Name: Geary Claxton Position: Shooting Guard/Small Forward Height: 6-5 (1.96m) Weight: 220 (100kg) College Team: Penn State Nittany Lions Nationality: American Birthplace: West Haven, Connecticut Birthdate: 7/2/1986 Drafted: Automatically eligible for the 2008 NBA Draft but was not selected by an NBA franchise.

Strengths: Athletically, Claxton is a solid athlete with great leaping ability … Excellent motor that keeps him constantly moving without the ball … Uses his long arms and athleticism to make a big impact on the boards … Back to the basket skills are quite refined where he shows a quality turnaround jumper … Has displayed some three point range this season due to his efforts to become a better shooter from the perimeter … Tremendous in the open court where his athleticism allows him to finish with flair … Aggressive player who looks to attack the basket on every possession … This often enables Claxton to draw contact from his defender and get to the free throw line … Physically, he has the complete package you look for in elite defenders - long arms, athleticism and lateral quickness … Made improvements in the off season - focused on taking one or two dribbles and pulling up from mid-range with some success … Unselfish player who constantly looks to pass to open teammates, especially on drives where he likes to dish it out to open shooters … Uses his quick first step to get past defenders when he is out on the perimeter … Displays a great deal of intensity - simply hates to lose and has played a big part in Penn State’s overall improvement …

Weakness: Despite his improvements in perimeter shooter, Claxton generally remains inconsistent … This often allows opposing defenders to lay-off off and play him for the drive … Average ball handling prevents him from successfully creating offense for himself off the dribble … Development has been hindered due to team personnel which has led him to play out of position … While he earns a good deal of trips to the free throw line by creating contact, his poor free throw shooting hasn’t shown any improvement … Lack of body strength prevents him from absorbing contact on drives and finishing … Struggles in a half court set … Tends to get a little wild on his drives to the basket, but to his credit this could be due to the fact he is by far the team’s best offensive player … Hasn’t shown much dedication to improving defensively, which is not due to physical limitations, but rather a mental aspect … Lacks an understanding of the game that most seniors possess … Physical play can clearly frustrate him … A Tweener whose skills are better suited for the slashing small forward position, however, his height could limit him from the perimeter oriented shooting guard position … Needs to focus on taking care of the ball better; lack of care often leads to turnovers … Unless Claxton’s jumpers go down early in the game, his confidence in perimeter shooting disappears … Anytime a top tier athlete has a knee injury it’s a cause for concern as it could impact his explosiveness…