Devin Ceaser Player Evaluation

Score-first combo guard who is undersized, but equipped with top-tier athleticism. A 3-level scorer with blow-by acceleration off the bounce. Exerts tremendous pressure on defenses in transition/semi-transition. Dynamic in the open court; sprinter speed with ball.
Displays encouraging scoring efficiency at his position, driven by a 76% conversion rate at the rim (7 games). A consistent 3-point shooter with a balanced scoring approach. Understands how to get to the line to bolster his scoring efforts, although he needs to improve consistency there.
Skilled ball handler and shot creator who also knows how to maximize his effectiveness off the ball. Still developing as a decision-maker, but has shown improvement overall; good overall basketball instincts. Aggressive pick and roll player. Playmaker’s skillset, but can improve court vision.
Wreaks havoc on defense when active and plays with excellent anticipation, but can be undisciplined as a defender. Solid motor. Plays with a ton of confidence. Cuts with purpose without the ball.

Stats from The St. James League (7 games)

Physical/Athleticism

Elite athlete (note: I’m using all big adjectives on purpose…)
Sprinter speed with and without the ball
- Gets end-to-end in a dash; a blur in the open court

Cat-like quickness and reflexes
- Great lateral quickness
- Outstanding hand-eye coordination
  - Extremely quick hands
- Usually quicker to the ball than everyone else on the floor
Cannon-like explosiveness
Seriously bouncy – jumps off of one or two feet
- Exceptional acceleration and burst
- Finishes regularly above the rim with one or two hands

Excellent body control with tremendous change of direction
Terrific anticipation and timing
Has a real spring in his step
Undersized as a combination guard
Not opposed to contact
Will benefit from increasing upper body strength

Other Offensive Qualities

Offensive Qualities

Score-first combo guard who puts points on the board in a variety of ways: from 3, mid-range, at the basket, in transition/semi-transition, and from the line. His aggressiveness picks up in transition/open court opportunities.
- In the half court, he scores from all 3 levels.
  - His ability to knock down the 3 at a consistent rate coincides nicely with his attacking style, and makes him very difficult to contain on the perimeter

Displayed a very balanced attack across the 3-levels
Very willing to go to the mid-range game, with intentions of finding the best available shot. Sets it up in a variety ways.
- Has a nice step back driving hard to the left (still developing the consistency)
- Effective one and two-dribble pull-up
- Off the live dribble/dribble moves

Drives hard to the basket with true blow-by explosiveness, and has all intentions to finish successfully or draw a foul every time
- Most effective when he is making direct moves to the basket

Puts an enormous amount of pressure on the defense in transition/semi-transition

Outstanding at pushing the pace to take advantage of defenses who don’t get back; capable of beating the defense down the floor himself
- Does a good job of staying under control
- Although he will force the issue at the rim to draw contact and get to the line, he also has the awareness/ability to take the pull up jumper from 13-16 feet

Dynamite in the open court

Effective primary ball handler. When he is pushing it up, he is going by you and is at the rim before you know it.

Love the way he fills the lane/runs the floor

Excellent finisher (see more below)
- Speed to kill combined with his change or direction that keeps the defense off balance
- Very effective against backpedaling defenders

Displayed good scoring efficiency, averaging 22+ points per game on just over 15 shots. Efficiency is driven by his ability to get out in transition and finish.
- Creates opportunities from the defensive end (see “Defense” section below)

Lively off the bounce going right or left; very difficult to keep in front
- Stays low to the earth with his whole body, shoulders included, and really explodes
  - Off the live dribble or off the catch
- Prefers to drive right and pull up going left; but still mixes in the opposite, driving left and pulling up going right

Capable of creating a lot of space with the dribble, and the potential threat he poses can shift a defense. When he is attacking, he demands a lot of attention.
Displays nice off-ball movement within sets, showing a strong understanding of how to use screens and manipulate the defender to get open
- It is here that he shows the best ability to play within a system, bucking the notion that he is only a free-range player who must be in an open offense to thrive
  - Overall, he will most likely excel in an offense that pushes the pace and mixes structure together with freedom of motion
More off-the-ball
- Knows how to utilize changes in pace to maximize his ability to get open
  - Does a good job of lulling the defender to sleep and then exploding off the screen
- Comes off of down screens; uses curl cuts, Iverson cuts, L cuts, and fade cuts appropriately
- Cuts with purpose
- When advantageous, comes off the screen tight and low, not allowing for space for the defender to slip through
Pick and roll play
- Very effective going left off the ball screen
  - Prefers to pull up off the screen going left, and turn the corner going right
    - Knows when to flatten out and take the jumper
- Consistently comes off the screen tight, shoulder-to-shoulder
- Comes off the screen aggressively and looking to score

