Offense
Strengths
• Good offensive rebounder
• Nice touch around basket
Weaknesses
• Post moves are very mechanical – takes a long time to make his move
• Needs to be more assertive looking for shots
• Limited range – 7-10 feet
• Forces post movements so he can shoot with his right hand
• Needs to be more aggressive establishing position
Defense
Strengths
• Excellent shot blocker – great timing, keeps the ball in play
• Denies the post well
• Solid rebounder – keeps the ball up high
Weaknesses
• Not a physical post defender – lets offensive player make his move and looks to block shot
• Often off-balance if he needs to defend away from post
Analysis
Varnado’s NBA future is squarely hinged on his shot blocking ability. On offense, he has shown improvement in his post game, though he still has a very mechanical feel to his game. On defense, he has an uncanny ability to block shots, with near perfect timing. He also does a great job blocking the ball to either himself or to teammates. However, he does use this ability as a crutch on defense, where he often doesn’t body up to his man, but waits to block his shot. He will be able to get minutes right away at the next level because of this ability, but if he can learn to play defense and work on his offensive repertoire, he has the potential to get a lot of minutes early on in his career.
- Ed Isaacson
