JD Weatherspoon's Scouting Report

Positives:  Weatherspoon is lefty Forward who has great explosiveness and leaping ability. Weatherspoon maximizes his athletic ability offensively, since he is good around the basket, always going aggressively to the hoop trying to dunk the ball every time he has a chance. He is physical, always looks for contact and doesn’t back off. Weatherspoon is at his best around the basket, where he can finish off the catch, catching lobs or assists from guards who penetrate and find him open in the lane – he is not good at creating on his own, however every time he gets a paint touch he looks to go strait to the hoop trying to dunk the ball since he is very quick and explosive off his feet. If he catches the ball in the high post, even though he is lefty, Weatherspoon prefers going to his right (1 or 2 dribbles max), looking for contact and trying to get to the basket. Weatherspoon is great rebounder, this is one of his strengths, and he is very aggressive on the glass on both ends of the floor. He uses his leaping ability and aggressiveness to his advantage, and he is always present on the glass offensively where he constantly tries to get tip dunks, or to keep the ball alive. On the defensive glass he is physical, boxes out really well and goes strong on the board trying to get every ball. Defensively, Weatherspoon moves his feet pretty good, and he has good lateral speed. With this being said, he can guard out on the perimeter since he uses his quickness and athleticism to cover ground – with him defensively, teams can switch 1 through 4 and he will be able to keep ball handlers in front. He plays really hard on both ends of the floor, with good energy.

Negatives: Weatherspoon is not overly skilled offensively, and he has hard time creating his own shot. Most of his shots come from assists in the lane, or from offensive rebounds, so he does not really do too much in terms of creating on his own. He is not good at putting the ball on the floor and trying to attack off the dribble – and considering his size, he has to get better at attacking off the bounce and be more creative especially in traffic. This is something he really has to work on, so he can be more effective in beating his defender in 1 on 1 situations. Moreover, if he does not dunk the ball, he is not great finisher over taller defenders and doesn’t really have great touch. Length bothers him around the rim, and he has to get better at using and finishing with his right hand. Weatherspoon misses mid range jumper, and has to work on this segment as well in order to expand his offensive game. He plays really hard and is very aggressive around the rim, however he misses creativity with the ball and ability to spread the floor in order to be more versatile offensive player. 

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