Travis Leslie, 6'4, Junior,
Small Forward, Georgia
14.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.9 turnovers, 1.4 Steals, 51.6%
FG, 16.7% 3P, 83.1% FT
When we last checked in on Travis Leslie back in the
preseason, we had lofty expectations for the rising junior. Teaming with Trey Thompkins to form a potent combination in
Georgia's frontcourt, Leslie seemed ready to take the next step as a
NBA prospect. Though he's helped Georgia to a 13-4 record, we have yet to see the gigantic leap forward that would propel his stock up draft boards and solidify his candidacy for the 2011 draft.
One of the more unique prospects around, Travis Leslie could easily be called the best athlete in college basketball. He plays way above the rim whenever he has a chance to and does so effortlessly, despite standing just 6'4. Extremely strong and possessing elite explosiveness, Leslie is still the same largely raw forward in an undersized two's body that we wrote about last season.
Able to play significantly bigger than his 6'4 height, Leslie's most notable development this season lies in the way he's able to score inside the arc. Often struggling to get all the way to the rim as freshman, but doing a much better job going up strong around the basket last season, the Georgia native has developed an improved comfort level and slightly better touch in the paint this season. According to
Synergy Sports Technology, he's shooting 58% in finishing situations this season. Accounting for more than half of his shots both this and last season, that's a significant improvement over the 50% he shot last year. At this point, he's backing up his one or two highlight reel dunks every game with rock solid efficiency, even if he's not getting to the
free throw line quite as often as he did in the past.
