Weighed 272 pounds at the USA Basketball Minicamp and noticeably lost weight, getting down to 250 pounds … Younger for his class, will turn 18 in July going into his freshman year of college … Has done a solid job of toning his excess weight (butt) over the past year, but still has constant work on it …Although he hasn’t needed it at the high school level, he needs a more expanded half-court game as it will be predictable moving forward … Often resorts to bully ball … Struggles against a set defense … May struggle against help defense at the highest level as he does a good job of getting into his defenders chest and clearing space … Reading the game as a perimeter player will be an adjustment at the next levels … A bit of a tweener as he lacks the perimeter game of a three and ideal size of a four … While he shows solid shooting mechanics, he doesn’t show much shooting or perimeter skills … Shot could use more arc and he lacks the reps at game speed/pressure … Doesn;t seem to develop much rhythm in space on the perimeter, and seems to have more success and balance on shots with contact … Missed his only two three-point attempts at adidas Nations over six games … Shot 19.2% (5-26) from three and 62.9% from the free throw line over the adidas Gauntlet … Finished with a negative assist/turnover ratio with 1.9/2.3 over the adidas Gauntlet … Injury concerns persist due to his thick legs and the extreme amount of stress his incredible leaping ability puts on his lower body (knees, ankles and feet) … Any injury could be detrimental as his weight could be affected by extended time off the floor …Incoming Duke freshman… Played in the McDonald’s All-American Game… Named to the Jordan Brand Classic… Named to the 2018 Nike Hoop Summit but sustained an injury a week earlier to his thumb preventing him from playing in the game. Natural instincts for where defense is coming from and going to, instinctual dribble counters … Nice outlets, keeps his head up in transition Defensive instincts … Good anticipation on blocks, pins shots w/o goal tending or fouling and allows for team to recover … When he tries, moves feet well on perimeter, quick hands, changes direction well … Plays defensive back well, baiting opposing guards to throw a pass to his guy and then jumping the pass for an easy steal with his great closing speed … Quick hands, gets a lot of strips and deflections … Has shown improvement on pull ups and step back jumpers, looks fluid, getting squared, going straight up but hasn’t made them with great accuracy so far … Magnetic personality, natural entertainer, great kid off the court by all accounts … As long as he continues to develop, intangibles are in place to be a future star … Great conditioning, especially considering his body type …Playing style and weight puts a lot of pressure on his legs and feet. Of course, height alone doesn’t equal great play but as the saying goes, you can’t teach height. Howard is a 6’8”, 205-pound wing with long arms (though finding an official wingspan measurement has proven difficult). Posts about William Liu written by chswingspan.
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