For the Father’s day edition of my NBA draft profiles, we take a look today at the lanky power forward from St. Bonaventure, Andrew Nicholson. This is the 8th written preview this year, you can find the draft analysis profiles of Arnett Moultrie, Fabricio Melo, Moe Harkness, Jeff Taylor, Marquis Teague, Royce White, and Tyler Zeller elsewhere on this site.
Measuring out at 6’9” ½ and weighing 234lbs, Nicholson also possesses great wingspan, with a 7’4 wingspan and 8’11” standing reach being measured at the NBA combine. Nicholson easily fits the parameters for a prototypical NBA 4 man from a physical standpoint. Some draft gurus also think he will be able to slide over and play some minutes at the center position,though I am not among them. To me, he is a pure 4 man, with no ability to playeither up or down a position.
From a typical Indiana Pacer point of view, Nicholson fits some of their typical draft checkpoints. He is a 4 year player, a very smart kid (he was a physics major) and a player with one clearly defined position. But does he fit us with his style of play? Let’s put the big man under the microscope below:
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Nicholson is a very refined player with his back to the basket offensively, and that is where I think he stands out as a player.
He has much more variety in his game than most college bigs do, which made guarding him for most teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference a major problem. He seems comfortable on either block with the basketball, and does a really nice job of reading his defensive man and almost always making the appropriate move. He possesses a nice turnaround jumper over either shoulder, and has already developed a little fadeaway move when he turns to his right shoulder. He can execute a jump hook with either hand, and in fact I think is a little beter technique wise with his left hand than his right when making this move. Nicholson has a nice little baseline spin he can make when pushed away from the block (which happens often to him), and he can make the face up jumper when he catches the ball already facing the rim. He has a good up and under move as well. Someone has taught Nicholson well.
Nicholson is a shooter/scorer type 4 man. What he lacks in strength and physicality, he seems to make up for with above average touch and shooting ability. As I stated above, he gets pushed off his spot pretty easily inside, but he compensates for that by being able to make difficult shots with no feet inside the lane, showing more range with his post moves than most bigs in college have.
Nicholson is definitely a black hole when he gets it inside with his back to the basket, which can be looked at in a variety of ways. Ast he Bonnies’ best player, he pretty much was their number one option at all times to score, so he felt like he had to take some tough shots. On the other hand, when he was double teamed and had to play in traffic, Nicholson was really poor, turning it over a lot with either weak moves against 2 defenders or just failing to make strong, smart passes out of the double team. Playing out of a double team was a real weakness for him on tape. But of course, he likely won’t be good enough to merit double teams in the NBA level initially at least, so this weaknesses can somewhat be mitigated with less of a role.
Despite his ability to play with his back to the rim well,Nicholson showed an alarming tendency to want to either face up once he caught the ball and take jumpers, or just abandon the post entirely to drift outside.I am sure the scouting reports their opponents had on Nicholson were to play him physically and beat him up as much as possible, and if you did so he’d start to head to the perimeter. Playing on the perimeter gave you as an opponent a chance to at least stop him or slow him down.
That is not to say that he isn’t skilled with the ball on the perimeter as a scorer, because he is. And you can tell that he really probably prefers being out there, away from the rough and tumble world of the painted area…..people don’t realize this, but in fact the college game is way more physical than the NBA game in the paint. Nicholson not being overly aggressive, likes playing facing the goal in space. He moves well without the ball, and reads his man well in terms of how to cut. So much so that StBonaventure occasionally ran plays for him coming off baseline screens, plays you’d typically only run for 2 guards or elite shooters.
Since he likes being outside so much, you’d like to see him shoot the ball with more accuracy than he does. He seems to have good form,holds the ball high, and has a nice follow through on his jumpshot. I bet that Nicholson shoots the ball extremely well in workouts and impresses executives in that type of setting.
