SSR #4 Anfernee McLemore

[Denim Vest]

The next stud on our list is a sexy southpaw with game and intellect for days. Checking in at #4, Anfernee McLemore.

Young Mac was an afterthought heading into last season, but we quickly realized BRUCE found another under the radar youngster with a lot of ability. Didn’t take long to see this teen is tenacious on the glass, plays with a ton of passion and energy and will not back down from bigger opponents. I love everything this thoroughbred brings to the hardwood and it’s gonna be fun watching his game expand over the next 3 seasons. Even BRUCE says he’s gonna shoot a couple 3 balls/ gm. We’ll see but he’s obviously gonna be even better this year.

Strengths: Smart. Can jump out the building. Strong rebounder/ defender. Super efficient on the offensive end on putbacks and has a nice touch around the goal.

Weaknesses: Not a lot here. He fouled a lot last year but I expect that to be cleaned up. A hair slower than the likes of Horace in lateral mobility. Not a great shooter or at operating away from the basket but again he’s supposedly improved big time in the offseason. A bit undersized for a 5.

Contribution: Primary backup at 5 that should get 15-20 mins/ gm. A better system fit for Bruce I wouldn’t be surprised if he logged more mins than Austin on some nights. Mac is just an absolute stud and fan favorite who brings a ton to the table.

The GREG Ranking: #4

 

[ShenaniganZ]

First.

AUmazing.

 

[AuWaterfowl]

Look at the arms on that kid. I think he's great player off the bench that brings a lot of energy to the team.

 

[JB0401]

So we are looking at 3 players left, correct?

Heron, Wiley, and ?

 

[CowardlyToaster]

Papa Bless what a sexy teen! Our cup runneth over, gang.

 

[WDE_Tarp]

So we are looking at 3 players left, correct?

Heron, Wiley, and ?

Chuma?

 

[Gran_Polla]

This is my favorite player. He is a great player, but his enunciation is what puts him over the top for me. A true scholar!

 

[FormerlyKnownAsSOLLY]

This is my favorite player. He is a great player, but his enunciation is what puts him over the top for me. A true scholar!

Same here...
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN … rated as a 3-star by 247Sports, Rivals and Scout … averaged 15.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.9 blocks per game for Worth County as a senior in 2015-16 under coach Connie Mays … three-time selection to the Albany Herald’s Super Six as a sophomore, junior and senior … the Rams finished in a three-way tie for first in the Georgia High School Region 1 4A standings … averaged 19 points, 11.8 rebounds and 6.4 blocks per game for Worth County as a junior in 2014-15, recording several triple-doubles … two-time All-Area selection by the Albany Herald … started for the Rams each of his four years in high school … Georgia Class 4A Sophomore of the Year by Hoopseen … had a 4.0 GPA in advanced classes and was accepted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology … scored a 1670 on his SAT … had considered Yale, Brown, Oregon State, Stanford and Georgia Tech … played AAU basketball for the Atlanta Celtics under Horace Neysmith … full name is Anfernee Keith McLemore … son of Cinderella Lewis and Feron McLemore … studying in Harbert College of Business … signed national letter of intent on Nov. 11, 2015.

 

[Slippin Jimmy]

@Docdumpsta

 

[AUNaughty7]

Same here...
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN … rated as a 3-star by 247Sports, Rivals and Scout … averaged 15.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.9 blocks per game for Worth County as a senior in 2015-16 under coach Connie Mays … three-time selection to the Albany Herald’s Super Six as a sophomore, junior and senior … the Rams finished in a three-way tie for first in the Georgia High School Region 1 4A standings … averaged 19 points, 11.8 rebounds and 6.4 blocks per game for Worth County as a junior in 2014-15, recording several triple-doubles … two-time All-Area selection by the Albany Herald … started for the Rams each of his four years in high school … Georgia Class 4A Sophomore of the Year by Hoopseen … had a 4.0 GPA in advanced classes and was accepted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology … scored a 1670 on his SAT … had considered Yale, Brown, Oregon State, Stanford and Georgia Tech … played AAU basketball for the Atlanta Celtics under Horace Neysmith … full name is Anfernee Keith McLemore … son of Cinderella Lewis and Feron McLemore … studying in Harbert College of Business … signed national letter of intent on Nov. 11, 2015.

The son of Cinderella should tell you all you need to know. Love this stud.

 

[Docdumpsta]

@Docdumpsta

MACKLASHACK my fayvrit playa DAWG!!!

 

[MomentInTheSun]

Most intriguing player for me. If rumors about his three ball and mid range game are true, then the threat of that will drag defenders out of the paint and create space for our slashers.

Just wish he was a little bigger cause he can bullied down low on D

 

[jeramye]

Most intriguing player for me. If rumors about his three ball and mid range game are true, then the threat of that will drag defenders out of the paint and create space for our slashers.

Just wish he was a little bigger cause he can bullied down low on D

remember saying last year that if Mac just got a FT range jumper on him he'd be hell to play against. Absolute hell.

