NBA Draft: 5 Late-Round Prospects The Timberwolves Should Target
By Aaron Mah
Cliff Alexander, F/C, Kansas
Physicals
Height (in shoes): 6’8.5″ Weight: 239 pounds Wingspan: 7’3.5″ Standing Reach: 9’1.5″
Experience
Age: 19 Class: Freshman
Draft Projections
DraftExpress: #41 NBADraft.net: #39
Potential Fit
Coming into his freshman year, Cliff Alexander was widely regarded as a top-three recruit of the 2014 high school class. Labeled as a beast of a teenager, the physically gifted manchild would be humbled in his half-season at Lawrence, Kan.
More specifically, Alexander spent the majority of his lone collegiate campaign fighting for playing time — unexpectedly coming off the bench and scrapping to play just 17 minutes per game. When he had finally earned a starting spot in mid-February, Cliff would unfortunately be ruled ineligible to play by the NCAA amid the concerns regarding his amateur status.
When he was on the court, however, Alexander was as advertised — a raw, aggressive big man, who attacked the glass with a vigorous rage. Although he is a tad undersized, standing at just 6’8″, Cliff possesses great length (7’3.5″ wingspan and a 9’1.5″ standing reach) and a chiseled 239-pound frame.
As such, his length, strength, monster-sized hands, and motor allowed him to dominate the offensive boards, averaging 4.4 offensive rebounds per 40 minutes during his partial NCAA season.
And while he wasn’t able to bully his counterparts in the paint like he did in high school, Alexander still made better than 63 percent of shots around the rim this year — mainly off of hard dives, timely cuts, and offensive put-backs.
In addition, Cliff shows solid potential as a pick-and-pop mid-range shooter. He didn’t take many, but when he did, Alexander showcased a smooth J with solid mechanics. He also converted on approximately 67 percent of free throws in college, which lends a considerable amount of optimism concerning his ability to develop a dependable spot-up jumper down the line.
However, although his physical profile and unabating motor should have yield fruitful results on the defensive end, Alexander’s poor acumen and fundamentals on that end of the floor prevented him from making a material impact.
While he averaged nearly three blocks per 40 minutes, thanks in large part to his abnormal wingspan and competitive nature, Alexander is often times lost when defending off the ball — getting caught ball watching, losing his man, biting on fakes, and getting into unnecessary foul trouble.
He is also extremely raw on the offensive end. Other than shooting the occasional spot up jumper and dunking around the hoop, Alexander has shown little of anything else.
Unless he sprouts another three inches, and miraculously evolves into an explosive beast — ala DeAndre Jordan — it will be hard for Alexander to earn playing time at the NBA level with his limited skill set and defensive deficiencies.
But, luckily for Cliff, he does possess several traits you cannot teach: motor and length. If he can nurture said strengths and devote his entire attention on becoming a defensive savant and a monster on the offensive glass, he could evolve into a solid third big in the Wolves’ future rotation.
Moreover, his aggressive interior play can potentially fit swimmingly alongside the elegant versatility of Towns if the Timberwolves were to make him the No.1 overall pick.
Next: 5 Likely First Time NBA All-Stars Next Season
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout