Da je loš obrambeno je, ali da je baš jako loš, nije. Pa, uzimali su ga u obzir za NBA Draft prije par godin, samo, vjerovatno s pravon, nije proša.

A i, kako je i xxx01 napisa, dat će mu da čuva krilo, a ne beka.

Iz Scouting reporta nakon zadnje godine u NCAA:

DefensePick-and-roll

Despite the lack of physicality on the offense end, McLaughlin embraces that he must be aggressive to compensate for his lack of athleticism. He’s a decent screen navigator with good awareness. He’s recognizing incoming ball screens but struggles to fight through contact. Regardless, he’s making the right decisions while showing proper footwork. His size helps him to be in the second line as well, giving his team options to hedge ball screens.

The positive part is the composure. To compensate for the lack of touches, McLaughlin gambles for steals when hard-hedging or even blitzing ball handlers. The fourth play shows an example. He’s timing his actions well, leading to back-to-back seasons with over 1.5 steals per game.

Screen-offs and screen navigation

Regardless of the good feel for ball screens, McLaughlin doesn’t stand out as a screen navigator. With the lack of athleticism, that’s a must to survive against NBA athletes. However, the positive part is that he’s not forcing his aggressiveness either. He’s playing in control and in rhythm. He’s averaging two fouls per game in three straight seasons, showing he can play in control. But the issue is him dying on ball screens which leads to the opponent finding wide-open threes.

McLaughlin recognizes the passing lane to intercept for a pick-six, NBA-caliber players won’t commit such sloppy turnovers.

Closeouts

McLaughlin has a bad last step, which often leads him to get burned by closeout attackers. He’s showing the right process as he’s focusing on closing out at 180 degrees. However, the lack of speed and quickness leads to the must to rush his closeouts. The effect trickles down when considering he’s not pivoting well on his last step, which causes struggles to maintain his balance. That makes it easier for scorers to blow by him and utilize the weak side to completely collapse a defense.

His core strength isn’t good enough to use his hips more fluidly, which puts a cap on his defensive potential. In the third play, we see another example of him closing out too far. He’s not forcing ball handlers to beat him off the dribble. Therefore, teams will prioritize to move the ball until they force either the switch or the closeout by McLaughlin.

Catch-and-shoot

The positive part is McLaughlin showing a mature game in his rotations. He’s reading the floor well and doesn’t stare at the ball. This helps him to pick up rotations when teammates won’t do it. That’s the leadership role he embraced at Northern Arizona. His style fits the motion-based game NBA teams love to play, where ball movement is key. He’s much more comfortable closing out against spot-up shooters when it’s likely his closeout won’t get attacked.

However, the issue is the lack of a defensive boxout. That shows why he’s averaging under four rebounds per game despite having the size to box out harder.

When the effort is there, he’s a commanding rebounder. For NBA scouts, it’s a must to focus on how reliable his motor is when he’s in a team’s gym for workouts, as it’s a key for him to show he can partially compensate for the lack of athleticism and closeout technique.