Very rarely is a mid-major talent versatile and impactful enough defensively to be a true NBA prospect without having a transcendent offensive game. Due to questions surrounding competition-level, these players must supersede expectations to put themselves into conversations regarding the professional level. Most of the time those expectations are surpassed on the offensive end, but for Bradley's Malevy Leons, he separates himself from his peers via his defensive impact. That's not to say he isn't an impactful offensive option, but he may just be the best wing defender in all of mid-major hoops. Let's take a look at what makes Leons so special, and if I think he has what it takes to make an impact at the NBA level.
pc: Bradley University Athletics
Player Profile:
First of all, Leons is an older prospect. He's 24 and turns 25 in September. A native of the Netherlands, Leons played two-years of professional club basketball for Apollo Amsterdam before he came to the United States. He began his collegiate career playing at the junior college level at Mineral Area College. After stacking up accolades at the JUCO level, including the NJCAA Player of the Year award, he transferred to Bradley University. He has now been a Brave for three seasons after recently finishing his fifth year and was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
Leons stands at 6'9" and weighs in at 210lbs, bolstering a 7'1" wingspan. It's that physical profile that has allowed Leons to be the defensive player that he is. This season he averaged 13.8 points per game, 7.1 total rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 2.4 offensive rebounds on splits of 48.8% from the field, 34.1% from three, and 78.3% from the free-throw line. His shot diet consisted of 9.2 field goal attempts per game, 3.6 of which were from beyond the arc. He also took 4.6 free-throws per game.
Offense:
I'm going to start with his offensive game first despite that not being his primary calling card. While I do believe he makes the majority of his impact on the defensive end, Leons is no slouch on offense. He's a three-level scorer who can operate both on and off-ball. This offensive versatility makes up for a lack of true offensive explosiveness and ensures that he remains a threat on this side of the floor. I do think that he's at his best as an off-ball option, but he has shown that he's capable of creating his own shot if necessary. With the ball in his hands, he is best in back-to-the-basket actions near the rim. As an off-ball mover, he regularly steps out to the three-point line or cuts inside for easy layups and dunks.
Let's look at that back-to-the basket game first, as it's how he generates the majority of his self-created offense. I wouldn't say he has a deep bag of post-moves, but he does have a dependable one. Most of these attempts come after a spin-move around the defender on his back. Once he gets around that defender, his length and athleticism allow him to finish around the rim without having to do much else. That said, I wouldn't consider him to be a fantastic vertical athlete, and instead would argue that he has just enough vertical pop to properly supplement his very impressive length.
As I said, that spin move is his go-to option on these looks, and it works out for him more often than not. There are a few other things regarding these plays that are important though. For one, his decision making and timing is top notch. He's super patient, waiting for help defense to leave him before he makes his move. He also utilizes pump fakes to get defenders off their feet to create easier looks. He draws a ton of fouls, and a big reason for this is that he's always looking to get defenders in the air and off-balance when going up for his shots. You can see on the dunks that he's not a super powerful finisher above the rim, but that he's still super difficult to contest due to his length. I'm not positive his above the rim threat will be as great at the next level, which is why it's so important that he's a solid finisher under and around the rim as well.
His other method of self-creation around the rim is attacking from the perimeter. Whether it's attacking a closeout or just stampeding on the catch, Leons is very good at applying rim pressure. His ability to knock down the three at a solid clip forces defenders to closeout, allowing him to blow by them. Again, he's able to finish above and under the rim on these looks, and I do think when he gets a head of steam he does look like a more explosive athlete.
Very similar to his post-up game, Leons utilizes a myriad of moves to make these looks as easy as possible for himself. The majority of his attempts at the rim go uncontested. Why? Because he's fantastic at clearing space for himself before he gets there. The first clip shows him shot fake at the perimeter to leave his primary matchup behind before he splits the two paint defenders with a double-pump on his layup. On the second he spins off his defender and only needs one dribble to get to the rim. He shields the ball simply by holding it out far enough that the help defender isn't able to reach it. On the last two clips he uses an off-speed step to disrupt his defender's timing, and on the one attempt where a legitimate help contest actually appears, he simply floats it over the rim protector. This ability to change pace is something that Leons has mastered, we will talk more about that later when I tell you what NBA player he reminds me of.
