Prospect Profile

Strengths:
*Smooth
*Good athlete
*7-foot wingspan
*Midrange jump shot
*Capable 3-point shooter
*Can use his length on defensive end
*Good rebounder
*Good free-throw shooter

Weaknesses:
*Has to get bigger and stronger
*As many shots as he took during the season, there were still times when he could have been more aggressive to score

NBA projection:
Lamb has been projected as a lottery pick. He’s got the scoring tools and the athleticism to be a primary option at the next level. His offensive game is multi-faceted, and defensively, he can be a lockdown guy because of that wingspan of his and his ability to cover ground.

2011-12 Season:
Lamb put himself in good company, becoming just the sixth sophomore in Connecticut history to get to the 1,000-point plateau (the others were Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Caron Butler, Khalid El-Amin and Ben Gordon). Lamb led UConn in scoring, reaching double figures in 31 games. He was a first-team All-Big East selection.

Key statistics:
17.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2.0 tpg, 1.2 spg, 0.6 bpg, 37.2 mpg, .478 FG, .336 3PT, .810 FT

Cool statistic:
Lamb’s average of 37.2 minutes played per game was second in school history, just behind record holder Kemba Walker’s 37.6 and just ahead of Tate George’s 37.0.

Reminds me of:
Reggie Miller

What Insiders Say:
Connecticut assistant coach George Blaney
“That kind of basketball allows you to spread your wings [after Lamb led the USA Basketball U19 team with a 16.2 scoring average last summer.] It was a carryover from what he did in the [2011 NCAA] tournament. … He can score so many ways.”

What Outsiders Say:
Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg
“A complete guard. He's got the size, he's got the length. He's got the athleticism, and he's a tough kid to stop. We have to mix up coverages on him, I think, to try to keep him off balance a little bit. He's going to pose a lot of trouble for us.”

Columbia coach Kyle Smith
“He's just a really good player. He's a really gifted offensive player. Very smooth, graceful. Here's how good he is: I had no idea he had 30. I knew he played well, but I didn't know he had 30. The game is very easy for him.”
 

-- Profile by Chris Dortch, editor of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Follow him @cdortch.