FanPost

Christmas is coming - A profile of Rak

B9316310020Z.1_20150218233044_000_GAUA0G6HD.1-0.0.jpg

Will Rak be able to protect the rim in the NBA?

When the 2015 NBA Draft came around, the Cleveland Cavaliers wisely tapped into a foolproof formula for success: drafting players from Syracuse University, particularly those who previously lived in Philadelphia! After all, Jim Boeheim does have more wins than any college coach except for Coach K, and Dion Waiters showed us that Philly produces some of the best NBA players.

Anyhow, let me tell you a little about Rak -

High School

He was a highly rated player coming out of high school. At 6'9" tall and 222 pounds with very long arms, he had a good physical profile for a high school player. ESPN ranked him as their #3 center and #20 overall, while Rivals slotted him as their #2 center and #27 overall. He drew interest from programs such as Florida, Texas, and [cough, cough] Georgetown [gagging noises]. But Syracuse was the frontrunner, so it wasn't a big surprise when he accepted their offer.

Here's the ESPN high school scouting report:

Strengths:
Christmas is considered one of the top post players in the 2011 because of his consistent ability to block and alter shots. The future Orangemen defensively controls the paint area with a hostile disposition and seems to take personal offense when an opponent scores from in close. He is a relentless rebounder with a good understanding and superb timing when tracking offensive rebound opportunities. He is a good runner and jumper that puts pressure on his opponent to run the floor each possession and is good for one or two easy buckets a game in transition. He is a surprisingly good passer from out of the post that finds open teammates. Displayed the ability to score off the dribble from the high post area with a floater with excellent touch and body control a skill that is rare for a player of Christmas' size.

Weaknesses:
Like most young post players, Christmas is more advanced defensively than he is on the offensive end of the floor. He is still developing his back to the basket game and is lacking a dominant go-to-move, but has shown the potential skill level to be an effective scorer as he continues to progress. He has stretches where he is a nonexistent threat to score; although I would like to see him be more assertive in demanding the ball when he has good position on the block, that attitude to dominate should come in time as he develops in college. Very inconsistent effort and production especially scoring wise. Displays bad body language and seem to get distracted easy which takes him out of his game.

Bottom Line:
Christmas is the top rated center in the class of 2011 and a great get for Syracuse that has shown the ability to dominate the game on the defensive end. Although I was a little discouraged by his offensive development and progression from his junior year to the present, there is no denying his potential upside as a dynamic interior player as he brings some intangibles to the court that can't be taught.

Notes

Travel Team: Team Final (Pa.)...88.5" wingspan...Committed to Syracuse in August 2010...2011 McDonald's All American...2011 Jordan Brand All American...Averaged 11.3 ppg, 9.6 rpg and 3.9 blocks as a senior...

College

Rak's career got off to a rather slow start. In year one, although a nominal starter at the PF position, Jim Boeheim like to pull him out of the game after his first mistake. Twice during the year, he had a '1' in both the GS column and the MP column, a rare accomplishment. 13 times he played less than 5 minutes in a game. But when our starting center (the infamous Fab Melo) was suspended for academic reasons on the eve of the NCAA tournament, Christmas did a good job of stepping up and anchoring the defense en route to an elite eight appearance. Although that was a bit of a disappointment for a team that was #2 overall in the country and who rightfully should have met up with (and beaten) Anthony Davis and the Kentucky Wildcats in the final game, it was a solid effort considering the circumstances. Also, I hate Fab Melo for ruining that season.

The next two years Christmas split time anchoring the Syracuse defense with Baye Moussa Keita. 'Cuse had lots of perimeter talent during these years, so the big men didn't have many offensive responsibilities. Year three saw an uptick in 2P%, FTr, FT% and AST, but all in a low usage role.

Then, his senior season arrived and Syracuse was a disaster on the perimeter. Finally, he would have a chance to shine. He more than doubled his usage rate from the previous year and put up 17.5 points per game on 59.1% true shooting, to go along with 9.1 boards, 1.5 assists, 2.5 blocks, and 0.9 steals. He also lowered is foul rate significantly, which allowed him to stay on the floor for over 34 minutes per game. He didn't foul out once last year, and even managed to play all 40 minutes for 5 straight games and all 45 minutes of an overtime game.

Looking Ahead

At the NBA Draft combine, Christmas measured at 6' 9.75" tall in shoes, which is average for a PF and short for C. However, he has a monstrous 7' 5.25" wingspan and a 9' 2.5" standing reach to go with his solid 243 pound frame. He had the #2 no-step vertical reach at the combine this year, at 11' 7.5". This should allow him to play above his position at times in the NBA. In particular, he projects well as a small-ball center that can protect the rim, rebound and run the floor.

This is important, because he has the offensive skill set of a center in the body of a power forward. Lineups that play him with a traditional center will definitely be cramped for spacing. But lineups that feature him at center may be undersized on defense. Therefore, his ability to rebound and protect the rim will be the key to his NBA career. If he proves he can do this then he'll carve out a niche as a role player. If he doesn't, he might be moving to Europe sooner rather than later.

Relevant Links

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings/_/class/2011

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/rakeem-christmas-1.html

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Rakeem-Christmas-5722/

This is a Fan-Created Comment on FearTheSword.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff at FearTheSword

In This FanPost

Teams
Players