June 20, 2014

Melvin Ejim - Ejim scored a lot of points as a senior, including his 48 point outing versus TCU that got so much publicity. He is an explosive athlete who catches and finishes, spots up, finishes with authority, runs the floor and dunks as much as he can. He finishes high percentage looks, utilises a runner when driving and makes them appear through his physical tools. Ejim creates little in the post, utilising only fairly rudimentary footwork and having no touch, but he can always go over and finish with authority given half a yard.

Inadvertently, however, that 48 point outing also highlighted some of the flaws in his game. Ejim shot 20-24 from that night, which is brilliant, but there were only two three point attempts and six foul shoots on the way. It mattered not on that night, obviously, but he needs more of those and fewer twos. Ejim recognises this and is developing the three point stroke, hitting 34.7% of them last season in his first year of taking quite a lot of them and it needs to continue.

If it does, Ejim has a chance of making it as a small forward. At 6'6 and 220, this is how it's going to have to be. As of right now, Ejim is more of a face-up four, a very good rebounder for height but with little handle, high turnovers born out of his attempts to handle it anyway, and still working on his perimeter instincts. He runs some pick and roll, which is helpful, but through body type alone, small forward is the best bit. His rebounding will be a big advantage at that position, and while his perimeter defense is largely untested, he demonstrated a good motor that ought combine with his physical tools that make him projectable on that end. Can he further improve the shot, manage what Marcus Landry never quite did and stick around? Possibly. Maybe he ought go to the D-League and prove it.

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