Name: Darren Collison Position: Point Guard Height: 6-1 (1.85m) Weight: 165 (75kg) College Team: UCLA Bruins Nationality: American Birthplace: Rancho Cucamonga, California Birthdate: 8/23/1987 Drafted: Selected by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round (21st pick overall) of 2009 NBA Draft.

Strengths: Top notch athlete with great quickness and speed at the point guard position … Has many of the point guard qualities you look for, such as understanding how to control the tempo, and the ability to play in a half court set or fast break offense to name a few … Defensively, Collison has many of the physical tools to disrupt most ball handlers with his long arms, quick hands and excellent lateral quickness … Has three point range on jumper that he has confidence in shooting … Shifty ball handler who uses a number of crossovers and change of speed dribbles to get separation from his defender … Once he penetrates in the lane his body control allows him to maneuver in traffic where he can finish with an assortment of floaters and runners … Has shown improved patience running the offense this season … Does a great job of using his long arms to play the passing lanes for steals … Dangerous in transition where his quickness and court vision enable him to execute with efficiency … Does a good job of creating contact to get to the free throw line where he is an excellent shooter … Has worked effectively to become consistent on his pull-up jumper from mid-range … Basketball IQ is refined as Collison has a great feel for the game … Despite being a junior his upside is good since his flaws are correctable through hard work and repetition …

Weaknesses: While he has three point range he isn’t what I would call a legit three point shooter … Physically, his slight build leaves a lot to be desired – historically, point guards with his body type have not done well from a health and durability standpoint in the NBA … Collison has a body that can add bulk and still retain his athleticism, but the bigger question is can he add weight successfully – genetically, it may not be in the cards … Upper body strength is the main reason for his inability to absorb contact on his drives … Physically strong guards in the NBA will be able to back him down where he could find himself a post-up target … Shooting mechanics could stand a little bit of refinement by shortening his motions, which would speed up his release … Collison has a tendency to reach and gamble on defense … Doesn’t possess the prototypical size of an NBA point guard - although listed at 6-1, upon appearance it wouldn’t be a stretch to place him anywhere from 5-11 to 6-0 … Has already had a great deal of ailments and injuries during this season and suffered a preseason injury with an MCL sprain in his left knee … This further fuels beliefs that he may be injury prone and could struggle to withstand the rigors of an NBA 82 game schedule …

Matthew Maurer - 2/23/08