The majority of his off-ball looks come from behind the arc, but he can also be dangerous cutting to the basket. I didn't clip a ton of these attempts, but there was one that was unique that I wanted to include.
Leons is a super methodical player and doesn't go up for a ton of lobs. That said, he's also a super opportunistic player with a high IQ who knows how to pick and choose his spots. He's on the perimeter here, and in most situations his most likely method of scoring here would be the ball getting swung to him and him either taking the three or attacking the rim from the perimeter. However, because he notices that every single defender is ball watching and shifting to the strong side, he takes his opportunity to go up for the easy lob. The defender sliding under him prevents this from being a dunk, but it's an easy two points either way. Again, not something you see him do incredibly often, but a play that illustrates how he views the game in real time.
Now I want to cover his in-between game, which is probably the least prevalent aspect of his offensive arsenal. That said, he's a good mid-range shooter, and it's another area where he creates the majority of his own offense. It's also another area where he likes to put his back to the basket to feel out the defense before going up for his shots.
You see several interesting things about Leons game when you study his mid-range film. Firstly, and we will keep returning to this theme, is that his length allows him to create a ton of space on his turnaround jumpers. His ability to get the ball up in the air and almost behind his head make these looks virtually unblockable. I must admit, I'm not the biggest fan of his mechanics, but I actually think that they support his mid-range shot. In the second clip you see Leons use his shoulder to create space against a sturdier defender. This is super important seeing that he's a slight guy, and that strength could be a question surrounding his game. That's not to say he's some sort of imposing physical force, but more so to say that he's not going to get pushed around.
The final level of his scoring, and probably Leons' second best, is beyond the arc. As I mentioned, I'm not the biggest fan of his shooting mechanics, but that hasn't seemed to matter. He has been playing long enough that he has seemingly found what works for him, and it does indeed work. Leons is a fantastic catch-and-shoot three-point shooter who is great at moving off-ball and relocating to find his spots. He's capable of knocking down the outside shot from every spot around the perimeter. Like his mid-range jumper, his length allows him to get great elevation on the ball when he shoots, helping him to avoid contests.
While he does have a similar shooting stroke from both the mid-range and deep ball, I think he's very obviously more comfortable shooting the three. He only shot 34.1% from three this season, which is just average, but he shot 35.4% last year and 38.1% the year before that. I don't think he has regressed; I just think he had a bigger role on the team this year. This meant he had to do more than play defense and shoot threes, which is why the other aspects of his offense have seemingly improved this season while his outside shot has seemingly declined. In an NBA atmosphere I think he would mainly act as a three-and-d guy, and that his outside shot would get better.
The large majority of his outside looks come via off-ball actions. He's not much of a creator from beyond the arc, but he is capable of shooting these shots in motion. I only have one clip of this, but again it's not a big part of his game. This is fine, I think the role he'll end up playing won't require him to be an outside shot creator, but it's still important to note.
What's funny is that I think his shot looks more fluid in that clip than it does in any of the catch-and-shoot clips, and yet he's far more comfortable operating as a catch-and-shoot specialist. Despite the comfort, I do think he's a good three-point shooter while moving, so there's a chance that down the road he's able to strengthen this aspect of his outside shooting game.
The final thing I want to cover regarding Leons' offensive game is his playmaking. This is an area that he isn't the most prolific in, which is odd considering he's such a high IQ basketball player. However, I think the biggest reason for this is that it just isn't asked of him. He does a great job as a connective passer who is able to get the ball to open teammates without hesitating. He doesn't turn the ball over much, so really, I think this just comes down to him not shouldering much of the playmaking load. I do think he's a good passer who sees his teammates well and has good feel for how the game is moving around him. When he does make a somewhat flashy pass it's usually to teammates cutting to the basket. The majority of his passing consists of kick-out passes when help defense meets him in the post.
