Unicorn who drives winning at the highest level by protecting the rim and rebounding like a center while spreading the floor with his shooting and playmaking like a skilled power forward, or tweener who kinda sorta does it all but doesn't really do any of it well enough to make a good team better? Maybe first the latter but then he develops into a reasonable facsimile of the the former?
www.nytimes.com
Newell’s biggest draft question is what, exactly, is he? He’s 6-11 but doesn’t have the rim protection or rebounding numbers (just a 14.0 percent rebound rate in SEC games) of a true center. He also doesn’t pop off the floor as a rim runner; you’d call him more “fluid” than “explosive.”
On the other hand, the lefty shows some perimeter skill. He isn’t yet a money 3-point shooter (29.2 percent) or a guy who is comfortable taking more than a couple dribbles, but watching him before Georgia games, the stroke is repeatable and likely to improve as it becomes a bigger part of his game.
That said, his tape guarding the perimeter is pretty good, and Georgia used him mostly as a power forward in his freshman season. I think that’s his best position, especially as he develops stretch capability. Sticking with smaller players on the perimeter will be a challenge for him at the next level, but he might be able to handle it. This is a pretty nifty steal for 6-11.
In the short term, scouts are likely to see Newell as a positionless tweener. Long term, however, there’s a chance he can be one of the rare “Horfords” – guys who are switchable and skilled enough to play power forward in a playoff game but still have enough size to play center. More likely, Newell tops out as a serviceable third big.
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www.nytimes.com
Newell’s biggest draft question is what, exactly, is he? He’s 6-11 but doesn’t have the rim protection or rebounding numbers (just a 14.0 percent rebound rate in SEC games) of a true center. He also doesn’t pop off the floor as a rim runner; you’d call him more “fluid” than “explosive.”
On the other hand, the lefty shows some perimeter skill. He isn’t yet a money 3-point shooter (29.2 percent) or a guy who is comfortable taking more than a couple dribbles, but watching him before Georgia games, the stroke is repeatable and likely to improve as it becomes a bigger part of his game.
That said, his tape guarding the perimeter is pretty good, and Georgia used him mostly as a power forward in his freshman season. I think that’s his best position, especially as he develops stretch capability. Sticking with smaller players on the perimeter will be a challenge for him at the next level, but he might be able to handle it. This is a pretty nifty steal for 6-11.
In the short term, scouts are likely to see Newell as a positionless tweener. Long term, however, there’s a chance he can be one of the rare “Horfords” – guys who are switchable and skilled enough to play power forward in a playoff game but still have enough size to play center. More likely, Newell tops out as a serviceable third big.
