2018 Orlando Magic Draft Preview: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Good

There is a lot to like about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game. He is a crafty scorer who can take his man off the dribble and finish with an acrobatic layup.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 5.1 assists per game and plays the point guard position at his own pace. He is adept at changing speeds and changing direction. Gilgeous-Alexander is a good ball-handler and shows poise beyond his years on the court.

His length though is what will get him the most attention. Gilgeous-Alexander is a 6-foot-6 point guard with a 7-foot wingspan.

He uses it well on defense. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 1.6 steals per game and had seven games of three steals or more. He recorded a career-high five steals against the Davidson Wildcats.

This seems to fit a specific mold of player that has taken over the NBA. Long rangy defenders who can guard multiple positions. That is what Gilgeous-Alexander can do and what he will have to do to make it in the NBA.

Gilgeous-Alexander also has good shooting mechanics and shot 40 percent from three at Kentucky. He did not take many, grant, attempting only 1.5 per game.

But he shot 81 percent from the free-throw line with 4.7 attempts per game, which is a good indication of what type of shooter Gilgeous-Alexander will be in the NBA.

Gilgeous-Alexander not only could get to the line effectively, but had good form there. That suggests his shooting will continue to improve.

He had big games late in the season and seemed to be peaking as the year went on. As Calipari noted, his work showed how much he got better as the season went on. His combination of size, speed and athleticism, is a good bit of the attractive part of his game.