Scouting Report: Cameron McGriff
Cameron McGriff is one of those guys that deserve the attention from mid-top level teams already. His rookie season in Belgium was pretty successful and he averaged 13.5 points per game on solid shooting percentages.
BACKGROUND INFO
Position: F
Height: 201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Date of Birth: 30/9/1997
Nationality: American
Previous clubs:
N/A
Oklahoma State Cowboys alumni. He played all four years there and was an important piece in the team every year. Averaged 3.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in his freshman year but finished the senior season with much better averages of 12.3 points and 6.6 rebounds and lead the Cowboys in scoring in his junior and senior year. After going undrafted on the 2020 NBA Draft he joined the Belgium team Okapi Aalst for his first professional season in Europe.
VIDEO REPORT:
OFFENSE
Shooting: Cam is a player that can stretch the floor and is a legit option as a spot up shooter. He had some ups & downs and needs to become a little more consistent but his mechanics look fine and I believe he will become a reliable scoring threat behind the three point line. The majority of his attempts were catch & shoot shots but he is mobile enough to act as an off-screen shooter too. His on-ball skills are limited and plays mostly off-ball and there weren’t many off the dribble shots. Also his free throw percentages were always good throughout his career and I believe that he will add more consistency in his shot from distance in the future.
Slashing: Cam is not a player that would attack a lot with drives from perimeter. Athletic enough to get past defenders and also reads the defense on closeouts very well. He knows how to attack closeouts or when he has an advantage but is limited in isolation and as a ball handler and at the moment more of an off-ball wing.
Off-ball movement / Cutting: Cam has a great feel for cuts. He sees empty spots on the court and goes for a cut to the rim when there is an opportunity. With his vertical pop, he is able to play above the rim and could excel with a great passer. Very good finisher around the rim too and he is showing solid touch on non-dunk finishes.
Post Up: With his size and strength, Cam can attack from low post too. Has limited technique and not showing the best feel and mostly relying on his athleticism and length. I think he will need to put more work on his ball handling skills so he will be able to create more separation and advantage. This way he would become an even bigger threat in offense and not just depend on his off-ball skills. He has the tools just needs to put more work and improve in this area.
Transition: An area where Cam has the potential to be dominant is in transition. He runs the floor really well and is hard to stop when he reaches full speed. Mostly running without the ball and not so fluid as a ball handler. A big part of his game consists of transition plays and he is able to run all the way to the rim or to the corners and take open shots. This versatility makes him even more dangerous and even teams on a higher level would have a hard time stopping him in transition.
DEFENSE
Defense is something where Cam can do a lot of great things for his team. He is really versatile and capable of defending multiple positions.
Perimeter Defense: With his athleticism he has no problems following guards on perimeter, slides his feet well and has quick reactions. His hips are flexible and turns around quickly. Probably won’t be able to defend elite isolation guards at the highest level but definitely able to defend most of the guys on perimeter.
Pick & Roll Defense: Sometimes his man was running some pick & rolls and Cam showed that he is able to maneuver around screens smoothly. Can make himself thin and go around screens and not get stuck. Again, with his reactions and athleticism he can change his position quickly and recover when he is beaten. Not afraid of contact and deserves a positive grade in his pick & roll defense.
Post Up Defense: His post up defense has some room for improvement. Not the toughest and moved around too easily. I think he would need to add a little more strength in the upper and lower body so he could compete better against bigger guys.
Rebounding: With his athleticism and great court awareness, Cam can help his team a lot in rebounding. Positions himself well and has good timing for rebounds. Sometimes he could be maybe a little more active as a rebounder in offense but I could be nitpicking here. Overall, a very good rebounder and this should translate to most levels.
Steals: I think he has some reserves in steals and he could be more active in this area. He has great length and in my opinion he should be able to make more steals than he does. Averaged 1 steal per game and also in his college days his steal numbers weren’t the highest. Just a 2.0 STL% while the best in the league have the percentage around 4.0. Definitely some reserves here.
Blocks: Similar story with his blocks. With his athleticism and length, I believe he should block more shots per game. Sometimes stuck on the ground and not even trying to block the shot and I hope he will improve in this in the future. Has the tools to be a complete defender but those little things make the difference between average and great defensive players.
SUMMARY
Cam McGriff is a player that is worth following for most teams on mid to top level. His off ball game in offense is on a high level already and if he improves his on-ball skills he can become an all around scoring wing.
With his versatility he can already do many good things in defense but in my opinion needs to improve his post up defense and his steal & block numbers.
Overall, a potential wing that could have a long lasting career in Europe.
