Scouting Report: Skal Labissiere

Name: Skal Labissiere DOB: 3/18/1996 (20) School: Kentucky

Height: 6’11.75 Weight: 216 Projected Position: PF/C

Wingspan: 7’2.5 Standing Reach: 8’9.5

2015-16 Stats:

6.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.3 spg, 1.6 bpg, 0.9 tpg (15.8 minutes per game)

51.6 FG%, 66.1 FT%, 54.0 TS%, 51.6 eFG%

22.1 USG%, 7.3 ORB%, 14.6 DREB%, 11.1 TRB%, 10.3 BLK%

SKILLS & ATHLETIC BREAKDOWN

Offense

Post Offense

Labissiere showed some good skills in the post, even if his touches were somewhat limited, as were his minutes. The seven-foot Labissiere has the basics to be a scorer in the post, but inconsistency and lack of strength and skill make everything a bit more difficult. He does a good job getting low and using his body to seal off a defender, working hard to try and get position, but with little lower body strength, he is moved easily away from the basket, even by smaller defenders, and ends up receiving the ball at 8 to 10 feet from the rim, instead of on the blocks. He is able to set up around either block and make a move over either shoulder, though he was a bit more effective on the right block, where he showed a strong short hook shot, as well as a decent drop-step. The hook has been his go-to move in the post, on either side, and while much better shooting it with his right hand, he has shown some ability to shoot it with his left, as well. Labissiere’s footwork is average, but he knows enough to try and make his moves quickly. This also goes for limiting the amount of time he uses his dribble, with his ballhandling skills shaky, at best. Labissiere has nice touch around the basket, which he needs because of his lack of strength or speed, due to having to take a lot of his shot attempts from 6 to 8 feet away.

Labissiere uses his size well to get off a quick turnaround jumper, which he will do on either block and over either shoulder, and he is also able to face-up to knock down jumpers, though making a move off the dribble is an adventure, getting called for traveling quite a bit. Labissiere can have trouble scoring in traffic, not having the strength to power through contact or having the ball taken way because he drops it below his waist. He has good hands, but they aren’t strong, and the ball is taken away from him much too easily. Labissiere can be a good option in pick-and-roll sets, opening up well, using long strides to get to the rim, and finishing effectively, though he needs to do a better job going strong to the rim more often. He is also a good option in pick-and-pop situation, getting into the open space quickly and showing some consistency in the mid-range area. Labissiere does need to watch when he sets screens, as he was called for moving screens an unusual amount of times. Labissiere has shown very little as a passer, no matter where he is on the floor, and he seems content on just making his move once he gets the ball.

Perimeter Shooting

If there is one area where Labissiere can excel, this is it, and he has shown that he 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, fairly quick off the catch, and good follow-through. He can have some issues with rushing through his shot, even if defenders aren’t close, and he ends up with a flat shot off an abbreviated motion and release. Labissiere is a good mid-range shooting option either facing up out of the post, spotting up, 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, but he hasn’t shown the same confidence in his few long-range attempts. Labissiere has even shown a slight ability to hit his jumper off a few dribbles, though he hasn’t been able to be consistent yet. The skills are there, but confidence and consistency will be important going forward. If he finds that, there’s no reason he can’t be a long-range threat eventually.

Free Throw Shooting

Labissiere has the tools to be a good free throw shooter, and his low shooting percentage may have as much to do with it being a small sample than any shooting problems. He has a consistent routine, motion, and release, though, at times, he shoots the ball out on a line instead of out to get the good arc he normally has. The bigger problem is that he just doesn’t draw a lot of fouls, even when he is playing in the post. His lack of strength makes him avoid going right at defenders, choosing to take his shots further away from the basket, and even when he is around the rim, he is more likely to get stripped or blocked than draw a foul. Add to that his perimeter shooting ability, and it doesn’t add up to many trips to the line, less than a 33 percent free throw rate, though this can change as his body and strength develop.

More from Hoops Habit

Defense

Post Defense/Help Defense

Labissiere has many of the tools to be a good post defender, but he didn’t get a chance to show much in his minutes. was a solid post defender, with the potential to be much better. Labissiere positions himself well between his man and the basket, getting low with a wide stance to try and anchor his spot, but his lack of strength prevents him from stopping anyone from backing him down. His footwork can be good at times, but he needs to remember to keep his stance wide and slide to force his man away from the rim, if possible. Also, with his lack of strength, Labissiere should learn to do a better job trying to deny entry passes into the post; when he tried to do last season, he had issues with fouling. Labissiere does a good job keeping his hands up, doing what he can to challenge shots or hope to alter them in some way. Labissiere has shown good awareness, constantly scanning the floor to see what is happening, and can be a very good help defender around the basket. Labissiere is already a good shot blocker with his reach and strong timing, as well as his ability to block shots well with either hand, and not foul too often Labissiere 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, where he would often be slow to locate, leaving his man for an open shot if the defense can’t rotate over.

