June 19, 2014

Kendrick Perry - Perry dragged Youngstown State to respectability pretty much single handedly for the last three seasons and ranked amongst the best scorer and steals-racker-uppers in the country. He is a 6'0 guard that plays mostly off the ball as a secondary creator, with a want and need to primarily score first, but this does not make him a chucker. Indeed, Perry probably could have played full time point (and likely will do from here on out), having evidenced decent passing vision and decision making in the halfcourt, playing some pick and roll at times and feeding the post quite well for one so small. He is extremely dynamic in the full court, going as far as to run on makes, and certainly wouldn't struggle with that part, either.

As a scorer, Perry uses his great speed and explosion to constantly attack the basket. He is a leaper given the opportunity, and is willing to throw himself at the basket to take the contact, struggling to finish over size yet not letting this stop him from trying. This is not a reckless style of play, though - Perry is very efficient from the field and commits few turnovers, and picks his spots in a timely, high IQ fashion. On his drives to the rim, Perry is driving to score not to kick, yet he gets there consistently with his speed, agility, spin moves and body control. He splits double teams, drives with both hands, attacks closeouts, and finds it easy to get to the rim if the defense is not fully set. In terms of shotmaking, Perry has added a runner over time, and while the jumpshot is not the biggest part of his offensive arsenal, it is decent enough. Perry jumps high on the jumpshot, shoots off the dribble and around screens, can stop on a dime for a pull-up two, and although he shoots slightly on the way down at times hits enough jumpshots to open up the drive. No one part of the jumpshot game is as good as the drive, but it's good enough, and when combined with his defensive effort and great hands make for an effective, controlled two-way pest of a guard.

Very solid all-around player, then. He'll even do his turn on the rebounding glass. But also a very small and unproven one. This should be a nice measuring stick for him.

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