 

[Fatz Geronimo]

Mac is a tricky one... everyone loves him - and for good reason... and I love the guy too - but it seems to come across at hate when I talk about his deficiencies... hopefully we have a group more capable of nuanced thought here though

my contention has never been than Mac is a finished product or that he’s not capable of improving his game, I just thought it was a 4 year process, and he was already receiving undue credit for parts of his game that were nowhere near consistent...

he’s not a great defensive player yet... he’s barely a good defender, and only by comparison to the atrocious defenders around him last year... and his best defensive contributions are helping or off ball, rarely as a primary defender... to his credit, he maximizes those opportunities better than anyone else on the team, and he deserves more time as a result, but he has the same issues as Horace with fouling far too much as a primary defender, and leaving offensive rebounding opportunities for the opponent by taking himself out of the play trying to block or alter shots he can’t reach... as a result he’s not dependable for more than 20ish minutes a night, which means he’s perfect for his current role, but expecting and asking for more isn’t the grand slam lock his fans seem to think

offensively, I’ll just say I don’t believe for a second that he’s ready to take and make 3’s consistently... he made the 1 he took last year, but the release was SO slow, and the hitch SO pronounced, and footwork SO clumsy, and overall stroke was SO mechanical - you could tell he was thinking through every single step of the process... if that gets cured in 8 months, then I don’t care what else Chuck did - he should be granted a full pardon and tour the country laying hands on broken jumpers like Jesus Christ because he’s a miracle worker... doesn’t mean Mac can’t get there, because he’s smart and obviously works hard, but that’s not a quick fix...

he was also a disaster trying to initiate offense on the perimeter..,at least twice late in the conference season he got the ball 30 feet from the basket, turned, and threw it straight to the other team... he just turned and threw the ball to where the play said the next action should go - with no regard for reading a defense or adjusting mid-play... the only thing he could be trusted to do offensively was pick and roll or rim run on the break... and he was GREAT at both... but it wasn’t hyperbole when I said he was an absolute zero with the ball more than 2 feet from the basket... if anything he was a net negative offensively anywhere more than 2 feet from the basket... doesn’t mean he’ll stay that way, and I never claimed he would, but from where he was last year to his rumored current status - the leap is SO large that it’s unfathomable to me

now, for the good, even with all that, he’s so good as a backup big, and his energy and effort are so high that I have no doubt he’s improved somewhat, and will continue to improve the entire time he’s here - so he gets slotted in at #5 on my rankings

 

[WDE_Tarp]

Mac is a tricky one... everyone loves him - and for good reason... and I love the guy too - but it seems to come across at hate when I talk about his deficiencies... hopefully we have a group more capable of nuanced thought here though

my contention has never been than Mac is a finished product or that he’s not capable of improving his game, I just thought it was a 4 year process, and he was already receiving undue credit for parts of his game that were nowhere near consistent...

he’s not a great defensive player yet... he’s barely a good defender, and only by comparison to the atrocious defenders around him last year... and his best defensive contributions are helping or off ball, rarely as a primary defender... to his credit, he maximizes those opportunities better than anyone else on the team, and he deserves more time as a result, but he has the same issues as Horace with fouling far too much as a primary defender, and leaving offensive rebounding opportunities for the opponent by taking himself out of the play trying to block or alter shots he can’t reach... as a result he’s not dependable for more than 20ish minutes a night, which means he’s perfect for his current role, but expecting and asking for more isn’t the grand slam lock his fans seem to think

offensively, I’ll just say I don’t believe for a second that he’s ready to take and make 3’s consistently... he made the 1 he took last year, but the release was SO slow, and the hitch SO pronounced, and footwork SO clumsy, and overall stroke was SO mechanical - you could tell he was thinking through every single step of the process... if that gets cured in 8 months, then I don’t care what else Chuck did - he should be granted a full pardon and tour the country laying hands on broken jumpers like Jesus Christ because he’s a miracle worker... doesn’t mean Mac can’t get there, because he’s smart and obviously works hard, but that’s not a quick fix...

he was also a disaster trying to initiate offense on the perimeter..,at least twice late in the conference season he got the ball 30 feet from the basket, turned, and threw it straight to the other team... he just turned and threw the ball to where the play said the next action should go - with no regard for reading a defense or adjusting mid-play... the only thing he could be trusted to do offensively was pick and roll or rim run on the break... and he was GREAT at both... but it wasn’t hyperbole when I said he was an absolute zero with the ball more than 2 feet from the basket... if anything he was a net negative offensively anywhere more than 2 feet from the basket... doesn’t mean he’ll stay that way, and I never claimed he would, but from where he was last year to his rumored current status - the leap is SO large that it’s unfathomable to me

now, for the good, even with all that, he’s so good as a backup big, and his energy and effort are so high that I have no doubt he’s improved somewhat, and will continue to improve the entire time he’s here - so he gets slotted in at #5 on my rankings

I think everything you said is completely fair. His game is incomplete, but we love that he appears to be doing so much because of his hustle. I think the really interesting thing with all of these guys is that they are blue chip players forced into roles before they were ready. We will probably have a good idea early on how much they have improved, and if it's a lot then we could be really good.

