Scouting Report: Stephen Zimmerman Jr

Name: Stephen Zimmerman, Jr. DOB: 9/9/1996 (19) School: UNLV

Height: 6’11.75 Weight: 234 Projected Position: PF/C

Wingspan: 7’3.25 Standing Reach: 8’8.5

2015-16 Stats:

10.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.5 spg, 2.0 bpg, 2.1 tpg (26.2 minutes per game)

47.7 FG%, 62.4 FT%, 29.4 3FG%, 51.9 TS%, 48.8 eFG%

21.9 USG%, 8.8 ORB%, 26.5 DREB%, 17.7 TRB%, 7.5 BLK%

SKILLS & ATHLETIC BREAKDOWN

Offense

Post Offense

The seven-footer Zimmerman can be a versatile scorer in the post, but inconsistency and lack of some strength and skill right now hold him back from being a go-to player down low. He does a good job getting low and using his body to seal off a defender, with a willingness to fight for position, though a strong defender can move him away from the basket, so Zimmerman needs to improve his lower body strength. He is able to set up on either block and make a move over either shoulder, though he was a bit more effective with low post moves when setting up on the right block, especially going over his left shoulder, where he showed a good drop-step and up-and-under moves, but his main moves with still go so he can shoot with his dominant left hand, especially a short hook shot. One big issue Zimmerman did show was a hesitancy to shoot with his right hand when it was the logical choice based on where the defenders were, often forcing shots up with his left and the defense right there. He did show some ability with his right hand, but not as often as he should have.

Zimmerman uses his size well to get off a quick turnaround jumper, which he will do on either block and over either shoulder. Zimmerman has good, but inconsistent, footwork, sometimes showing fluid movement, and at others, seeming to be in too much of a hurry. Zimmerman can have trouble scoring in traffic, even missing some very easy shots, though I don’t think it is a concern long-term, and he is capable of finishing strong at the rim if given a bit of space. He has shown some good ability when he faces up out of the low post, with decent ballhandling ability, as well as using long, smooth strides to get to the basket. Zimmerman is a good option in pick-and-roll sets, opening up well, using long strides to get to the rim, and finishing big, as well as using him in pick-and-pop sets. It’s important for the ballhandler to get the ball up high as he rolls to the rim; he will go up and get it. Zimmerman was not as effective as other big men cutting situations, whether it’s a basket cut off of penetration or flashing to the middle and making a quick move to the rim. Zimmerman can be a good low post passer, using his size to see over the defense, and throwing strong passes to weak-side cutters or to open shooters on the perimeter, especially when he commands a double-team, but he does need to work on his feel for the double-team coming and having a better sense of where to find open teammates.

Perimeter Shooting

Zimmerman can be a good perimeter shooter, especially in the mid-range area. He gets into his shooting motion, which is smooth for a big man, quickly off the catch, though he does have to find some consistency with his motion, particularly into the release, where he can release it a bit low and to the side. The release affects him more when he attempts to shoot from long-range, but is easily fixable. Zimmerman is a good mid-range shooting option either facing up out of the post, or in pick-and-pop situations, especially since he is a good enough shooter to get his shot off before the defense recovers to him. Long-term, I see no reason why this won’t become a very effective part of his game.

Free Throw Shooting

Though his perimeter, especially mid-range, shooting looks good at times, Zimmerman needs to work on his free throw shooting. While the individual parts of his motion and release look fine mechanically, there are hesitations as he goes through it, leading to a somewhat flat shot, meaning he really needs to be on target to hit the shot. By making his shooting motion a bit smoother, Zimmerman should add enough arc that even if he is off a bit, the arc and rotation should still give some generous bounces. The good news is that Zimmerman does get to the free throw line a good amount, especially when he gets the ball around the lane. His free throw rate, around 47 percent, is a little low for a big man, it is brought down a bit because of the amount of time he spent shooting from the perimeter.

More from Hoops Habit

Defense

Post Defense/Help Defense

Zimmerman was a solid post defender, with the potential to be much better. He has great size to defend the post, along with a wingspan slightly over 7’3. Zimmerman positions himself well between his man and the basket, getting low with a wide stance. He does need to get stronger, especially in his lower body, to prevent getting backed down so easily, but he shows decent footwork, at least early on in the possession. Zimmerman does have a tendency to get beat on moves coming across the lane, and he needs to work on not giving up on the play after his man moves from the block into the lane. Also, he can work on using his feet to force his man to take a wider path into the lane, making them take a 6 or 7-foot shot instead of 2 or 3 feet. Zimmerman does a good job keeping his hands up, at least trying to make players shoot over him. Zimmerman has shown good awareness and can be a very good help defender around the basket. Zimmerman is already a good shot blocker with his reach and strong timing, though he does need to watch a tendency to get caught for fouling, especially with his body. Zimmerman can be a good pick-and-roll defender, hedging well on the ballhandler, and getting wide to contain, but he does need to do a better job recovering to his man, though, as a team, UNLV’s defensive rotations often made the job more difficult, as players were slow to move and pick up Zimmerman’s man.