Defense:
Now on to the fun stuff, or not so fun stuff depending on who you ask. I think if you were to ask Malevy Leons, he would agree that the real fun lies on the defensive end of the court. This is where he really makes his money, and why he's a legitimate NBA Draft prospect. There just weren't many wing defenders in college basketball on his level this season. I'm not sure how many players I've seen, especially at the collegiate level, that are capable of guarding all five positions on the floor, but Leons is one of them. He's an excellent rim protector in help, he's a fantastic screen navigator, he's got quick hands, his timing on jumping passing lanes is great, and much much more.
While he is a fantastic shot blocker, Leons' primary role on defense is to defend the perimeter. For Bradley he was asked to defend the best player on the opposing team night in and night out, which means he spent the majority of his minutes defending guards and wings. At 6'9" with a 7'1" wingspan, Leons is a nightmare for perimeter players.
Obviously the third and fourth clips here are the most impressive, but I wanted to quickly cover the first two. On the steal in the first clip, you see just how effective his length and timing are in point-of-attack matchups. His patience is so impressive, as he's willing to let his opponent dribble in place for as long as he wants, but as soon as a move is made Leons is prepared to disrupt. On the second clip he gets somewhat blown by but is able to use his body to slightly slow down the attacker, allowing himself to stay in the play. Because he stayed in the play, he's able to easily pick up the block from behind. Neither of these plays are flashy or worth writing home about, but when he's able to do things like this multiple times every night it can really change the outcome of a game.
Now let's go over the third and fourth clips, as they are all-around showcases of his defensive capabilities. First, let me tell you who he is matched up against in these clips. In the first clip he's matched up against back-to-back MVC Player of the Year Tucker DeVries. DeVries is an NBA level talent with legitimate professional size at 6'7" and 210lbs. In the second clip he's guarding Eric Gaines, the best player on a UAB team that made the NCAA tournament and nearly took down fifth seed San Diego State. Gaines may not be the biggest player, but he's lightning quick and has NBA level athleticism. Leons completely shuts them down in these clips. In both clips he perfectly navigates a screen (one of his best defensive traits), completely shuts down any and all driving lanes, and then uses his length to end the play. When he's on like this I don't see any reason why he couldn't defend just about anybody at the NBA level.
I mentioned his blocking ability, and it's this ability that makes him such a dynamic defender. There are a lot of long wing defenders in the league, but not many of them are the rim protector that Leons is. He's at his best roaming in help, but as you saw in the clip against DeVries, he can come up with blocks in basically any situation. His timing and feel for at the rim contests is just second-to-none, and this allows him to be a pretty elite rim protector in help. Not to mention his length, which has to be the most used word in this write up.
When you look at the last clip you see a different situation than the ones I've already mentioned. He's facing a three-on-one fast break against a really good team. He knows that his size and length will allow him to contest and probably block the ball handler whether he stays in front of him or not. For this reason, he purposefully allows the ball handler to get past him, effectively taking away the potential pass to one of the other two players. He's able to create a one-on-one fast break against a much smaller opponent, and he's going to win that matchup. It's just a great example of his on-the-fly decision making on the defensive end.
Leons is just an all-around defensive disruptor; this was shown in the two point-of-attack defense clips a moment ago. He does things like jumping passing lanes, intercepting lobs, blocking cutters, and more. These aren't plays that make you jump out of your chair, but they're plays that win basketball games. I think that's the best way to view Leons, as a player who will get the dirty work done to support his teammates and put wins on the board.
The all-around impact of Leons' defense is what makes him the player that he is. He's not a bad offensive player by any means, but it's his defense that should have him in serious draft conversations. We see players like this succeed on every single team in the league, and based on what I've seen from watching Leons I'm convinced that he could fill that vital role.
