Tu Holloway: Highlights, Analysis and Pro Projections
Tu Holloway is a solid, scoring point guard with a huge competitive fire, but he may forever be remembered for his part in one of the nastiest on-court incidents in recent memory. Holloway helped lead Xavier to a solid season, but he was a major part of the infamous Cincinnati-Xavier brawl in December.
There is more to Holloway than the guy he showed in this unfortunate post-game interview:
That said, Holloway is as an undersized, probable second-round pick, and these images may be too much for NBA GMs to take a chance on.
Holloway can shoot the ball, and he has a knack for taking and making tough shots. He isn't an explosive athlete, so that is a strike working against him. Joe Treutlein of Draft Express said this of him:
"Holloway drew some unnecessary attention to himself for his actions and postgame comments related to Xavier's infamous brawl with Cincinnati in December. He's done a good job getting back to business since the incident, and doesn't have a history of characters concerns, but NBA decision-makers will probably spend a little extra time doing their due diligence into his background come pre-draft time as a result.
"
Hopefully, Holloway can have solid workouts and interviews to show that that incident was more of an aberration than a part of his character.
Here is a scouting report on Holloway that highlights his strengths and weaknesses.
(Height, weight and stats per statsheet.com.)
Profile
Height: 6'
Weight: 190 pounds
School: Xavier
Date of Birth: August 21, 1989
Best NBA Position: Point Guard
College Stats (Key Stats Underlined): 17.5 PPG, 36.7 MPG, 42.9 FG%, 34.6 3FG%, 86.2 FT%, 4.9 APG, 3.6 RPG, 0.1 BPG, 1.5 SPG
Skill Grades
Athleticism: B
Size: C
Intangibles: B-
Rebounding: A
Ball-Handling: A-
Defense: A-
Shooting: A
Passing: B+
Post Game: C
Basketball IQ: A
Upside: B-
Strengths
Holloway is a very good shooter from three-point range. He can knock down the open shot and occasionally use quick dribble moves to nail the three off the bounce.
He also is an excellent foul shooter, at more than 80 percent. Holloway draws a lot of contact, so that is a helpful skill for him. He is a solid rebounder for his size, he is physically strong and he has no problem going to the glass and helping the bigs.
Holloway plays hard on defense, giving good effort even though he has some physical limitations. He has solid court vision, and he has the passing ability to set up his teammates.
Holloway is a solid competitor, and I truly believe the brawl is not who he really is. He's hard-nosed and fiery, but not a thug.
Take a look at Holloway's spirited play:
Weaknesses
Holloway is short, even for the point guard spot.
This is further exposed because he isn't blazing fast.
Holloway uses strength and guile to get open, but that won't be as successful in the NBA. This will make him a fairly easy singular cover.
He also can be a little too selfish with the ball at times. Holloway is a scorer at heart, but a point guard in size, and in the NBA, he'll need to look to facilitate more. Because of his lack of size and athleticism he doesn't have a ton of upside, but I still believe Holloway could be a solid, reserve point guard in the NBA.
NBA Player Comparison: Smaller Eric Maynor
Maynor is a very valuable backup point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he's currently injured. As a college player, he was a very effective scorer—in fact, he averaged 22 points per game as a senior at VCU.
In the NBA, Maynor has been a more all-around player. He has solid handles and an accurate shot from deep. He's averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 assists in his four-year career, but hasn't played more than 15 minutes per game.
Maynor has good height for the point guard spot (unlike Holloway), but their driving, body-hunting style is similar. Neither player is extremely explosive, but Maynor is able to get by that with length. Holloway does have a little more shake-and-bake to his game, but the two are similar.
Draft Projection: Late Second Round or Undrafted
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