But in tape I watched, I just didn’t see him actually make all that many. I assume he CAN make them, or his coach wouldn’t let him shoot so many, but I just didn’t see it. I thought I saw a big flaw in his jump shot when he was actually guarded, in that it was pretty easy to intimidate and effect his shot by stepping into him when he shot, playing into his chest and messing with his space. He didn’t like guys walking into him when he was airborne at all, and he’d start fading or even retreating to the other end during his shot, causing him to miss. Crowd Nicholson, and his concentration and accuracy falls off quite a bit. And because St Bonaventure had to have him score, and because Nicholson is a lousy passer, he took way too many tough jumpers than he probably should have.
Nicholson becomes a little more intriguing if he can develop an ability to put the ball on the floor a little bit. He has shown some sign sof being able to do that in short spaces, and I think that is where his potential as a driver begins and ends…..I don’t see him being able to be a guy you’d clear out for, but I could in theory see him develop into a guy who can take one or 2 dribbles to make a move and get a shot off, as long as his launchpoint was around the elbow or short corner area.
Projecting ahead, he has a possibility into becoming a nicepick/pop player, fading back after setting ball screens and making jump shots against second unit level defenses. His range to me appears to be about 18 feet with defense on him, though I suppose that in enough time he could develop into a potential 3 point shooter for you with enough practices and reps. Of course,you have to ask yourself if that is the kind of power forward you really want. I also think he shows some intriguing potential as a guy who can fake this pick/pop type jump shot and put the ball on the floor some, but until he gets more consistent in making that shot defenses won’t be rushing at him hard. And he will have to learn to pass better once he is attacking off the dribble, as defenses adjust to him.
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Nicholson gets rebounds, averaging almost 8.5 per game this past year. However, I feel like when watching him that he doesn’t get as many as he should, and I felt like his motor on the glass was pretty inconsistent. He definitely is a guy who“floats” after the ball, slicing thru crevices and lanes and getting balls, but his effort is low and he is not a good blockout type of guy, in fact he rarely blocks out. That wouldn’t bother me much if he was more relentless in his pursuit, but alas he isn’t relentless at all…..it seems to me that he only gets rebounds that are mostly uncontested and that come near him, and rarely gets a tough board in traffic or fights off a blockout to hunt a critical offensive rebound.
9 rebounds per game in 30 minutes isn’t nothing though, so Ill be careful not to undersell his rebounding totals. He does have really big hands and really long arms, and he can jump pretty well when so inclined. But because he floats so much on the perimeter and seems to not like physical play,I think his upside on the offensive boards at the next level are severely limited, and because he blocks out poorly he’ll get beat more than you’d like on the defensive glass.
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I have concerns about Nicholson from the defensive perspective as well.
Nicholson may have good size, but he doesn’t PLAY big. He definitely lacks strength and toughness as a post defender. It is pretty easy to post Nicholson up on the block, and because he plays very flat to his man,he gives up a lot to easy post flashes and “duck ins” inside. Teams pretty much could do what they wanted to do against Nicholson in terms of attacking him and getting the ball to his own man. Nicholson does have really good length,agility, and footwork though, so even though college bigs could work for and establish position on him fairly easily, they couldn’t necessarily score over him.
He shows more potential as a weakside help defender, as he is mobile and athletic enough to block shots from the weakside at the pro level. He shows good timing and instincts as a helper, and I can see him being a nice off the ball shot blocker/changer potentially at the next level.
He didn’t put forth a bunch of effort in screen/roll defenseat all. In fact, he played really really soft, normally staying back in the lane area, leaving his teammate out there on an island to try and deal with the screen on his own. This was clearly a strategic decision by the St Bonaventure coaching staff, but what I can’t tell for sure is the thinking behind it. The Pacers also play it this way as well, but the reason is that both Roy Hibbert and David West are extremely slow laterally. If Nicholson is as slow as those guys, he will be exploited a ton with the screen/roll at the next level. I am guessing though that the Bonnies played it this way to try and keep him out of foul trouble, and in knowing that Atlantic 10 big guys mostly couldn’t hurt you with pick/pop types of shots. Still, his screen/roll defense is a major problem and is a question I am assuming everyone who looks at him studies about him in their workouts.
