rebels basketball:

Analysis: Nick Blake has the tools to be UNLV’s next backcourt star

Image

Nick Blake / Twitter @nickblizzy23

Tue, Mar 10, 2020 (2 a.m.)

One aspect of T.J. Otzelberger’s system that has proven to be effective both at South Dakota State and in his first year at UNLV is its ability to bring out the best in dynamic guards. David Jenkins blew up as an efficient scorer for the Jackrabbits, and more recently Bryce Hamilton blossomed into an All-Mountain West selection under Otzelberger.

That bodes well for the headliner of UNLV’s incoming recruiting class, as 4-star guard Nick Blake possesses the tools to be Otzelberger’s next backcourt star.

Blake, a 6-foot-6 Las Vegas native, played a post-grad year at IMG Academy, one of the country’s elite prep programs, and that extra physical development should allow him to arrive at UNLV more prepared to contribute than a typical freshman.

That said, his impact still might not be felt immediately. There is some refinement that still needs to happen before Blake is ready to be a difference-maker at the college level, but after watching several of his games at IMG it’s easy to see how he could become a top-tier wing at UNLV.

Physically, Blake reminds me of one-and-done Runnin’ Rebels guard Rashad Vaughn. Their heights and body types are comparable, and they both possess a smooth athleticism that is more about fluidity than raw jumping and explosion ability.

Blake isn’t as highly rated as Vaughn was by the recruiting sites because he’s not quite as polished as Vaughn was as a freshman. Vaughn arrived at UNLV as a pro-level outside shooter, with consistent form, great balance and range well beyond the college arc. Blake isn’t there yet, but his mechanics are good and his percentages should rise as he hones his shot selection.

In the games I watched, Blake knocked down catch-and-shoot jumpers when he had time to load up; when he had to hurry, his aim was affected. He also missed all of his off-the-dribble jumpers, but it was a small sample size. He projects as a good shooter:

A killer jump shot will be a nice weapon for Blake, but his real strength is in his ability to control the ball. At his size, he already has a good handle — he’s not flashy, but he can dribble around and through traffic with confidence.

As mentioned, he’s not an overwhelming, above-the-rim athlete, but he’s strong at the rim and can finish with either hand:

One thing Blake will have to do is diversify his dribble-drive repertoire. In the games I watched, he exclusively drove left — not a single drive went to his dominant right hand. He likes the left side because it allows him to spin back to his right, but at the college level there will be coaches scouting his every move and defenders will be waiting on that spin. He’ll commit his share of charges as a freshman; then it’ll be up to him to counter.

I think it’s reasonable to expect Blake to improve that aspect of his game quickly once Otzelberger gets his hands on him. The IMG team was loaded with Division I prospects and there wasn’t much of an offensive system; they played one in, four out and basically took turns isolating against set defenses.

In the games I watched, Blake spent a lot of time standing on the perimeter waiting for the ball:

UNLV’s offense is based on movement, with tons of ball screens and dribble handoffs, with shooters constantly cutting and relocating. Blake’s head may be spinning early in the season as he absorbs the playbook, but Otzelberger will get him moving and put him in better position to attack.

The lack of offensive movement at IMG made it difficult to judge Blake’s vision or feel for passing, but he did manage to record a few nice assists. There were some turnovers as well, but he looks like a capable passer, which is something UNLV needs:

Blake’s physical stature, scoring touch and passing ability should make him a really good transition player at UNLV. His IMG team didn’t get into the open court much in the games I saw, but when Blake got a chance to attack the defense he usually produced good results:

His offensive game is what got Blake ranked in the top 100 for the Class of 2020, but he has the tools to become a plus defender at the next level. He has quick feet and his movement is fluid enough to keep perimeter players in front of him, and he’s long enough to size up and handle bigger players in small-ball lineups (picture Bryce Hamilton playing in the frontcourt this year and pulling down seven rebounds per game — Blake can do that eventually).

When he’s playing man-to-man defense, Blake is good at moving laterally and absorbing contact with his chest; that allows him to stay close to ball-handlers and contest shots:

Blake does need some coaching on the defensive end. IMG pretty much switched all screens (which is similar to how UNLV played defense when Otzelberger opted to go with smaller lineups) and there were too many times when Blake was confused by the switch and allowed opposing players to pop wide open:

Those rudimentary defensive mistakes won’t fly at the college level, but that’s normal stuff for incoming freshmen. It’ll get ironed out in training camp, he’ll make some mistakes throughout the season, and by game 30 he won’t be a freshman anymore.

And once the coaching staff refines some of the rough spots in Blake's game, he should be a two-way difference maker on the wing and those kinds of players are incredibly valuable. He is smooth, he can handle the ball, he can get to the rim and finish, and he can shoot it from the outside. The passing and the ability to run screen-and-roll and read defenses will come with good coaching, which is something UNLV has.

Blake’s skill set and upside mean he’ll probably be a much better player in March 2021 than he will be in November 2020.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

Back to top

SHARE

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy