This plus the good hands make him very athletic in my view. He's got great body control, which just isn't the type of "athletic" that some people give a guy credit for.
Body control and spatial/visual awareness around him. He knows where guys are, defenders and his teammates, and he makes great decisions, most of the time, regarding who has the higher shot percentage opportunity, my open or lightly guarded teammate or me? He makes great assessments lightning quick. He doesn't seem to need to make the "conceptual" move to translate and interpret what he sees to the possibilities he can imagine working; his body just "knows" and when he moves the ball, passing or dribbling, he knows where to go. It's not just his ability with the footwork, it's knowing how to creatively put together moves to get a defender out of position for high percentage (for him) shot. He has an uncanny ability to make layups while on the move even when he is being fairly well guarded. I think he has the highest IQ on the court whenever he's out there.
I think Ahmad Wagner also has a high basketball IQ. The only difference is that he has struggled to
believe he's as good as he is. You saw it on that one move to the basket against Wisconsin in the last two minutes. He flashes it occasionally or for stretches, but not consistently. It's as if ... he forgets. Or maybe it's matchup problems, defensive formations or tactics. If he "gets it," though, he could be a force coming from the wing. Like a "power wing." He drives well,
incredible burst for his size, and can play D against
some larger opponents and
some smaller opponents. No outside shot, but excellent within one-to-five feet from basket or by driving to the basket from the high post or from three-point range. Offseason, he should work on stand-still jumping ability. He's got a good running leap, but he's closer to average when it comes to standing and (repeatedly) jumping for contested rebounds after a missed shot. I think he bodies well, he's just undersized and has a less-than-explosive stand-still jump. It's almost as if he's not using his muscles effectively in those situations, like he's somehow negating his natural athleticism. It looks odd to see him moving as athletically as he does at times and then look almost sheepish at others. He goes into beast mode for three minutes and then disappears for the next five--or until you realize someone has been substituted for him without your notice. So ... there's that.
