Negatives
Jarrell Brantley easily has had more positives than negatives this season for the Salt Lake City Stars, but there are still some things that will need to be addressed prior to him getting bigger minutes in the NBA.
At times, Brantley can do a little too much. He can get out of control with his handle (3.0 turnovers per game), force up a bad shot or simply just play too fast. The game will slow down for him with experience, and when it does, his decision making should improve.
I’d also like to see Brantley get to the free-throw line more often. He’s built like a truck. He’s going to be hard to stop once he gets around the rim. Once he figures out the little things, like knowing where to place the ball on his drives and how to draw contact while (quite honestly) flailing, he’ll become more dangerous.
Brantley shot 74 percent at the free-throw line this season, but only attempted 2.6 per game. Rookie don’t tend to get a fair whistle, but regardless, get into the paint, don’t settle and make the referees call something.
One last area where I think Brantley could use some improvement is with his shooting. Like I said earlier, he’s still improving as a shooter, and 33 percent from three isn’t a terrible number, but that consistency from outside will make him so much harder to guard.
Brantley has some work to do, like all players, but I’d say he’s ahead of the curve at this point. If he can improve upon some of these weaknesses, watch out.