Finishing
- Very high conversion rate around the basket
  - 76% on nearly 7 shots on the rim each game (over the games charted)
- Displays craft around the rim, and knows how to get the ball up on the board quickly
- Understands how to use the rim for protection
- Capable of taking some contact, but will benefit from continued strengthening of the upper body
- Finishes well with either hand, but prefers his strong hand
  - Also recognizes when to go up with two hands for added strength and protection

Shooting

Dependable 3-point shooter at 37% on 5 attempts per game (over the games charted)
- Percentage is better off the catch than off the bounce
- Most attempts were right around the line, with no consistent attempts from longer distance to evaluate range

Solid mid-range pull-up jumper going right or left, but the percentage has room for improvement at 36% on nearly 4 attempts per game (over the games charted)
- Gets good elevation
- When he drives hard left and pulls up, he has a tendency to leave his left shoulder hang open and not fully square to the basket in an effort to get the shot off quickly
  - Has a negative effect on consistency
Overall, a capable shot maker off-the-dribble going either direction

Needs to improve consistency from the free throw line
- Free throw misses are generally off the front of the rim
More on mechanics/form
- Release is at eye-ish level
  - 3-point shot can have a lower release point, depending on how far out he is shooting from (i.e. mouth/nose level)
- Shoots a borderline set shot from 3 off the catch, but the release is clean and adequately quick
  - Shoots a jumper on the move/off the bounce
- Shoots with his momentum moving upward through the ball
- Consistent snap of the follow-through
- As mentioned above, he has a tendency to allow his right leg to float out in front of him, drifting leftward. As a result, his left shoulder drifts open, as well.
Shot selection/chart – mixed selection on all 3 levels
- If he is struggling from the outside, he will look to score in other ways. He understands how to get himself going.
  - Transition
  - Mid-range
  - Attacks the rim with intentions to finish or get to the foul line
As an aggressive scorer, he has a tendency to force the shot from any of the 3 levels.
- Forced shots tend to come mostly in semi-transition possessions when he is trying to push the pace.

Shot Chart (7 Games)

Dribbling

Skilled ball handler overall
Good ball control to go with quick dribble movements, especially in the open court

Effective dribble moves
- Very useful crossovers
  - Uses the Marbury cross where it is a push across his body for acceleration/blow-by purposes
  - Uses a misdirection cross where it is more move to get the defender moving east-west
- Can sometimes use a second change of direction dribble unnecessarily
Stays low to the ground when putting the ball on the floor, allowing him to navigate through traffic
- When he turns the corner, he keeps his shoulders and the ball low, while moving at a high velocity
Equally comfortable with his right and left hands
Excellent speed dribble
When functioning more as a primary ball handler in a half court setting, he has a tendency to use too many dribbles
- Will benefit from keeping it simple. Single or double moves are sufficient, especially with his blow by capability.
No real sample size of handling full court pressure as a primary ball handler

Passing

Even as a score-first player, his sample size was lower than I would have liked to see in this area
Playmaking
- Has a very good ability to penetrate, draw, and kick or dump off. The potential is high because he is so tough to keep out of the lane. However, he must improve on kicking out to open shooters when that is the play to make.

Can improve vision on the drive to see the open shooters on the perimeter
Will benefit from trusting his teammates more to make the pass to the open shooters
Room for improvement on the accuracy of passes off the live dribble

Defense

Explosiveness isn’t limited to the offensive end!

Majors in thievery
- As a ball handler, you have to be very aware of where he is on the court
Plays with excellent anticipation and timing; likes to fly around
- Stalks the passing lanes, often turning defense into offense

Reads the opposition’s intentions on and off the ball
Always looking to pilfer

Active hands; gets a lot of deflections
Can really move his feet on-the-ball, but displays a tendency to gamble and reach
- Capable of exerting heavy pressure and being a disruptor (I really like his overall potential to be a disruptor)
- Lateral quickness and anticipation can make for a lethal combination for ball handlers

Tendency to lose his man off the ball amongst movement
Shows a lack of desire to fight through screens
Likes to gamble a lot
- High risk, high reward situations, where it pays off sometimes but, at other times, it places his team at a disadvantage
Tends to leak out and not finish defensive possessions

Basketball IQ

Sound comprehension of time and space
Improved understanding how to play at different speeds, but still has more room for growth
Good overall basketball instincts
Nice feel for his individual defender and the defense as a whole
Still developing as a decision-maker; displays some savvy at both ends
Uses sharp angles on the offensive end, and is heady in the paint amongst traffic

Dispostion/Presence

Disposition/Presence

Plays with a ton of confidence
Stays to himself on the court; quietly encourages teammates
Competitive
Solid motor
Aggressive on both ends, but will benefit from consistent defensive intensity
Short memory
- Typically does not allow previous mistakes to negatively impact the next play
Contextual scenario from a game: struggling from the foul line at 3-for-9, he draws a foul that is called on the floor. He then heavily lobbies the ref to get back to the line. This gave me a glimpse into his confidence level, and his ability to forget the “last shot”.

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