Rebounding:
I just wanted to throw this section in here, as Leons is a very good rebounding wing. He averaged 7.1 rebounds per game this season, 2.4 of which were on the offensive end. His game feel seems to translate seamlessly to the rebounding department, as he always knows where a ball will bounce off the rim. In addition to that, he normally will convert on these offensive rebounds. We've already gone over how dangerous and effective he is around the rim, so when a ball is placed in his lap under the hoop you can expect him to finish the play.
Just two incredible rebounding efforts there, and this is stuff he does on the regular. Again, it's the little things. Giving your team almost three extra offensive possessions per game as a non-center is pretty fantastic. I don't think he would be as impactful on the boards at the NBA level simply due to a gap in size and athleticism, but it's still something he would be above average at. Him being able to chip in as a legitimate rebounder while doing all of the other things that he does only adds value to his overall game.
Summary:
Before I summarize Malevy Leons' game, I want to list some of his weaknesses. Every player has weaknesses and Leons is no different, but luckily for him he really doesn't have any in 50% of his game as he's a pretty flawless defensive prospect.
Handle won't translate to the league. He's alright attacking in a straight line, but he's unable to break down opponents and regularly loses his handle when he tries to do so.
Because of this lack of a handle, he really struggles to create his own shot from beyond the arc and in the mid-range.
Average shooter who has questionable mechanics who will have to work on this aspect of the game to ensure that he's respectable on that end of the floor.
Average athlete without a ton of explosiveness. Supplements this with his size and length, but that won't go nearly as far at the professional level.
Super skinny build who could potentially get bullied by stronger opponents at the next level. Will need to work on adding some muscle to his frame.
Older prospect, yet still very raw on the offensive end. This leads to questions about how high his ceiling really is, and if he can seriously improve at this point in his career.
Average playmaker who has never really shouldered much of a playmaking load.
Not awful about getting into foul trouble, but can pick up too many fouls on occasion.
Gets to the line a ton, which is a positive, but only converts on 78.3% of his looks from the charity stripe.
While that seems like a long list of things to improve on, it's important to note that some of those things simply won't be asked of him at the next level. He's not going to be asked to create much of his own offense. He's not going to be asked to be a primary playmaker. He's not going to shoot nearly as many threes, jumpers, or free-throws. The most important thing I just listed is that he adds some strength to his frame so that he's more capable of guarding stronger opponents. That's a very realistic goal that I guarantee he will be working towards as soon as he enters the league.
To summarize Leons' game, I want to set the stage by finally giving you his NBA player comparison, that being Kyle Anderson. Anderson matches up with Leons physically, statistically, and stylistically. A 6'9" and 230lb wing defender, Anderson has carved out a decade-long NBA career by being an effective defensive presence who offers just enough on the offensive end. He has one of the worst shooting forms in the league, and yet makes enough of these shots to be respectable. He had a very similar player profile as Leons coming out of college, and it led to him being taken 30th overall in 2014. It was clear then that his player archetype was valuable and seeing that he has stuck around it's clear now that this archetype has remained valuable. This is a great example for why Leons should have a considerable amount of draft consideration.
Leons is a hyper-impactful defensive presence who gives you just enough on offense to remain respectable. He's willing to go out there and do all the little things necessary to help win basketball games. When asked by Steven Bagell (@the_NBAgell on Twitter) at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament what he wants to show NBA teams in the draft process Leons said, "I just wanted to show that I have a high motor, that I can keep running the floor, keep pressuring the basket, play defense at multiple positions, and being able to spread the floor and knock down three-pointers." In a draft that has so many question marks, why not use a pick to take a guy with so little of them. You know exactly what you're getting when you add a player like Leons to your roster. He may not be the biggest name and he may not have played in the biggest conference, but guys like him tend to make some of the biggest impacts on building championship rosters. Don't be surprised if a front office catches on to this between now and draft day and you see Malevy Leons suiting up for your favorite team.
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