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In anticipation of the season, I've decided to do strengths/weaknesses/final thoughts on returning Vol players. Just something to talk about. It's basically half scouting report/half stats just to talk basketball during the summer. Jordan McRae is up.
Strengths: Jordan is a very good, rangy athlete with a sick wingspan and the ability to fly. McRae uses his athleticism to attack the basket and can make plays around the hoop. Jordan is a streaky scorer and can get hot at any time during games. He can score in a variety of ways, and is at his best attacking the basket. His shot line last year was 37.7/32.8/75.9 and needs to get better, but he has a nice looking shot. He has a quick release and is able to elevate on his jump shot. Jordan has improved his ball handling and can play point guard for a team in emergency situations. He has a fantastic first step and can get into the lane when he wants. His defense has been shoddy, but he's gotten better. His length let's him block shots (he led the team) and can get into passing lanes. Jordan also has used his athleticism to grab rebounds and had multiple games of 5+ rebounds last year. He's deadly in transition with his athleticism and his ability to stretch defense with his three ball. Jordan is a good finisher in the paint; he has a good floater and because of his quick hops he can explode in the paint.
Weaknesses: Jordan is inconsistent. He disappears throughout games and let's his shooting woes affect the rest of his games. His basketball IQ is shoddy at best, and he forces the issue too much by shooting. He can get into the paint well, but too many times settles for jumpers. He took 119 three point attempts in only 21.7 minutes per game last year. Despite his length and athleticism, he gets lazy on defense and doesn't use his feet enough to move. He also fouls too much for a guard and was in foul trouble multiple times last year. Jordan also is limited in his ability to shoot. He doesn't have much of a pull up jumper and doesn't come off screens to hit outside shots. Jordan's lack of strength puts him in bad spots offensively and physical guards can push him out from the basket. While he shown good rebounding instincts, too many time he stands around while the ball is in the air and doesn't fight for boards.
Final Thoughts: Jordan McRae has all the potential in the world athletically, but mentally he's not there. He improved immensely last year, but had too many inconsistent games to be reliable. He's also out of place; he's a guy who thrives in transition and at UT he doesn't get that opportunity much. However he has gotten better at playing in the half court. Despite the low shooting percentages last year, McRae has shown an ability to be deadly from the outside. If McRae can learn to protect the ball better, attack the rim more, and be more consistent on the defensive end, there's no reason he can't be all-SEC. It's just up to him.
Strengths: Jordan is a very good, rangy athlete with a sick wingspan and the ability to fly. McRae uses his athleticism to attack the basket and can make plays around the hoop. Jordan is a streaky scorer and can get hot at any time during games. He can score in a variety of ways, and is at his best attacking the basket. His shot line last year was 37.7/32.8/75.9 and needs to get better, but he has a nice looking shot. He has a quick release and is able to elevate on his jump shot. Jordan has improved his ball handling and can play point guard for a team in emergency situations. He has a fantastic first step and can get into the lane when he wants. His defense has been shoddy, but he's gotten better. His length let's him block shots (he led the team) and can get into passing lanes. Jordan also has used his athleticism to grab rebounds and had multiple games of 5+ rebounds last year. He's deadly in transition with his athleticism and his ability to stretch defense with his three ball. Jordan is a good finisher in the paint; he has a good floater and because of his quick hops he can explode in the paint.
Weaknesses: Jordan is inconsistent. He disappears throughout games and let's his shooting woes affect the rest of his games. His basketball IQ is shoddy at best, and he forces the issue too much by shooting. He can get into the paint well, but too many times settles for jumpers. He took 119 three point attempts in only 21.7 minutes per game last year. Despite his length and athleticism, he gets lazy on defense and doesn't use his feet enough to move. He also fouls too much for a guard and was in foul trouble multiple times last year. Jordan also is limited in his ability to shoot. He doesn't have much of a pull up jumper and doesn't come off screens to hit outside shots. Jordan's lack of strength puts him in bad spots offensively and physical guards can push him out from the basket. While he shown good rebounding instincts, too many time he stands around while the ball is in the air and doesn't fight for boards.
Final Thoughts: Jordan McRae has all the potential in the world athletically, but mentally he's not there. He improved immensely last year, but had too many inconsistent games to be reliable. He's also out of place; he's a guy who thrives in transition and at UT he doesn't get that opportunity much. However he has gotten better at playing in the half court. Despite the low shooting percentages last year, McRae has shown an ability to be deadly from the outside. If McRae can learn to protect the ball better, attack the rim more, and be more consistent on the defensive end, there's no reason he can't be all-SEC. It's just up to him.
