Name: J.J. Hickson Position: Power Forward Height: 6-9 (2.05m) Weight: 242 (110kg) College Team: North Carolina State Wolfpack Nationality: American Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia Birthdate: 9/4/1988 Drafted: Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round (19th pick overall) of 2008 NBA Draft.

Strengths: Runs the court very well for a player his size … Post moves are continuing to show promise with a nice up and under move in addition to an efficient turnaround jumper … Even more impressive is his quickness in the post as he needs little to time execute moves … Despite being a freshmen, he has a strong upper body and good build to add more strength to his frame … Solid finisher around the basket … Does a great job of working to establish position in the post … Once there he understands the importance of getting his body wide to give guards a big target to pass into … Possesses soft hands capable of catching most passes without fumbling … Decent rebounder who has natural instincts, wingspan, and ball location skills to understand what side of the court the ball will go after the shot … This allows him to be a quality offensive rebounder where he does a great job on put-backs and dunks … Hickson shows potential with shooting from the perimeter where he can make shots 12 feet from the basket … Decent athlete, but not exceptionally explosive off the floor … Has a knack for leaning in on his shots to create contact … This is one of the reasons he gets to the free throw line regularly … Post footwork has shown fluidness, which is rare for most players his age … Potential is not tremendous, but he does have a good deal of room left before approaching his ceiling … Aggressive player who doesn't appear timid in crucial moments or back down from physical play … Mobility enables him to be a quality help defender … Decent free throw shooter …

Weaknesses: Considering all of Hickson’s abilities, he often gets out worked when rebounding by either getting boxed out easily or by his opponent’s sheer will … Can be a black hole offensively - it’s almost as if he doesn’t see anyone else on the court and forces shots … This often leads to him being effectively double teamed … His selfishness really disrupts his team from being a cohesive unit … These issues can be frustrating for a coach as Hickson actually does have the court vision needed to pass … Lack of explosiveness will make him a moderate shot blocker on the NBA level capable of getting one here and there, but doesn’t show the necessary physical gifts to be a force … Can get lost in his relation to the basket when getting pushed away from the post … Basketball IQ is questionable as he is prone to poor decision making … Intensity level can fluctuate severely during the course of a game … When he is scoring he’s focused, but when things don’t go his way his confidence suffers and motivation is often needed … While Hickson’s post moves are solid he lacks variety and can be predictable at times … Would benefit greatly by expanding his range on his jumper out to 16 feet … Post defense is still in the development stages where he needs to learn how to effectively deny post position … Conditioning is okay but will need some improvement if he is to play in the NBA’s 82 game schedule …