Leaf has been far better than most people anticipated coming into the season and has thrown his name into the thick of the NBA Draft conversation earlier than expected as a result. The former high school All-American is an integral facet of college basketball’s most explosive offensive system at UCLA, and has meshed seamlessly with the pass-happy, up-and-down style permeated by Lonzo Ball at the one spot.
Standing in the vicinity of 6-10 with a mere 6-11 wingspan, Leaf doesn’t boast the greatest athletic tools compared to other upper echelon prospects at the floor. He doesn’t block many shots, and is still in the process of adding muscle, as are most players his age. But what sets Leaf apart is his intelligence. This is something I touched on with Rabb in the last slot as well, but Leaf takes it to a sightly different level on the offensive side of the ball.
He’s among the better interior passers in this year’s draft class, and provides all the intangibles that you’d want in a quality four man. Leaf does all the little things, from keeping the ball in motion to setting solid screens and finding his spots on the floor in order to help the offense execute at a high level. He spaces the floor, has versatility on the low block, and provides the stable glue guy that I could see starting for the foreseeable future if placed into the right situation.
Previous Ranking: 19
Leaf’s intelligence on the floor also leads to a highly efficient output on the offensive side of the basketball. He’s shooting at a 46.2 percent clip from beyond the arc on 1.7 attempts per game, while also knocking home 44.8 percent of his 2-point jumpers. He’s a viable pick-and-pop threat, and couples that an interior game that an relied on as well. Leaf’s true shooting percentage (67.2) is also the second highest of all big men in my top 30, just slightly behind Creighton center Justin Patton.
On the contrary, there are some very real defensive woes in Leaf’s game. While he’s intelligent enough to make strong rotations and prevent himself from becoming an outright liability, his lack of athletic prowess is going to hurt him substantially at the next level. That’s likely his most pressing weakness, and one that will play a large determinant in where he ends up falling on draft night, should he come out this year.
With that said, though, Leaf has the smarts and the tools needed to carve out a niche fore the foreseeable future. His package doesn’t necessarily scream “NBA star,”, but it’s apparent upon watching him that he possesses an innate understanding of how his style fits into the flow of everything else. He’s rarely overwhelmed, a and — while his ceiling may not be the highest — he should make whichever team drafts him very happy come next season.