Kansas Jayhawks: Cliff Alexander Showing His NBA Potential

By Zach Blochlinger | Feb 1, 2015

Cliff Alexander has been pretty up and down so far this season for the Kansas Jayhawks, but he has flashed some of his immense talent, and is starting to do so more regularly. Alexander has looked good and just in time for NBA scouts to notice.

Alexander was the #3 overall recruit in 2014 coming into the season, and scouts raved about his motor and his athleticism. The strange thing about his situation is that such a highly touted freshman isn’t even starting on his college team, so why is he still considered a top 2015 NBA draft prospect? (Recruit list provided by ESPN)

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Well to address the first part of that question, the Jayhawks have a plethora of big men this year including Perry Ellis (who may be the best player on the team), Jamari Traylor, Landen Lucas, and then Alexander.

Ellis is an automatic start at the power forward spot, which is what Alexander’s primary position is, and Jamari Traylor is a bit more experienced and has more size than Alexander does to start at the center spot. This has forced Alexander into somewhat of a sixth man role.

Even though he isn’t in the starting lineup, Alexander does get plenty of minutes, and sometimes even gets more than Traylor or others in the starting lineup.

Now to answer the second part of the question above, Cliff Alexander has proven that he can rebound with the best players in the country, he can score at times, and has showcased his amazing athleticism.

I mean, look at his dunk against the Oklahoma State Cowboys:

I want a poster of that one!

On January 19th against the Oklahoma Sooners, Cliff Alexander recorded his second double-double of the season, and did it against a Oklahoma team that is known for its rebounding prowess.

The very next game for the Kansas Jayhawks, he was at it again, coming up just one rebound short of a second straight double-double against the Texas Longhorns, who have some of the best big-men in college basketball.

NBA scouts will start to notice Cliff Alexander more and more with his stat-sheet-stuffing and his fast motor mentality. With 48 minutes of playing time in the NBA, if he gets enough minutes, he’s a walking double-double (meaning that he will average at least a 10 points and 10 rebounds per game).

I compare his game to that of the Memphis Grizzlies’ star power forward Zach Randolf, who is also slightly undersized in terms of height, but makes it up with his big frame and his amazing motor.

This is why many experts have Cliff Alexander going in the top-20 in the 2015 NBA Draft, and I can’t argue with them. DraftExpress.com has him being taken with the 18th overall pick in this year’s draft.

Video courtesy of the Kansas Athletics YouTube channel.

Next: KU: 5 Bold Predicitons

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