NBA Draft 2013: C.J. Leslie scouting report

SB Nation is posting scouting reports of each prospect in the 2013 NBA Draft. Learn more about North Carolina State forward C.J. Leslie.

NAME: C.J. Leslie.

SCHOOL: North Carolina State.

AGE ON DRAFT NIGHT: Leslie turns 22 in June.

POSITION: Small forward.

MEASUREMENTS: 6’9, 209 pounds, 7’2.25 wingspan, 8’8.5 standing reach.

STATS:

RELEVANT ADVANCED STATS: 0.50 assist-to-turnover ratio this season. That’s a lot of mistakes for a player who had the ball in his hands as much as Leslie.

SB NATION BIG BOARD POSITION: No. 34.

NBA CEILING: Thaddeus Young.

NBA FLOOR: NBA Developmental League.

Along with Lorenzo Brown (scouting report), C.J. Leslie is the other half of an underachieving N.C. State duo who lost a lot of money this season. If he had declared following his sophomore year, after he lead the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16, he would have been a first-round pick. This season, he averaged 15 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks a game on 52 percent shooting. He’s a top-20 talent, but concerns about his feel for the game and position at the next level have caused him to slip into the second round.

At 6’9 and 210 pounds with a 7’2 wingspan, Leslie is an extremely long combo forward with the footspeed and athleticism of a guard. When he faces up and attacks the rim, he’s difficult to stop.

However, he has a tendency to float on the perimeter and bail out the defense. That wouldn’t be the end of the world if he could consistently make a jump shot, but he can’t. On top of that, he gives very inconsistent effort on the defensive end and on the glass. That won’t be acceptable at the next level, where Leslie will be giving up a lot of weight to opposing power forwards.

Leslie might need a stretch in the D-League to figure it all out. Even if he can’t add more weight or improve his jumper, he still has the talent to be a game-changing force as a perimeter defender and slasher.

For more coverage, visit SB Nation’s NBA Draft 2013 section.