Perimeter Defense (On/Off Ball)

Zimmerman has some ability to step out and defend on the perimeter, though he needs to work on having a better understanding of who he is guarding and how he should guard them, especially his positioning. On the ball, he shows a good defensive stance for his size, though he can work on getting a bit wider to force drivers outside of him, and his lateral movement isn’t bad, but he needs to learn to play angles a bit better to not give up corners on drives so easily. Also, he can get caught playing on his heels, backpedaling and leaving him unable to react to changes in movement quickly. But for his size and experience playing on the perimeter, he handles himself well. Off the ball, Zimmerman moves fairly well, especially when playing passing lanes, and he shows good awareness in tracking his man and the ball. His positioning can use work, as he tends to cheat excessively towards the lane, but he shows good effort in getting out to close on shooters.

Rebounding

Zimmerman can be a very good rebounder on both ends of the floor, using his length well to get to missed shots. On the offensive boards, Zimmerman tracks the ball very well, looks to get into position quickly where he thinks the miss will bounce, and tries to use his body and go strong after the ball. Even if doesn’t have great position, he will use his long arms to try and keep the ball alive for himself or a teammate. Though he may be on the perimeter when the shot goes up, he is a threat to charge in and try and make a play, so teams need to keep an eye on him no matter where he is. Now, he does lack some strength, and even when he does have good position, a stronger player can move him out of the way fairly easy. Also, Zimmerman’s lack of strength and ability to finish well in traffic, as noted above, affects him on second-chance shots, making it difficult to power through defenders. On the defensive end, Zimmerman shows a lot of the same good qualities, especially his ability to track the ball, get quick position, and go strong after the ball. On occasion, he may have some trouble with aggressive offensive rebounders, but he boxes out well when he has someone in his area.

Transition

Zimmerman runs the floor well for his size, and he’s able to contribute in transition offense in a variety of ways, including making a run to the rim or spotting up for jumpers as a trailer. He is at his best when he can get out on one of the wings and has a ballhandler who knows to create spacing and get the ball up high to him for a lob at the rim. Zimmerman did attempt to act as a ballhandler in transition, and he is good enough that he can get out and finish if no one is front of him, but it’s not recommended that he try it when defenders are back, as it leads to turnovers or a loss of the transition advantage.

Intangibles/Summary

Zimmerman was the Preseason Mountain West Freshman of the Year, but a knee injury, which kept him out for a few weeks in February, as well as the turmoil surrounding the UNLV program, led to a season that had to be seen as somewhat disappointing. Unfortunately, just prior to the injury, he had put together a strong of games which started to show what he could really be capable of. The seven-footer has the makings of a versatile offensive game for a big man, with an array of low post moves, as well the ability to knock down mid-range jumpers somewhat consistently, and you get the sense that there is a lot more he can do once he works on building up his strength more. Zimmerman still has some trouble with some of the nuances of low-post play, but he has developed well to this point, and once he gets a better handle on his footwork and finishing around the rim, he can be a consistent scorer down low. Consistency was an issue at times with his jumper, as well as at the free throw line, but the tools are there for him to be a legitimate inside-outside threat. Defensively, Zimmerman was average, but, again, he has a lot of tools that good defenders need, and much of it comes down to teaching and physical development at this point. He is a good shot blocker, with a good sense of timing, and that alone could make him valuable on the defensive end in some situation. Zimmerman is a good rebounder on both ends of the floor, showing the energy that is needed to do it well at the NBA level night in and night out. From accounts, Zimmerman is coachable and a good teammate, on and off the floor, and he should show rapid improvement with the right system and coaches.

Draft Value: Late 1^st Round – #22-30

With a little bit more consistency, I think we would be talking about Zimmerman a bit higher here, maybe towards the middle of the first round. A lot of areas of his game are works-in-progress, but he has the potential to make a difference on the defensive end, while providing enough scoring in a variety of ways to fit into my NBA systems. Plus, he runs the floor well for a big man, giving teams some options in their line-ups. There’s enough here for a team to take a late-first round swing on a versatile big man, and develop the rest of his game the way they want.

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