Scouting Report: Bonzie Colson
Bonzie Colson was one of the best shooting wings in Europe last season. He was playing for Strasbourg and averaging more than 18 points per game in Champions League and French league. Scoring is not a problem for him but he has some other liabilities in his game.
BACKGROUND INFO
Position: F
Height: 198 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Date of Birth: 12/1/1996
Nationality: American
Previous clubs:
2018–2019 Canton Charge
2019 Milwakuee Bucks
2019 Wisconsin Herd
2019–2020 Darussafaka Tekfen
2020–2021 SIG Strasbourg
VIDEO REPORT:
OFFENSE
Shooting: His shot is not a big problem. He doesn’t need much space for shot and can make shots even in some difficult spots late in the clock. The release is pretty smooth and has good shooting percentages behind the three point line. Efficient in catch & shoot shots, when he is coming off-screen where he can create a big amount of separation and also in his off-the-dribble shots. His shooting could definitely be used at the highest level too.
Isolation: Bonzie is not a player that will do a lot of great stuff in isolation. His handles are average, doesn’t create much separation and usually goes for shots and does not take the ball to the rim. Those shots looked too forced and there are definitely some better solutions than these shots. Much better in catch & drive situations where he goes all the way to the rim when he sees that he has a step of advantage.
Off-Ball Movement & Cutting: Moves great without the ball. Fluid movements for his size and position and can find opponents on the wrong foot and exploit that. Moves well in all directions and can be used as catch & shoot shooter or cut to the rim. Versatile as a scorer and defenders need to guess what he is going to do and he reads the defense really well and most of the time makes the right decision on how to get open.
Post Up: Bonzie loves to post up other wings or smaller players. Per InStat around 15% of his possessions last season were post ups and he scored less than 1 point per possession in those situations which is not a great number. He isn’t moving the bodies on post ups but mostly opting for some fadeaway shots that are usually well contested. In my opinion he has some room to improve in this area.
Transition: Another part of his game where he is pretty efficient at is his transition game. Per InStat he was scoring 1.21 points per game in transition plays last season. Runs the floor well and knows his lane when running without the ball and also has the ball handling skills to push forward after steals or rebounds . Confident enough to take and make three point shots in transition too. I think fast paced game suits him really well and he could be great in some fast paced teams.
DEFENSE
Perimeter Defense: Bonzie is not really a great defender on perimeter. His gravity point is high and his reactions are on the slower side. Also lacks aggressiveness most of the time and offensive players can create some advantage. Has the athletic tools to be a better defender but using them too rarely on the court. Definitely has a lot of room to improve in this area.
Off-Ball Defense: In my opinion off-ball defense is a big weakness in his game and probably one of the reasons he didn’t get a deal in some Eurocup or Euroleague team. His rotations are sometimes too off and he is helping when he shouldn’t help and not helping when it is his responsibility to help. His closeouts could be better too. Usually late and not even trying to contest the shots or letting the offensive player get by him too easily.
Post Up Defense: There are sometimes some situations where he needs to defend on post ups and he is doing a better job there. Not an elite post up defender but a smaller liability than on perimeter. Uses his hands a lot and tries to go for steals or at least make a deflection. His stance is solid and can hold his position.
Rebounding: Even though he averaged more than 5 rebounds per game in both competitions which are great numbers for a wing, I would not say that he is an above average rebounder. Not really going aggressively for rebounds but has solid feel and the ball just somehow finishes in his hands. Not sure though if he could replicate these rebounding numbers at a higher level too.
Steals: Bonzie can make some steals with his long arms. Has solid anticipation for interceptions and also quick hands to go for some pocket steals. Averaged 1.2 steals per game last season and his steals are probably one of the few defensive aspects that he gets a positive grade from me.
SUMMARY
Bonzie Colson can be a great scoring wing for any level but has liabilities on the defensive end.
Offensively he is much better when he gets some separation with his off-ball movement than when he needs to create something with the ball in his hand. Also a player that could excel in a fast paced transition game.
Defensively he has a lot of stuff to improve, mostly in his perimeter and off-ball defense.
I expect a good offensive season from him in Pinar Karsiyaka but we will see if he will make some improvements on the defensive end because Pinar’s coach Ufuk Sarica usually wants good defense from his players.
