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Kansas Jayhawks: Cliff Alexander NBA Draft Profile

By Charlie Sides

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The NBA Draft is nearing this summer and the Kansas Jayhawks have two participants in Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre . We all know Oubre will most likely be a lottery pick, but Alexander on the other hand, could fall anywhere.

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He is a 6’8” power forward and center that only spent one year at KU. He was the fourth ranked recruit in the 2014 class on 24/7 sports. Alexander only played in 28 of the Jayhawks 36 games because of a suspension regarding extra benefits, and averaged 7.1 points a game as well as 5.3 rebounds.

Most people were upset with the production from him as they were expecting more, but he gave KU good minutes and energy. He was a streaky player who could have either five points a game or 20. He was consistent with the rebounds and his field goal percentage, which was at 57%.

According to nbadraft.net, Alexander is a real presence on the court with a wingspan of 7-2. He can give a team a great amount of minutes, and is a definite work in progress. He wants to have the ball and wants to get loose ball rebounds, which is a great attribute as a big man.

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    • NBAdraft.net lists that Alexander’s weaknesses are his lack of offensive repertoire, and his footwork as well as his jump shot. An interesting comparison they give to Alexander is former Jayhawk Thomas Robinson, who is now playing in the NBA. Alexander is ranked 35th on nbadraft.com’s big board and has an 89 overall.

    His biggest pluses are his rebounding ability and his strength. Alexander is a big dude, weighing in at 250 pounds, which makes him a presence in the paint.

    He’s surprisingly pretty quick and athletic for his size, which gives him that much more of a boost. He has an amazing ability to get to the hoop and box out defenders, although whether he is NBA-ready or not is still up in the air.

    In my opinion, Cliff should have stayed another year because of his suspension. That raises eyebrows and can possibly lower his draft stock. He gained big minutes at the beginning of the season, but lost some towards the end.

    In this year’s draft, Alexander could be taken anywhere. He possesses the talent to be a lottery pick, but will most likely be taken in the mid to late first round.

    Teams such as the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, or Portland Trailblazers could use his help. I think he will most likely end up with the Celtics or Hawks. Boston really has no starting power forward, and that could give Alexander a starting spot, or he could play behind Paul Millsap in Atlanta.

    Going from a five-star recruit to participating in the NBA draft the year after is a sweet deal. Alexander will be a nice package to any team that picks him.

    I think he would be great as a bench player playing under an all-star veteran like Millsap. Kansas has always been known for producing big men in the NBA, and that legacy should live on with Cliff Alexander.

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