Offense
Strengths
• Great size
• Doesn’t force shots
• Above-average free throw shooter
• Decent touch around basket
Weaknesses
• Lack of strength – gets pushed off the block easily
• Moves slow to the basket
• Passes out of the post too often
Defense
Strengths
• Long body, long arms – affects any shots in the lane
• Good help defender
Weaknesses
• Offensive players bully him on the blocks
• Not an aggressive rebounder
Analysis
Alabi has shown steady improvement this season, but is still a bit away from being a potential NBA regular. On both offense and defense, his lack of strength make it difficult for him to be consistently effective. While his offensive moves have show improvement, he still takes a long time to make his moves, and often a one-on-one situation easily becomes a double or triple team. His strength right now is his ability to alter shots in the middle, and his presence alone makes players think twice about driving to the basket. However, he still needs to become aggressive going after rebounds. A seven-footer should average a lot more than 6.5 rebounds a game. If he enters the draft this year, he should be a nice pick for a team that has time to develop his offensive skills while getting some defensive minutes out of him.
- Ed Isaacson
