C.J. Leslie

Strengths

Right-handed… Leslie is a rare combination of size at 6'9" and pure athleticism as an elite player above the rim. He can be a force on both ends of the floor… Offensively, he will finish above the rim with a thunderous dunk, but he also has the finesse ability to score with a nice jump hook. He gets decent post position quite often, despite his thin frame. He has some wiry strength to his frame. In the low post, he will use his superior quickness and athleticism to take the ball to the rim. He has a great spin move to the baseline and is currently developing post moves in addition to his jump hook… He has been working hard to add to his face-up game, including developing a mid-range jumper from 12-15 feet out… He is an improving ball-handler, who can start the transition break with a rebound on the defensive glass, put the ball on the floor and take it coast-to-coast. His most efficient move is a simple right-to-left cross over from the perimeter slashing into the paint…On both the offensive and defensive end, Leslie is a dominant rebounder. He is a bouncy athlete with length that leads to offensive boards and put-backs. He has the ability to chase down balls outside of his immediate area and finish in the paint… With his length and explosiveness, he is an outstanding shot blocker. His energy and motor help him cash in on weak side help… He has elite lateral quickness for his size. In combination with his length, he should easily be able to guard 3s and even some 2s at the college level…

Weaknesses

At 6'9", 205-pounds, Leslie's must-improve area is his weight and strength. While he can hold his own with his wiry strength, he will not be able to battle the big men in the ACC, let alone the country at 205 pounds. He will need to spend the summer working hard on adding strength, but maintaining his athleticism… Leslie is a face-up 4-man, trying to develop into a combo-forward and then one day, into a full-time small forward. While his versatility is welcomed, he still has much work to do. He must improve his ball-handling, developing his dribble moves if he wants to play small forward in college. He must continue to work on being a better perimeter shooter; at times, he can't knock down a 12-footer with consistency, while other times he can hit from 18-feet out and look very comfortable doing do… He can get into the paint with ease on the offensive end, but struggles to convert from the foul line. This is potentially a big problem at the next level. The former-McDonald's All-American loves slashing into the lane and taking the ball to the rim, but in college, opposing players won't be as willing to let Leslie get deep into the paint for an easy dunk. He must work on his free-throw shooting… Another one of Leslie's weaknesses is relying too much on his athleticism. Too often this leads to the forcing of drives and acrobatic shots, instead of passing the ball to a teammate to set-up an offense or working for a better shot. Oft times this can even lead to underwhelming quarters and halves, followed by an explosion in the second half across the board… At times, he seemed frustrated with his teammates, showing some questionable body language that shows his emotions and immaturity…