Strengths
Right-handed… Good size at 6'6" and a muscular 230 pounds… He is an excellent athlete with explosive leaping abilities. Standing under the rim, Peterson explodes straight up for alley-oops and monstrous dunks… He has a pretty good handle of the ball, which helps him because he will streak out in transition. He can lead the break or sprint down the court on the break. He has the court vision to lead the break or even set up the offense in a half court setting at times… Peterson is currently second in the Big East in rebounding per game. He uses his athleticism, length and leaping abilities to sky above the crowd and come down with the ball. He is a great offensive rebounder, averaging over 4 a game in his sophomore campaign and set a career-high 11 against Mercer earlier this year… While Peterson excels out in transition, he also does well in the half court setting. He has developed a nice outside shot to complement his inside scoring ability. He is putting up about 6 three-pointers a game in Big East play, making over two per game. He moves well without the ball, constantly looking to get open. In the low post, he can get great position with his strength and vision.
Weaknesses
Peterson may lack the mental focus to play in the NBA next year. On several occasions, Peterson took his eyes off the ball, resulting in a turnover for him or a teammate on critical possessions down the stretch. He also let down his teammates by not running the court on a fast break, leading to an even 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 break. He would simply stop, and watch his teammates try and finish the play. In the final minutes of the Syracuse game his sophomore year, when Providence was down just a couple points, he sat in the zone on defense with his hands by his side and when a Friar player stole the ball, Peterson just stood in his defensive zone and avoiding running up the court… At this point in his career, he needs to further develop the fundamentals of the game. He relies on his athleticism a bit too much. He doesn't have advanced ball moves, despite his ability to put the ball on the floor. With a defender in front of him, Peterson will immediately look to pass or drive straight into his man… He doesn't have a great first step, so that, combined with his lack of advanced ball moves, hinder some of his penetration… Defensively, he needs to see both the ball and his man. Even if the action is cross court, he will stare at the ball, allowing his man to go back door or get open up top…
