Knicks Draft Profile: Washington State forward CJ Elleby

CJ Elleby: Strengths

Shooting. Looking beyond the 39% field goal percentage on 15.6 attempts and the 33% three-point percentage on 6.8 attempts, Elleby was asked to shoulder a major part of the scoring load at Washington State. The Seattle-native had the second-highest usage-rate (29.2) amongst all underclassmen, but given a smaller role, with better teammates, Elleby could shine.

Last season, per synergy, Elleby shot 38% on catch-and-shoot jumpers and improved his free throw percentage from 66% (freshman year) to just over 82% during his sophomore campaign. Volume on three-point shooting and free-throw percentage are good indicators when it comes to predicting how a player’s shot will translate at the next level, and Elleby checks both boxes. His 218 three-point attempts was tops in the PAC-12 last season. And on the defensive side of the ball, Elleby averaged 1.8 steals per game, which also ranked first in the conference.

In a huge win (at the time) over eighth-ranked Oregon, Elleby’s whole game was on display. Elleby finished that night with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists. And while you might see some slight concerns in shooting mechanics (i.e leg flaring out on the jump), and a slightly slow-release, it didn’t affect Elleby’s offensive production as he was only held under double-digits in scoring four times this past season.

Fans of R.J. Barrett might also appreciate Elleby’s rebounding. The sophomore totaled 251 rebounds which eclipsed other forwards like Onyeka Okongwu, Obi Toppin, and Isaac Okoro. In fact, only 18 players in the entire country, measured at six-foot-six or shorter, grabbed more boards than Elleby this past season.