Mike Schmitz
Strengths:
-Very good body for a PF. Well-conditioned athlete. Father played in the NFL and is a strength and conditioning coach. Strong legs. Developed upper body.
-Impressive athlete. Runs the floor. Really bouncy. Plays above the rim with ease.
-Very good in transition.
-Right handed shooter but almost exclusively uses his left hand around the rim. Solid touch on his left-handed jump hook.
-Can rip through and straight line drive from the elbows.
-Not much of a shooter or threat offensive but does get nice rotation on his free throw stroke.
-Plays with a high motor.
-Great offensive rebounder 6.4 per 40 minutes pace adjusted. 15.3 rebounds per 40 minutes pace adjusted overall.-
-Solid basketball IQ. Knows who he is as a player.
-Fundamentally sound defender. Can really move his feet. Able to switch ball screens. Stays in a stance. Has the strength to battle on the block.
Weaknesses:
-Slightly undersized for a power forward at around 6-7 ½ - 6' 8 with a 6' 9 wingspan.
-Not a great finisher versus length despite his leaping ability.
-Plays mostly 15 feet and in. Doesn't have a consistent jumper or mid-range game.
-Does not possess 3-point range at this stage. Career 2/14 3P
-Career 21/41 (51%) from the free throw line
-Solid IQ but isn't going to be much of a distributor with the ball. Has dished out just 12 assists in 400 career minutes, compared with 40 turnovers.
-Decent touch on his jump hook but lacks polish on the interior. Not much of a post up threat.
-Doesn't block shots or get many steals due to lack of length.
Outlook:
Given his strength, conditioning, motor and leaping ability, Ira Lee has the tools to be a very good power forward at the college level. He'll finish above the rim, defend his position, rebound the ball, and more often than not make the right play. Lee doesn't have major upside given his height, limited length, and shortcomings as a scorer in the half court, but he'll be an important piece for whatever college program lands the 2017 power forward prospect.
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