Draft Profile: Cliff Alexander

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By Taylor C. Snow

Cliff Alexander was one of the top recruits in the nation coming out of high school, and was named Naismith National Player of the Year following his 2013-14 season. At that point, he was projected to be a lottery pick in this year’s draft, but his stock took a hit this past season at Kansas; the freshman played limited minutes and was forced to sit out the last few weeks of the season while the NCAA investigated his eligibility.

There are still some unanswered questions surrounding Cliff Alexander and the NCAA investigation into his family potentially receiving improper benefits. However, one question we all know the answer to is whether or not Alexander can play basketball. He has an NBA-ready body, with great bulk and length. The only thing he’s lacking from that perspective is height; he stands at only 6-foot-8 ½ in sneakers, which is undersized for an NBA power forward. In many situations, such as defending or getting off shots around the basket, his length makes up for his size. It also helps his cause that he’s an explosive leaper. He really gets off the floor quickly. Alexander is, for the most part, a post player who scores around the basket. He has a jump hook with his right hand and can finish with both hands. He didn’t take many jumpers during his time at Kansas, but based on his mechanics and rhythm, I anticipate he’ll become a reliable shooter from 10 to 15 feet. And he’ll need to make that happen, because I’m not sold on his post game translating to the NBA in a successful manner. Alexander is super active on the glass and really rebounds the ball well. He grabbed only 5.3 rebounds per game at Kansas, but that’s because he only played 17.6 minutes per game. I think he can rebound at the NBA level. He can also defend in the league. He’s a committed defender who’s strong post. His length really is imposing as he contests shots, and he does a good job of getting into the post player’s space to contest shots. He’s a very good shot blocker for his size. The one thing he appears to lack at the defensive end, in addition to his lack of height, is lateral quickness. He’s not terrible in this category but he’s not great, either. He’ll need to work on that and improve his jumper to garner playing time in the NBA. If he does those things and maintains his high motor on the glass and on defense, he could become a solid rotational player.

By Taylor C. Snow

Alexander was born on Nov. 16, 1995 in Chicago, Ill. to former D-League player Clifton Terry and Latillia Alexander. He is the oldest of seven children, with five brothers and a sister. Alexander did not begin playing basketball until eighth grade, but made the Curie High School varsity team as a freshman; by his sophomore year, he was already regarded as one of the top prospects in the country. As a senior, Alexander averaged 25 points, 16 rebounds and six blocked shots per game. He was ranked No. 3 on the ESPN 100 and won the Naismith National Player of the Year award. Alexander guided Curie to a 26-1 record and won the Chicago Public League title in a quadruple-overtime game against Hyde Park Academy, which was led by current projected lottery pick Jahlil Okafor. Curie was later forced to forfeit the title, after it was found that it had academically ineligible players on the roster. That summer, Alexander and Okafor were co-MVPs at the 2014 Jordan Brand Classic. Entering his freshman season at Kansas, Alexander shared Big-12 Preseason Freshman of the Year honors with Myles Turner, a Texas rookie who Alexander had attempted to recruit. During his lone season at Kansas, Alexander only played 17.6 minutes per game, though he made his mark on the court, averaging 7.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He also led the team with a .566 field goal percentage and had at least one block in 23 of the 28 games he appeared in. Alexander did not participate during the final eight games of the season, due to an NCAA investigation regarding his mother, who took out impermissible loans. He declared for the NBA Draft on April 7.