Strengths

Excellent on ball defender, 6’4 225, strong as an ox, and defends with his feet, not his hands. Very fluid changing direction, turning hips at his size, with great lateral agility. Synergy sports on ball D numbers rate him as one of the high major leaders in PPP allowed

Makes up for his slight lack of size with a 6’8 wingspan, solid quickness and vertical explosion. Better athlete than he may appear at first glance. Powerful frame allows him to play through contact and be physical on both ends. Effective at bully ball.

36.5% three point shooting on 211 attempts, 73% FT. Quick, fluid release that looks to translate well in a spot up roll. With his strength seems comfortable extending his range to NBA line. Shot well from NBA line in last year’s Draft combine scrimmages.

Shows some instincts as a team defender, impressive steal and block numbers considering Sean Miller’s infamously conservative scheme.

More than just a catch and shoot guy offensively, not a one trick pony. Successfully played lead ball handler for his AAU team in high level tournaments. Can drive and dish, not a special playmaker but will find the open man and is capable of making passes off the dribble with accuracy. Solid recognition.

In space able to explode off his feet and has had some really impressive finishes. Physicality and strength allows him to be an interior threat against opposing guards. Hasn’t shown much post game at Arizona but has some upside to use his strength there.

Weaknesses

While he is an excellent on ball defender, his off ball D remains very much hit or miss. He’ll make some impressive instinctual reads but too often lacks focus. At times gets a little lost when he has to make multiple decision in one defensive possession. Some question about his ability to defend complex actions.

While his shooting is solid, low 70s FT and mid 30s college 3 isn’t especially inspiring and by no means guarantees a high level of success at the next level. Being able to hit 3s at least at a mid 30s clip will be absolutely essential to his success.

Often gets sloppy with the ball and makes questionable decisions. Handle still needs a lot of polish, struggles to create separation and his pull up game hasn’t been effective during his time at Arizona. Poor touch around the rim. Often loses his balance on drives and unable to get enough lift to finish over contests.

Was injured for the first dozen or so game of his sophomore campaign and neither the eye test nor statistics indicate any improvement in his game since his freshman season.

Bottom Line

A prototypical 3&D two guard, Rawle Alkins has some of the indicators of a capable two way role player and projects as a potentially valuable piece due to the scarcity of effective wings players in today’s NBA. However, while he doesn’t have any huge weaknesses offensively, it’s also unclear to what degree any of his skills and attributes will translate. Meanwhile defensively, players such as Alkins that are great on ball defenders but lack impact as team defenders, haven’t always been able to translate that ability to aid winning. There are certainly things to like about him in the late first/early 2nd area, but there will also probably be better 3&D options available in that range.

— Mike Gribanov, 3.23.17

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