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So, what do we have in Andrew Nicholson?
I think we have a somewhat skilled big man with a lot of physical tools, but that who plays a soft, perimeter oriented type of game that I typically don’t like from players of his size. He will definitely be a guy who the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as some teams will love his flexibility, mobility, and shooting potential, others will think he isn’t physical and tough enough for their taste.
My best guesses are that Nicholson is a first round talent,and that somebody in the second half of the first round will put aside their questions about his defense and motor and toughness and fall in love with the potential really good offensive game he possesses.
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So where does he actually end up on draft night?
He would fit better with a team with a great point guard whohe could run pick and pops with, and a team with a really tough interior rebounding center.
Nicholson makes sense to me for Oklahoma City at #28, and Chicago at #29, but ultimately I think heends up a Cleveland Cavalier at pick #24. Playing next to Anderson Varajeo and setting high ball screens for Kyrie Irving would be the ideal scenario for Nicholson.
For Indiana, picking #26, if I am right about Cleveland taking him then he won’t be there. But if he is available, should we take him?
In my mind, the answer is no. I don’t see him being a particularly good fit next to the more offensive minded Roy Hibbert, and he isn’t big enough to play as his backup any. I don’t see Nicholson being as good as David West, like some comparisons I’ve seen, and in fact I still like Hansbrough better…..and I am starting to sour on him too. Those guys play with a force and mean streak that Nicholson doesn’t possess.
I think the Pacers should pass, but I am not sure that they actually would…..I am personally hoping he is gone so I don’t have to worry about it.
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Present NBA comparable: a homeless man’s Charlie Villanueva (one of my least favorite players in the league), maybe a poor man’s Ryan Anderson
Former NBA comparable: Kirk Haston, and Indiana University kid who never really made it. I think Nicholson is better than Haston was, but not by a lot.
I realize most others are higher on Nicholson than I am, and maybe I am underestimating him….but I just don’t see it. His game just doesn’t fit my eye. For his sake, I hope I am wrong….and I certainly have been wrong before.
As always, the above is just my opinion
Tbird
Measuring out at 6’9” ½ and weighing 234lbs, Nicholson also possesses great wingspan, with a 7’4 wingspan and 8’11” standing reach being measured at the NBA combine. Nicholson easily fits the parameters for a prototypical NBA 4 man from a physical standpoint. Some draft gurus also think he will be able to slide over and play some minutes at the center position,though I am not among them. To me, he is a pure 4 man, with no ability to playeither up or down a position.
From a typical Indiana Pacer point of view, Nicholson fits some of their typical draft checkpoints. He is a 4 year player, a very smart kid (he was a physics major) and a player with one clearly defined position. But does he fit us with his style of play? Let’s put the big man under the microscope below:
………………………………………… ………………………………………… ………………………………………… ………………………..
Nicholson is a very refined player with his back to the basket offensively, and that is where I think he stands out as a player.
He has much more variety in his game than most college bigs do, which made guarding him for most teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference a major problem. He seems comfortable on either block with the basketball, and does a really nice job of reading his defensive man and almost always making the appropriate move. He possesses a nice turnaround jumper over either shoulder, and has already developed a little fadeaway move when he turns to his right shoulder. He can execute a jump hook with either hand, and in fact I think is a little beter technique wise with his left hand than his right when making this move. Nicholson has a nice little baseline spin he can make when pushed away from the block (which happens often to him), and he can make the face up jumper when he catches the ball already facing the rim. He has a good up and under move as well. Someone has taught Nicholson well.
Nicholson is a shooter/scorer type 4 man. What he lacks in strength and physicality, he seems to make up for with above average touch and shooting ability. As I stated above, he gets pushed off his spot pretty easily inside, but he compensates for that by being able to make difficult shots with no feet inside the lane, showing more range with his post moves than most bigs in college have.
