Caris LeVert Scouting Report: October 2015

In October of 2014, Caris LeVert was poised to join Trey Burke and Nik Stauskas as the next lottery pick from the University of Michigan. A high-flying wing with solid potential on defense, LeVert had all the tools to sneak into the late lottery of the 2015 NBA Draft.

One year later, there are as many questions as answers regarding LeVert’s NBA Draft stock. His junior season lasted just 17 games due to a foot fracture that required surgery, and those 17 games including losses to New Jersey Institute of Technology and Eastern Michigan. LeVert now enters the 2016 NBA Draft discussion as a 21-year old senior with two previous surgical fixations of his left foot and an underwhelming track record as a collegiate No. 1 option.

Despite this, there are still plenty of skills on both ends for LeVert to be a draw for a team looking for a rotation guard in the NBA. If LeVert stays healthy, he could fit in well as a catch-and-shoot threat and plus perimeter defender. However, the injury caveat is a big one, as is the question of if his skill set is diverse enough to be able to be an impact player.

Offense

LeVert became a big draft name because of his skill set as a role player, and his struggles in a primary role offensively at Michigan last year somewhat confirmed this. LeVert appears to be at his best when he can spot up for 3-pointers, play facilitator and attack mismatches against a defense bent towards other scorers, much like he did in 2013-14 next to Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III. LeVert has hit 44 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s in the past two seasons, and he has a nice, quick release that doesn’t seem bothered by contests. He also has good court vision, and while he doesn’t have the best touch on his passes, he’s the type of player who can make solid extra passes as a secondary playmaker, much like we have seen with players like Wes Matthews or Avery Bradley.

In a small load, LeVert is capable when attacking off the dribble and has a solid handle on the perimeter, meaning he can be a change-of-pace attacker from the backcourt when called upon — in theory.

The issue, as we saw last year, is that LeVert does not seem comfortable as the lead guard offensively. When tasked with an increased usage rate, LeVert struggled to score as efficiently as he had in 2013-14. Michigan used LeVert more as a pick-and-roll and isolation scorer, and that was a difficult role for him to play with minimal talent around him. He struggled to finish inside against size, and his jerky and unorthodox dribbling style — while a plus out of isolations — meant that defenses were able to recover well against him in the pick-and-roll. As a result, LeVert converted 50 percent of his attempts at the rim.

LeVert’s pull-up jumper game is also very inconsistent, as it seems to come out flat and he hangs in the air a little too long before the release. According to Draft Express, he’s 47-for-166 (28.3 percent) on such attempts over the last two years. One of these will have to improve this year in order for LeVert to be a more complete product. Otherwise, he might be pigeon-holed as a perimeter-only threat, as last year he seemed too easy to defend at times, negating the spacing his shooting should allow him to facilitate.

Defense

The defensive end is where LeVert will likely have the biggest draw for NBA teams, as he has the body and the skill set to be able to guard any perimeter spot. LeVert’s quick and has nice length, with a wingspan that’s been reported to be as wide as 7-1. He is excellent at recovering to shooters and defending isolations, and while he’s not a true “havoc” creator (2.0 steals and 0.4 blocks per 40 minutes last season), that doesn’t mean he can’t close off passing lanes and force mistakes from opposing guards. He can grasp higher-level defensive concepts as well, and shouldn’t have much of a problem becoming a useful defensive player at the next level.

However, he still has a major issue to overcome defensively: upper body strength. LeVert has good footwork and length to contain guards, but he’s going to be tasked with guarding more physical wings at the next level, and much like his struggles with finishing, that stems from a relatively unpolished upper body.

We will have to see where he is at this season (he has discussed improving lower body strength, which helps), but given what he’s shown in the past three years, strength is likely what will make LeVert a good defender at the NBA level or a great defender.

Physical Tools

Speaking of strength, this is where LeVert’s biggest concerns are and what could separate him from the first round and the second round of the 2016 draft. LeVert getting stronger overall would open up a lot of possibilities for his future, both on the offensive and defensive ends, and it’s not unreasonable to think that he will as a 21-year old. LeVert is somewhat of a late-bloomer physically and he did get bigger from his sophomore to junior seasons.

If he can get some more meat on that 7-1 wingspan, he’ll be in good shape.

The much bigger question for LeVert physically, though, is his left foot. His metatarsal fracture suffered in January appears fully healed, but he’s now had it surgically fixated twice within a calendar year. LeVert had a very similar injury to what Kevin Durant went through last season, and what C.J. McCollum dealt with in the 2012-13 season at Lehigh. The fracture occurs at the attachment site of multiple muscles responsible for stabilizing the foot as you plant during running, and it’s a particularly vulnerable site for re-injury if not optimally repaired and rehabilitated.

LeVert might not have any issues with returning to play this year and this may not affect him long-term. However, that’s a major question for LeVert to answer in the upcoming college season.

Overall Impression

LeVert can be a solid rotation player in the NBA. As a great catch-and-shoot guy and defensive prospect at shooting guard, he fits an attractive prototype for an NBA team to fit into their rotation. He would work nicely next to a combo guard who he can play off and help set up for off-ball looks, and then switch onto point guards comfortably if that is the more ideal matchup.

In order to become more well-rounded, he’ll need to add strength and get more comfortable with an off-the-dribble game, but both of those things are doable. If he stays healthy, LeVert should be a late-1st round prospect worth grabbing and developing for a playoff team.