NBA Draft Profiles: Travis Leslie, Georgia

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Stats: 14.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg,, 3.2 off, 1.2 spg, 2.9 apg, 30.2% 3PT

Age: 21, junior

Size:

• Listed: 6'4", 205 lb
• Official: 6'3" (no shoes), 6'4/25" (with shoes), 6'11" (wingspan), 8'7" (reach), 205 lb

Strengths: What makes Leslie such an intriguing prospect is his overall physical profile. Simply put, he is a specimen. He is the best athlete in this draft class, an explosive leaper that could very well win an NBA dunk contest at some point down the road. He has an almost seven foot wingspan, which combined with his strength makes him a superb finisher around -- and well above -- the rim. He's an active player that excels at getting to the offensive glass and scores quite a few cuts off of cuts to the rim and by getting out on the wing in transition. While is ability on the offensive end of the floor is limited, Leslie has the potential to be a terror on the defensive end of the floor at the next level. He is a bit under sized for a two guard, but he has the wingspan to make up for it and the athleticism to defend any of the three perimeter positions.

Weaknesses: The most obvious weakness in Leslie's game is his limited offensive repertoire. While he shot 30.2% from beyond the arc this season, that came on a very limited number of attempts. Leslie is not a skilled ball-handler, either. He is able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim in straight line drives, but he is not a player that you want bringing the ball up court and is not effective changing directions when attacking the basket. While he is one of the best guards finishing around the rim, Leslie's mid-range game, pull-up jumper, and floaters need quite a bit of work as well. Leslie is, more or less, a power forward in an under-sized shooting guards body. There is also concern about the amount of time he has spent defending on the perimeter. There were quite a few times this past season where he defended an opponent's power forward.

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: Tony Allen (before injury). Before the devastating knee injury in 2007, Allen was an uber athletic forward who was as explosive an athlete there was in the league. Neither are great at creating
  their own shot or shooting the ball, but Leslie is an outstanding athlete, an absolute ball hawk, and plays hard on both ends of the floor in the mold of a young Allen who did early in his Celtics career. Tony Allen post-injury has been a serious contributor for Memphis the last few years.


• Worst Case Scenario: More athletic Keith Bogans. Bogans has embraced his role with the Bulls as being a predominant defender, and Leslie has the natural gifts to be that in league. His offensive arsenal is limited and far from refined, and if Travis can’t get a better grip on his handles or learn to shoot the ball, he probably becomes a player in the mold of Bogans.

Outlook: Leslie is a unique prospect given his physical gifts. There aren't many players out there with his combination of athleticism, strength, and length. At the very worst, he is a player that will be able to contribute defensively and on the glass at both ends of the floor. He seems like the kind of player that will be able to embrace the role of junkyard dog at the next level. The x-factor here is that Leslie has a tremendous amount of room to grow. Right now, there is not much that he does on the offensive end of the floor at an NBA level beyond finishing around the basket. If he puts in the work on his jump shot and his ball handling ability, he has a chance to be a very effective player. There is a reason that guys like DeShawn Stevenson, Tony Allen, and James Posey always seem to work there way into the starting lineups of quality basketball teams. You need a defensive stopper. You need someone that can hold their own against the likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and Derrick Rose. The guys that stick around the longest in those roles are the guys that are also able to function on the offensive end of the floor. If there is a red flag with Leslie, its that this was the exact same scouting report on him after his sophomore season, but there wasn't a significant improvement in his game as a junior. Is he willing to put in the work required to improve?

Draft Range: Late 1st to Early 2nd Round

And the experts say...

• Chad Ford: "An amazing athlete and perhaps the best leaper in college basketball, Leslie could compete in an NBA dunk contest. But is he an NBA player? His lack of a jump shot and lack of size for his position have scouts worried. If he was two inches taller and could stroke the ball, he'd be a lottery pick. As it stands now, he's on the first-round bubble. "


• Draft Express: "Able to play significantly bigger than his 6'4 height, Leslie's most notable development this season lies in the way he's able to score inside the arc. Often struggling to get all the way to the rim as freshman, but doing a much better job going up strong around the basket last season, the Georgia native has developed an improved comfort level and slightly better touch in the paint this season. According to Synergy Sports Technology, he's shooting 58% in finishing situations this season. Accounting for more than half of his shots both this and last season, that's a significant improvement over the 50% he shot last year. At this point, he's backing up his one or two highlight reel dunks every game with rock solid efficiency, even if he's not getting to the free throw line quite as often as he did in the past."


• Swish Scout: "Extremely athletic guard who is active on both ends of the court, rebounds at a high rate, and possesses raw NBA talent. Leslie isn’t a very good shooter or ball handler, but he as an absolute ballhawk that has a game adaptable for league play with some work."

Highlights: