Alex Abrines

Strengths

Right-handed… Abrines is a long, lanky wing who can really shoot the ball. Abrines took home the MVP award of the Under 18 European Championships in 2011, leading his team in scoring on super-efficient shooting (50.7 percent from the floor, 41.5 percent from 3-point range, 81.8 percent from the foul line). What makes him especially dangerous is his ability to score both inside and out with good range on his jumper and his ability to not only attack the rim, but also get the foul line and convert. He has a quick release on his jumper and textbook form from catch to release with a high arc. While he is at his best spotting up in catch-and-shoot situation, he moves well without the ball, utilizing screens and is equally as strong putting the ball on the floor for a dribble or two to create separation and then pulling up. This kid just has the confidence of a scorer at the next level… He displays solid ball-handling for a 2-guard, nothing too advanced, but can utilize either hand comfortably with a couple of hesitation moves mixed in. Abrines isn't overly quick off the bounce, but is a smooth, fluid athlete. He uses ball-fakes and rip-throughs well to keep his man off balance… Abrines is a solid defender with active hands to play on the ball or in the passing lanes. Surprisingly, he utilizes his length very well to not only collect steals, but get his hands on shots for the block as well… He has a great feel for the game, reading the D and taking what they give him.

Weaknesses

He isn't particularly quick, so the likelihood of him taking opponents off the dribble or creating space off the bounce will really rely on his ability to improve his ball-handling. Its good at this stage, but it will certainly need to get better, especially adding some advanced ball moves to his repertoire… Abrines' lateral quickness on the defensive end is average at best, so he will have difficulty staying in front of his opponents moving forward, especially if he continues to play with the lack of physicality that he does. A few trips to the weight room would do him wonders…