Alec Peters, Senior, Forward, Valparaiso
Overview:
Alec Peters is one of the rare seniors in this draft class. His best chance at an NBA career is his shooting ability. Peters shot 41.2% from three in his four year college career at Valparaiso. He was also an excellent free-throw shooter, which shows a strong chance for his shot to carry over. His outstanding balance and quick shot release make him an excellent shooter off the catch. He can be a threat as a corner specialist and as a pick-and-pop weapon. Peters is also capable of running off screens, catching the ball and getting his feet set to shoot on the move.
Below the perimeter, Peters is also comfortable playing in the mid-post. He loves to turn and face the rim where he can use his soft touch to hit mid-range jumpers over defenders. Peters is savvy at creating space in the post to get his shot off, as he loves to use pump fakes and jab steps to throw off his defender. Even though Peters is capable of attacking in the post to either side, his lack of length and athleticism make it difficult for him to finish at the rim. Peters lacks explosiveness and plays mostly below the rim. He relies on his creativeness to get shots off, but taller defenders can easily reject his attempts. From the perimeter, Peters is less adept at creating space for his shot. He’s a limited ball-handler and isn’t quick enough to beat defenders one-on-one off the dribble.
Defensively, Peters is a smart team defender but struggles when forced to defend one-on-one. He doesn’t have the lateral quickness to contain the perimeter and lacks the length to defend the post. Opponents will happily make Peters defend ball screens where he is too slow to switch onto guards and not quick enough to recover back to his man. Peters put up good rebounding numbers at Valparaiso but there’s a strong chance that his production on the glass won’t translate to the NBA. At 6’9” with a 6’10” wingspan, he doesn’t have the size or athleticism to compete in the paint with NBA big men. On defense his lack of length shows up as he isn’t able to protect the rim or recover from the perimeter to get blocks from behind.
Final Projection:
Peters is a very smart, high IQ basketball player with an excellent work ethic as he consistently improved over his career in college. However, Peters’ limited size, length, quickness and speed give him a relatively low ceiling as an NBA player. Peters has the physical make-up of a small forward but he’s too slow to realistically play the 3 in the NBA. His game is more like that of a power forward that can stretch the floor with his shooting, but he’s too small to go against NBA power forwards. If Peters can become a sniper from deep where he can be a threat to defenses from the corner or in pick-and-pop situations, then he may be able to carve out a role in the NBA. If Peters isn’t consistently able to threaten defenses, then he may never be able to stick in the association.
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