Name: D.J. Augustin Position: Point Guard Height: 5-11 (1.80m) Weight: 180 (82kg) College Team: Texas Longhorns Nationality: American Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana Birthdate: 11/10/1987 Drafted: Selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round (9th pick overall) of 2008 NBA Draft.

Strengths: Has all the qualities that you look for in a point guard with controlling the tempo, unselfishness, patience, court vision and leadership … Uses a nice change of speed dribble to create separation drives … Once in the lane Augustin uses a solid assortment of floaters and runners to make difficult finishes in traffic … Understands how to use his body strength to initiate contact, which allows him a decent number of free throw opportunities … Never seems to over penetrate or over dribble - once the lane collapses Augustin uses his court vision and body control to make quality passes off drives … Has legit three point range on his jumper … Uses a step back jumper off the dribble if the defense plays him for his drive … Defensively, he shows good effort and quick hands for steal opportunities … Excellent ball handler who has no problems creating when heavy defensive pressure is applied … Has that rare quality to makes teammates around him better … Is comfortable running in a half court set or in an up tempo offense … Has a tremendous feel for the game … Takes care of the ball and rarely makes poor decisions with the ball in his hands … Owns a quality pull-up jumper 16 feet from mid-range … Aggressive player that consistently looks to push the ball up the court … Has the uncanny ability to keep everything balanced as it relates to scoring and keeping his teammates involved in the offense, a rarity for most young point guards … Has a contagious confidence in his ability which spreads to his teammates … Crafty player who uses unconventional shots to not only create contact, but to also convert highly difficult shots from the perimeter …

Weaknesses: Augustin is not what you would call an exceptional athlete … While his lateral quickness isn’t poor, he struggles on the defensive end to cover opposing guards with elite athleticism … This weakness, combined with his short arms, prevents him from effectively disrupting passing lanes … Height could scare off some teams as he lists at 5-11 with shoes … Historically, not many guards under the 6-0 mark have done well in the NBA … Can go through severe cold spells when shooting from the perimeter … Lacks the explosive first step to gain consistent separation from his defender … Can force tough shots at times, but to his credit this could be more so because of team personnel than mentality … Seems to loose elevation on his jumper and quickness in release during the course of a game … Can settle too much for the three point shot instead of taking a few more dribbles for the mid-range jumper … With the trickery Augustin uses to get off shots at the collegiate level, its suspect if he will be able to do this in the NBA … Upside isn’t very comparable to other point guard prospects in the draft - while his play has been great this past season, how much more can he improve considering his height and slightly above average athleticism?

Matthew Maurer - 6/10/08