DraftExpress on McNeal

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

Top Performers 2-4-09:



The Marquette Golden Eagles are one of the surprise teams in college basketball this season, as they are currently ranked 8th in the nation and 1st in the Big East, with an 8-0 record in conference play. A good amount of their success can be attributed to the play of senior guard Jerel McNeal. McNeal's off the charts shooting and stellar defense has made Marquette a team to be reckoned with, and has made him a legitimate Big East Player of the Year candidate.

McNeal has shot the ball at an unprecedented rate this year. He's averaging a touch under 20 points a game with a true shooting percentage of 61% and is connecting on 50% of his 2-point attempts. His 46% from 3-point range, though, good for 10th in the country, is the most staggering stat for McNeal as he was only a 30% 3 point shooter just last season. Not only is he making shots at an incredible rate at the moment, he's also incredibly prolific from beyond the arc, at 2.5 makes per game (up from just 1 last season).It's going to be interesting to see if he can keep up this hot shooting or if he'll eventually cool off and come back down to earth.

Nonetheless, he has certainly shown much improvement and it's difficult to imagine his numbers dropping anywhere near last year's marks. He has a very quick release, as he doesn't appear to dip the ball at all. Off a stand still dribble, he has the ability to pick up the ball and go into his shot all in one motion – making it difficult to even contest, and he's become incredibly accurate with his feet set. He also shows great balance when spotting up, as he catches the ball on a two foot jump stop with his feet under him at all times. He barely elevates in these two instances but it hasn't affected his ability to get his shot off.

When he's forced to put the ball on the ground and pull-up, he has a tendency to force shots. He kicks his legs out on occasion and also fades away often because of his 6"3 frame – making for difficult attempts. His pull-up jumper isn't falling at quite the outrageous rate that his spot-up jumper is, but it still goes in at a respectable rate.

In transition, McNeal is extremely athletic with the ball and has no problems leading a break and beating defenders down the court. In the half court however, he isn't able to utilize his athleticism quite as effectively. He doesn't display a lot of moves advanced off the dribble like hesitations or stutter steps. He likes to turn the corner on pick and rolls, put his head down and attack which gets him a decent amount of free throw attempts. His ball handling skills are good, but must still improve for the next level. With that said, he has improved his ability to drive left considerably as last season he favored his right hand significantly. Certainly not a one-dimensional shooter, McNeal is doing a very good job scoring efficiently from all over the court this season.

While McNeal posts a decent 1.45 A/TO ratio, he doesn't display great court vision. He's a scorer first and foremost and often has his head down with the mindset to put the ball in the basket. Considering how often he handles the ball however, with McNeal accounting for almost 23% of his team's offensive possessions, his 3 turnovers per 40 pace adjusted is not very high. He's managed to cut down on his turnovers substantially over the past two seasons, which is a very good sign.

On the defensive end is where he thrives. He's long and bouncy, always on the balls of his feet looking to make a play, but rarely jeopardizing his team. He plays very tight defense, getting into his man, which forces opponents to put the ball on the ground and be funneled into that great Marquette help. Off the ball he can get caught watching it and lose sight of his man. In addition, he hasn't quite figured out how to get through screens on a consistent basis. He likes to cheat through screens instead of tagging a player and can get hung up as a result.

McNeal is a 6'3" natural two guard,which in past has discouraged scouts to a certain extent. In McNeal's case however, with his spectacular shooting this year, he's impossible to ignore. In a league where you can never have too many shooters and with his toughness and ability to defend, he's going to draw some very long looks considering his play at the highest level of college basketball this season. If McNeal can keep playing this well leading into the postseason, he's going to be very difficult for NBA teams to ignore, possibly even in the first round.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/NCAA-Weekly-Performers-2409-3099/

[WashDCWarrior]

That's a great assessment of his talents and shortcomings.

[mosarsour]

Spot on! He's gotta be 1st rounder the way he's playing.

[3Mer]

Spot on! He's gotta be 1st rounder the way he's playing.

Really?  I can't think of many NBA teams that are going to gamble a first round pick on a shooting guard who barely exceeds 6 foot and might be 185 pounds soaking wet.

He's having a great NCAA season, but he doesn't have an NBA shooting guard body and he'll never make the transition to point guard. 

McNeal's questionable NBA prospects shouldn't diminish his considerable NCAA accomplishments.  He has been and continues to be fun to watch.   

[wadesworld]

Really?  I can't think of many NBA teams that are going to gamble a first round pick on a shooting guard who barely exceeds 6 foot and might be 185 pounds soaking wet.

He's having a great NCAA season, but he doesn't have an NBA shooting guard body and he'll never make the transition to point guard. 

McNeal's questionable NBA prospects shouldn't diminish his considerable NCAA accomplishments.  He has been and continues to be fun to watch.

Rip Hamilton has basically the same body that Jerel has.  Rip has a quicker release and knows how to work off the ball better than him (and just about everyone else, for that), but if the talent and work ethic is there, which in Jerel's case it clearly is, he'll be alright at the next level.  I can't imagine that there are 32 better NBA prospects going into this year's draft if he keeps playing the way he has been, especially the way he's been shooting.

[mosarsour]

Really?  I can't think of many NBA teams that are going to gamble a first round pick on a shooting guard who barely exceeds 6 foot and might be 185 pounds soaking wet.

He's having a great NCAA season, but he doesn't have an NBA shooting guard body and he'll never make the transition to point guard. 

McNeal's questionable NBA prospects shouldn't diminish his considerable NCAA accomplishments.  He has been and continues to be fun to watch.   

Funny because I remember people saying Wade was too small to play the 2 and would have to play the point in Miami at 6'4. Jerel's listed at 6'3 and is a better outside shooter than Wade.

I'm with Wadesworld on this one and say I can't think of 32 NBA prospects that are better than Jerel McNeal currently is. I'd have a hard time coming up with 10 names!