Perimeter Defense (On/Off Ball)

Labissiere has potential has a perimeter defender, and showed some of those skills last season. His positioning can be good, but he needs to have a better understanding of who he is guarding, as he will try and play up on everyone, and he doesn’t have the foot speed to keep with smaller players. On the ball, he shows a good defensive stance for his size, getting wide to force players towards help, and his lateral movement is average, though having a better understanding of team defense will allow him to use angles better to force players where he wants. He’s not particularly quick, and can get caught playing on his heels, backpedaling and leaving him unable to react to changes in movement quickly. Off the ball, Labissiere moves fairly well, and he can even get out and deny passing lanes. He shows good awareness in tracking his man and the ball, and he bounces easily between his man and help position, though he needs to watch a tendency to over help and getting caught out of position; for example, he will try to come all the way from the opposite side of a drive to the rim, leaving his man wide open for an easy jumper, though he does put some effort in trying to close on shooters. Labissiere needs to not fall so easily for shot fakes, as he gets drawn in the air easily, leaving him open to picking up a foul or getting beat.

Rebounding

With his length and agility, you would think that Labissiere would be effective on the boards, but a lack of strength and aggression definitely held him back last season. When he is active and shows some toughness, Labissiere can be goof on the offensive boards, tracking the ball well and extending to grab the missed shot. However, unless he is able to slam it back off the miss, he has a lot of problems, as he tends to bring the ball down low, allowing him to get stripped, or he just doesn’t have the strength to power through defenders in traffic when going back up with a second chance shot. Much of the same occurs on the defensive end. Labissiere does a good job looking to box out and will go strong after the ball, at times, but his lack of strength allows him to get moved around easily, and if he does get the rebound, the bad habit of bringing the ball down low has caused some needless turnovers. There is still hope for him as he develops physically, but the aggression and desire to rebound needs to be there for him to make any impact.

Transition

Labissiere runs the floor fairly well for his size, though he wasn’t involved much in transition offense. Unless he can get out in front of the defense, he is more likely to be able to contribute as a trailer, spotting up for open jumpers as the defense crowds in the lane, or heading down the middle of the lane if the defense spreads out to guard shooters. With his length and athletic ability, Labissiere can get the ball up high and finish in one quick move, but he needs to do a better job recognizing where his opportunities can be on the break, instead of running up and down the floor for the sake of it.

Intangibles/Summary

It’s easy to call Labissiere’s season a disappointment, especially for one of the top high school recruits in the country, but every once in a while, he showed flashes of the skills which impressed others. He was an effective post scorer at times, showing a soft hook shot with either hand, but he doesn’t have the strength or skill to compete down there often. Labissiere was much better when playing away from the basket, showing good shooting skills in the mid-range area. He also has the size and athleticism to work well in the pick-and-roll, but he doesn’t always go strong to the basket when he gets the ball, which sort of sums up his play in general. Labissiere also showed some ability on the offensive boards, especially when he could just slam the miss home; but if he had to bring the ball down, it could get messy, between his either getting the ball taken from him, or not having the strength to power up a second shot through traffic. Defensively, Labissiere also had some bright spots, especially with his shot-blocking ability, but, his lack of physical ability to defend the post, and not having the speed to defend the perimeter, made it tough for him to play extended minutes, even for a Kentucky team short on quality big men. Labissiere also showed the makings of being a decent defender in the pick-and-roll, but he doesn’t quite have it down yet, but it may have been the most effective way he played defense last season. His lack of strength and toughness also affected him on the defensive boards, where even if he boxes out, he could just be moved out of the way, and most times, didn’t show that he was willing to be physical back. With his size, athletic ability, shooting, and shot-blocking, there is the foundation from which a good player can come, even at the NBA level. It’s obvious is development during his high school years was somewhat misguided, and being the odd man out often at Kentucky didn’t help matters. From all accounts, Labissiere is a quality person and very coachable, which should help a lot with his development going forward, but without strength and aggressiveness, his ceiling could be lower than expected.

Draft Value: Late Lottery – Mid-First Round – #9-17

Labissiere is more project than player at this point, but the combination of his size and length, ability to knock down jumpers and block shots, is enough for a team to take a chance on him, especially if they have the staff in place to hasten his development, even if it means significant D-League time. If he can build on his skills, while becoming stronger and showing some fight on the floor, the risk may just pay off.

Leave your comments below, or email me – ed@nbadraftblog.com

Follow me on Twitter – @NBADraftBlog

Home/NBA Draft