james-gist-1.jpg The Draft Review - The Draft Review san-antonio The Draft Review - The Draft Review

Strengths: Few players in college have Gist’s NBA level athleticism at his size … Great finisher around the basket where his long arms, body control and leaping ability allow for impressive baskets … His talents in the open court really come together with his ability to run the floor … Extremely active and plays the game at a high intensity level … A capable defender on the perimeter or as a help defender … His physical tools enable him to block a great number of shots with his long arms and mobility … Even more impressive is his lateral movement where he has no problem defending small players … Aggressive play around the basket allows Gist to create contact for free throw opportunities … Perimeter shooting has improved greatly from last season as he now shows the capacity to shoot 14 feet from the basket with occasional three point shots when his feet are set … Quality rebounder whose long arms and active motor enable him to rebound out of position with ease … Body type suggests he can add more weight without sacrificing athleticism … Possesses a decent looking turnaround jumper that he can make with some success … Solid free throw shooter … Stamina is top notch, never seems to tire and will be able to provide a great energy level for any team … Attacks the basket with authority and doesn’t back down from defenders attempting to challenge him at the rim …

Weaknesses: The biggest question mark in Gist is that he is a tweener stuck between the small forward and power forward positions … As a power forward he lacks the physicality to defend and as a small forward his perimeter skills are still not at the point where he can be fully successful … To compound matters he lacks the ability to create off the dribble … Despite all his growth this season, Gist remains inconsistent and unreliable shooting from the perimeter … Lack of upper body strength sometimes prevents him from finishing after contact … Doesn’t fully take advantage of mismatches – needs to improve in part because he prefers to face the basket rather post up smaller players … Sometimes lets emotions get the best of him, which results in overaggressive defensive play that leads to foul trouble … Has yet to show the court vision needed to be a quality passer … Gist has given inconsistent performances throughout the season - one game you see an athletic marvel, the next you barely notice him … Despite not handling the ball a great deal, Gist is very turnover prone … Not very proficient shooting off the dribble opposed to when his feet are set …

Matthew Maurer - 3/6/08

Statistics

SEASONS

GP

FG%

3PT%

FT%

SPG

BPG

RPG

APG

PPG

2004-05 Maryland

31

49.3

00.0

61.8

0.8

1.0

3.9

0.5

6.2

2005-06 Maryland

32

49.0

00.0

67.3

0.8

1.6

4.8

1.2

8.4

2006-07 Maryland

34

53.5

42.9

70.9

0.9

2.1

7.2

1.3

12.6

2007-08 Maryland

33

49.6

31.0

73.7

1.3

2.3

7.9

1.4

15.9

DIV I Totals

130

50.4

19.1

68.6

1.0

1.8

6.0

1.1

10.9

 

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