Nicholson is definitely a black hole when he gets it inside with his back to the basket, which can be looked at in a variety of ways. Ast he Bonnies’ best player, he pretty much was their number one option at all times to score, so he felt like he had to take some tough shots. On the other hand, when he was double teamed and had to play in traffic, Nicholson was really poor, turning it over a lot with either weak moves against 2 defenders or just failing to make strong, smart passes out of the double team. Playing out of a double team was a real weakness for him on tape. But of course, he likely won’t be good enough to merit double teams in the NBA level initially at least, so this weaknesses can somewhat be mitigated with less of a role.
Despite his ability to play with his back to the rim well,Nicholson showed an alarming tendency to want to either face up once he caught the ball and take jumpers, or just abandon the post entirely to drift outside.I am sure the scouting reports their opponents had on Nicholson were to play him physically and beat him up as much as possible, and if you did so he’d start to head to the perimeter. Playing on the perimeter gave you as an opponent a chance to at least stop him or slow him down.
That is not to say that he isn’t skilled with the ball on the perimeter as a scorer, because he is. And you can tell that he really probably prefers being out there, away from the rough and tumble world of the painted area…..people don’t realize this, but in fact the college game is way more physical than the NBA game in the paint. Nicholson not being overly aggressive, likes playing facing the goal in space. He moves well without the ball, and reads his man well in terms of how to cut. So much so that StBonaventure occasionally ran plays for him coming off baseline screens, plays you’d typically only run for 2 guards or elite shooters.
Since he likes being outside so much, you’d like to see him shoot the ball with more accuracy than he does. He seems to have good form,holds the ball high, and has a nice follow through on his jumpshot. I bet that Nicholson shoots the ball extremely well in workouts and impresses executives in that type of setting.
But in tape I watched, I just didn’t see him actually make all that many. I assume he CAN make them, or his coach wouldn’t let him shoot so many, but I just didn’t see it. I thought I saw a big flaw in his jump shot when he was actually guarded, in that it was pretty easy to intimidate and effect his shot by stepping into him when he shot, playing into his chest and messing with his space. He didn’t like guys walking into him when he was airborne at all, and he’d start fading or even retreating to the other end during his shot, causing him to miss. Crowd Nicholson, and his concentration and accuracy falls off quite a bit. And because St Bonaventure had to have him score, and because Nicholson is a lousy passer, he took way too many tough jumpers than he probably should have.
Nicholson becomes a little more intriguing if he can develop an ability to put the ball on the floor a little bit. He has shown some sign sof being able to do that in short spaces, and I think that is where his potential as a driver begins and ends…..I don’t see him being able to be a guy you’d clear out for, but I could in theory see him develop into a guy who can take one or 2 dribbles to make a move and get a shot off, as long as his launchpoint was around the elbow or short corner area.
Projecting ahead, he has a possibility into becoming a nicepick/pop player, fading back after setting ball screens and making jump shots against second unit level defenses. His range to me appears to be about 18 feet with defense on him, though I suppose that in enough time he could develop into a potential 3 point shooter for you with enough practices and reps. Of course,you have to ask yourself if that is the kind of power forward you really want. I also think he shows some intriguing potential as a guy who can fake this pick/pop type jump shot and put the ball on the floor some, but until he gets more consistent in making that shot defenses won’t be rushing at him hard. And he will have to learn to pass better once he is attacking off the dribble, as defenses adjust to him.
………………………………………… ………………………………………… ………………………………………… …………………………….
Nicholson gets rebounds, averaging almost 8.5 per game this past year. However, I feel like when watching him that he doesn’t get as many as he should, and I felt like his motor on the glass was pretty inconsistent. He definitely is a guy who“floats” after the ball, slicing thru crevices and lanes and getting balls, but his effort is low and he is not a good blockout type of guy, in fact he rarely blocks out. That wouldn’t bother me much if he was more relentless in his pursuit, but alas he isn’t relentless at all…..it seems to me that he only gets rebounds that are mostly uncontested and that come near him, and rarely gets a tough board in traffic or fights off a blockout to hunt a critical offensive rebound.
