Mike James

Overview: A talented scoring guard who is better at shooting and creating his own shot than running the point. Possesses good quickness and speed, but is severely undersized for the position his skills suit him to play. Has great shooting ability, and can be a nice asset when he can get into a rhythm over the course of a season. Will put up decent assist numbers when he needs to facilitate an offense, but that doesn’t seem to be his natural role. Has been a scorer since his days at Duquesne. Bounced around the world until he found a home with the Miami Heat. Won an NBA Title with the Pistons in 2004. Put up huge numbers for Toronto in 2006, which was a product of his surroundings. Hasn’t had a comparable year since then due to his inability to adapt to his role. Thinks very highly of himself. Can still produce in the right situation if he is willing to adjust his style of play. Has a hard time sliding over to guard the shooting guard position due to his size, making him somewhat of a tweener considering his limitations as a playmaker. May not return to the form that garnered him national attention, but is still a very solid role player.

Offense: Gets almost one third of his touches as a spot up jump shooter with another third coming off of pick and roll situations. Tremendous catch and shoot player. Displays a quick, compact shooting stroke. Possesses good range, and is pretty consistent from beyond the arc. Doesn’t show the same consistency in his midrange game that he did in the past. Pretty good ball handler, albeit somewhat turnover prone. Nice first step. Likes to drive left, but tends to take the ball all the way to the rim when he drives right. Good finisher at the rim, but doesn’t get to the free throw line at a great rate. Finds a way to get open layups. Pretty good pick and roll player due to his ability to pull up from deep. Decent passer. Not a great distributor for a point guard. Often struggles with his shot-selection. Goes out of the offense and plays somewhat selfishly at times.

Defense: A staunch defender who needs to be motivated to be as good as he can be on that end. Doesn’t always hawk the ball like he’s capable of. Can really be a pest when he wants to be. Won’t go after many rebounds. Does a good job closing out defenders off of skip passes. Will lock down ball handlers when he’s amped up. Quick hands and a very aggressive attitude. Will commit some fouls trying to create turnovers, but when he’s giving his best effort he’s a real asset.