Chicago, IL – The Wisconsin Badgers edged the Michigan State Spartans running away in overtime to win 80-69 clinching the Big Ten Conference Tournament Championship and securing a number one seed in next week’s NCAA Tournament. Leading the way for the champions was their Wooden award candidate and Big Ten Player of the Year, Frank Kaminsky; who finished with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Kaminsky stands at seven feet tall and 242 pounds and is widely viewed as a late lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Kaminsky’s strengths start, first and foremost, with his efficiency. He’s capable of beating his opponent in a multitude of ways. In the post he has an arsenal of moves to attack the basket, his favorite being a spin move going to his right attacking the basket. He makes great decisions when facing a double team, seeing where the help defense is coming from and attacking the weakness. Kaminsky is capable of shooting the ball from the perimeter with a range stretching to twenty feet, easily. On the defensive end, Kaminsky is a fundamental defender, rarely trying to do more than he’s capable. He positions himself in front of his man and does a good job of not fouling and staying vertical. He has a great feel for the defensive end, understanding where he needs to be, specifically in regards to help side defense.
While Kaminsky is a great fundamental player he does have a few weaknesses in his game. His athleticism in NBA terms is below average. Wisconsin spreads the floor with capable shooters at every position; as a result, Kaminsky is often caught floating around the perimeter rather than inside fighting for rebounds. On the defensive end, he is going to need to add some bulk to his frame in order to handle NBA level post players. Kaminsky is also a senior and while he will be more NBA ready than most prospects, questions will arise about how much more he can develop in comparison to other early entrants.
At the end of the day, any player with Kaminsky’s size and skill set is going to be a first round and likely lottery NBA draft pick.
Nick Hinojosa is a Correspondent and Scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can subscribe to our RSS feed from the upper right corner of our home page, follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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