor. He can score or get to the foul line (where he is a very good free throw shooter) in the post and step out to knock down jumpers, whether from mid-range range or beyond the 3-point line, where Early made 1.8 treys per game at a solid 37.5-percent clip last season.

Athletic and active, Early moves effectively without the ball, runs the floor well in transition and is a strong finisher.

Defensively, Early has the ability to be a solid defender on the wing with good lateral movement while staying home and not gambling too much.

Something that NBA executives should like about Early is that despite the more humble stage that was initially set for his college career, Early raised his game as the lights got brighter, especially during the Shockers’ surprising NCAA tournament run which concluded with Early’s impressive 24-point, 10-rebound game during in Wichita State’s four-point Final Four loss against eventual national champion Louisville.

Mar 20, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Wichita State Shockers forward Cleanthony Early addresses the media at a press conference during their practice session prior to the 2nd round of the 2014 NCAA Men
Mar 20, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Wichita State Shockers forward Cleanthony Early addresses the media at a press conference during their practice session prior to the 2nd round of the 2014 NCAA Men /

Weaknesses

While Early has the tools to be a good defender, he (by his own admission) is not always a focused one. He also lacks the lower body strength to possibly get that job done in the NBA — something that also could hurt him offensively, if he allows himself to get pushed further from the blocks than he wants to be at times. If that’s the case, Early will have to learn how to create off the dribble a little better, to free himself for open shots, particularly given his propensity for being a streaky hot and cold shooter at times.

Although Early led Wichita State in rebounding, he wasn’t always a willing defensive rebounder, something that he’ll need to improve to earn more playing time as a pro. He moves his feet well and does a decent job on the pick-and-roll, but with that being an NBA staple, Early will need to get advance his game in that regard to be able to defend opposing small forwards.

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