James Veal

Strengths: Explosive scoring guard with the ability to shoot and slash...Solid spot-up shooter with the ability to drive to the basket offensively with a solid first step...Nice shot from 20 feet all the way to NBA three point range...Freakish athleticism is what separates him the most from other prospects though; has a reported 37' inch vertical which is evident when he throws down tomahawks and jams over bigger players...Thrives somewhat in transition game, either making the pass efficiently there or being the recipient of the pass for the throwdown...Can run the offense decently, but (see weaknesses)...Great rebounder for his position (5.7 per game), 2nd in the NCAA for PGs...Uses speed to clean up hte defensive boards...Defensively has great physical tools, such as pestering long arms which help to interfere in the passing lanes, and he plays opposing PGs on defense better than on SGs...Gambles for steals often and very good at getting them...When he is playing under control, utilizes good ballhandling skills...Quite a flashy player and has improved every year in Alabama...

Weaknesses: Lacks great basketball IQ and killer instinct...Seems more content about being a role player, and even so he makes some unforced errors at times by trying to force the issue...Can get down on himself if things aren't going his way...Has never really been a great scorer for Alabama despite handling the ball quite a bit (only 13 ppg this season)...Streaky scorer. Most of the time he gets invisible for spurts of the game and doesn't look to take his share of shots, for whatever reason...Can miss open jumpshots at times...Lacks the ability to create his own shot off the dribble...When he has great passing games, which he is more than capable of, he gets turnovers to get along with it...Ballhandling skills are only solid when he is not pressured, but when he tries to take it over defenders he loses it most of the time, this is a huge reason why he doesn't get many assists and why he gets many turnovers per game...Not a PG in that sense, since he cannot create plays for teammates...Defensively, a horrible man-to-man defender. Opposing PGs have torched him, even those less gifted than him, due to his lack of energy/effort on this end...Gambles too much for steals and leaves others to pick up the slack for him way too often...Not too good on rotations either...Will be an undersized for a SG, hopefully he can develop into a NBA combo...Doesn't always show up every game...