9 rebounds per game in 30 minutes isn’t nothing though, so Ill be careful not to undersell his rebounding totals. He does have really big hands and really long arms, and he can jump pretty well when so inclined. But because he floats so much on the perimeter and seems to not like physical play,I think his upside on the offensive boards at the next level are severely limited, and because he blocks out poorly he’ll get beat more than you’d like on the defensive glass.
………………………………………… ………………………………………… ………………………………………… ………………………….
I have concerns about Nicholson from the defensive perspective as well.
Nicholson may have good size, but he doesn’t PLAY big. He definitely lacks strength and toughness as a post defender. It is pretty easy to post Nicholson up on the block, and because he plays very flat to his man,he gives up a lot to easy post flashes and “duck ins” inside. Teams pretty much could do what they wanted to do against Nicholson in terms of attacking him and getting the ball to his own man. Nicholson does have really good length,agility, and footwork though, so even though college bigs could work for and establish position on him fairly easily, they couldn’t necessarily score over him.
He shows more potential as a weakside help defender, as he is mobile and athletic enough to block shots from the weakside at the pro level. He shows good timing and instincts as a helper, and I can see him being a nice off the ball shot blocker/changer potentially at the next level.
He didn’t put forth a bunch of effort in screen/roll defenseat all. In fact, he played really really soft, normally staying back in the lane area, leaving his teammate out there on an island to try and deal with the screen on his own. This was clearly a strategic decision by the St Bonaventure coaching staff, but what I can’t tell for sure is the thinking behind it. The Pacers also play it this way as well, but the reason is that both Roy Hibbert and David West are extremely slow laterally. If Nicholson is as slow as those guys, he will be exploited a ton with the screen/roll at the next level. I am guessing though that the Bonnies played it this way to try and keep him out of foul trouble, and in knowing that Atlantic 10 big guys mostly couldn’t hurt you with pick/pop types of shots. Still, his screen/roll defense is a major problem and is a question I am assuming everyone who looks at him studies about him in their workouts.
………………………………………… ………………………………………… ………………………………………… ………………………..
So, what do we have in Andrew Nicholson?
I think we have a somewhat skilled big man with a lot of physical tools, but that who plays a soft, perimeter oriented type of game that I typically don’t like from players of his size. He will definitely be a guy who the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as some teams will love his flexibility, mobility, and shooting potential, others will think he isn’t physical and tough enough for their taste.
My best guesses are that Nicholson is a first round talent,and that somebody in the second half of the first round will put aside their questions about his defense and motor and toughness and fall in love with the potential really good offensive game he possesses.
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So where does he actually end up on draft night?
He would fit better with a team with a great point guard whohe could run pick and pops with, and a team with a really tough interior rebounding center.
Nicholson makes sense to me for Oklahoma City at #28, and Chicago at #29, but ultimately I think heends up a Cleveland Cavalier at pick #24. Playing next to Anderson Varajeo and setting high ball screens for Kyrie Irving would be the ideal scenario for Nicholson.
For Indiana, picking #26, if I am right about Cleveland taking him then he won’t be there. But if he is available, should we take him?
In my mind, the answer is no. I don’t see him being a particularly good fit next to the more offensive minded Roy Hibbert, and he isn’t big enough to play as his backup any. I don’t see Nicholson being as good as David West, like some comparisons I’ve seen, and in fact I still like Hansbrough better…..and I am starting to sour on him too. Those guys play with a force and mean streak that Nicholson doesn’t possess.
I think the Pacers should pass, but I am not sure that they actually would…..I am personally hoping he is gone so I don’t have to worry about it.
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Present NBA comparable: a homeless man’s Charlie Villanueva (one of my least favorite players in the league), maybe a poor man’s Ryan Anderson
Former NBA comparable: Kirk Haston, and Indiana University kid who never really made it. I think Nicholson is better than Haston was, but not by a lot.
I realize most others are higher on Nicholson than I am, and maybe I am underestimating him….but I just don’t see it. His game just doesn’t fit my eye. For his sake, I hope I am wrong….and I certainly have been wrong before.
As always, the above is just my opinion
Tbird
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