By James Blackburn



Photo: TexasTech.com

Game Scouted: Kansas State @ Texas Tech

Box Score

Kansas State wins 69-47

Jordan Tolbert (F, 6’7”, FR)

Stats

6-8 FG, 6-9 FT, 10 rebounds, 4 PF, 3 blocks, 18 TP

Strengths

Very active- full of energy- high motor- scrappy. Long- runs the floor hard- plays very hard throughout game. Good active shot blocker. Tremendous bounce- big time athlete and leaper. First time he touched the ball on offense (several minutes in b/c State was fronting the post and Techs guards struggled to get it to him) he dunked it. Did a good job of fighting for post position and drawing fouls and getting the State bigs in foul trouble trying to defend him inside fronting him. Good rebounder on both ends- leads team in that category with 6.3 a game. Keeps the ball alive on offensive end. Had a big alley-oop dunk off an out of bounds play in first half. Free throws looked solid tonight- solid stroke- good arc- soft touch- shooting 70% for year from line. Stronger than he looks. Highlight reel dunker. Showed a nice slide dribble to the middle into a high extending right hook. Doesn’t show frustration when teammates can get him ball- keeps playing hard and battles. Rarely misses close range shots but when he does- he gets his own rebound. Strong finisher- dunks everything.

Weaknesses

Gets caught out of position defensively- getting beat back door/watching the ball and losing man/ late recovering- freshman mistakes. Struggles to get through, around screens- gets screens too easy. Tends to be over anxious at times which leads to him getting into foul trouble- picked up 2 offensive fouls in first 12 minutes of first half. Stands too tall and doesn’t get low enough defensively when playing perimeter defense.

Overview

One of the few bright spots on a very young and struggling Tech team. Athletic and hard working freshman who leads team in PPG (12.5) and RPG (6.3) while playing only 23 MPG. You have to love his aggressiveness, energy, and intensity. He goes after all the loose balls, tries to block everything, and wants the ball. As he gets more experienced he will become learn how to be a better defender with defensive rotations and positioning. Played tonight with back to basket mostly- but showed signs that he could be a good P/R player at next level. Techs guards really struggled with TO’s tonight and had a hard time getting Tolbert the ball in the first half even though he did a good job pinning his man- did a better hob in second half. Has a high ceiling- even though he only played 10 minutes in first half because of foul trouble- there was a lot to like about Tolberts game. Will need to make the move to the perimeter at next level. Even though he stands up too much defending the perimeter- he has the quickness and athleticism to guard a 3 at the NBA level. He has the ability and want and will to defend- the positioning and other things will come. The struggle is not going to come on the defensive end, but on the offensive end- has not shot a 3 all season and never handles the ball. Somewhat of a tweener- undersized at 6’7” to be primarily back to basket player- but has great length, athleticism, and strength. I can see him being a first round pick in a year or 2, to play the 3 or may be the 4 in the NBA. With his work ethic I can see him developing a jump shot (seeing his FT stroke- he can develop a perimeter shot) and ball handling. Future NBA draft pick.

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