 

[MomentInTheSun]

Ant showed a really fluid free throw stroke. I can buy that he’s really improved his outside game. We’ll see though.

 

[Fatz Geronimo]

Ant showed a really fluid free throw stroke. I can buy that he’s really improved his outside game. We’ll see though.

I’d need to watch more, but fluid wasn’t the word I’d use... perhaps it was fluid when he pulled the trigger, but it still seemed mechanical - that’s just the best word I can think of for every part of his offensive game

you watch him move on defense and it’s sudden and instinctual... he’s undeniably a fluid, explosive athlete... but that hasn’t fully translated offensively... he’s less decisive and appears to be hesitant or thinking because that part of his game isn’t as natural

but I have faith that it can and will translate, just not this year... I’ll happily be wrong though, because if he improves enough offensively to play the 4 - our ceiling as a team gets significantly higher

 

[Denim Vest]

Mac is a tricky one... everyone loves him - and for good reason... and I love the guy too - but it seems to come across at hate when I talk about his deficiencies... hopefully we have a group more capable of nuanced thought here though

my contention has never been than Mac is a finished product or that he’s not capable of improving his game, I just thought it was a 4 year process, and he was already receiving undue credit for parts of his game that were nowhere near consistent...

he’s not a great defensive player yet... he’s barely a good defender, and only by comparison to the atrocious defenders around him last year... and his best defensive contributions are helping or off ball, rarely as a primary defender... to his credit, he maximizes those opportunities better than anyone else on the team, and he deserves more time as a result, but he has the same issues as Horace with fouling far too much as a primary defender, and leaving offensive rebounding opportunities for the opponent by taking himself out of the play trying to block or alter shots he can’t reach... as a result he’s not dependable for more than 20ish minutes a night, which means he’s perfect for his current role, but expecting and asking for more isn’t the grand slam lock his fans seem to think

offensively, I’ll just say I don’t believe for a second that he’s ready to take and make 3’s consistently... he made the 1 he took last year, but the release was SO slow, and the hitch SO pronounced, and footwork SO clumsy, and overall stroke was SO mechanical - you could tell he was thinking through every single step of the process... if that gets cured in 8 months, then I don’t care what else Chuck did - he should be granted a full pardon and tour the country laying hands on broken jumpers like Jesus Christ because he’s a miracle worker... doesn’t mean Mac can’t get there, because he’s smart and obviously works hard, but that’s not a quick fix...

he was also a disaster trying to initiate offense on the perimeter..,at least twice late in the conference season he got the ball 30 feet from the basket, turned, and threw it straight to the other team... he just turned and threw the ball to where the play said the next action should go - with no regard for reading a defense or adjusting mid-play... the only thing he could be trusted to do offensively was pick and roll or rim run on the break... and he was GREAT at both... but it wasn’t hyperbole when I said he was an absolute zero with the ball more than 2 feet from the basket... if anything he was a net negative offensively anywhere more than 2 feet from the basket... doesn’t mean he’ll stay that way, and I never claimed he would, but from where he was last year to his rumored current status - the leap is SO large that it’s unfathomable to me

now, for the good, even with all that, he’s so good as a backup big, and his energy and effort are so high that I have no doubt he’s improved somewhat, and will continue to improve the entire time he’s here - so he gets slotted in at #5 on my rankings

Agree with all this. He was not effective away from the basket and even if he's making shots I can't really fathom he's come so far that having him shoot 3s will be a quality option for this offense.

A smart left hander has a special place in my heart though and I felt like he was improving so rapidly. He'd pick up fouls but it was stuff like he went straight up and maybe gets those calls to go his way in the future. His production around the goal was spectacular. I looked up some Ortg/ Drtg metrics, which I don't entirely know what those mean, but he had the highest Ortg on the team and highest differential by far.

I just have a ton of confidence in this kid improving a lot but with that being said he's strictly a 5 on this team for a variety of reason imo.

 

[Boytano]

can't wait to see how this kid has improved

 

[Space Funk Booty]

I agree that he will get more minutes than Austin Wiley on some nights.

 

[WDE_Tarp]

I agree that he will get more minutes than Austin Wiley on some nights.

 

[Weagle1492]

The next stud on our list is a sexy southpaw with game and intellect for days. Checking in at #4, Anfernee McLemore.

Young Mac was an afterthought heading into last season, but we quickly realized BRUCE found another under the radar youngster with a lot of ability. Didn’t take long to see this teen is tenacious on the glass, plays with a ton of passion and energy and will not back down from bigger opponents. I love everything this thoroughbred brings to the hardwood and it’s gonna be fun watching his game expand over the next 3 seasons. Even BRUCE says he’s gonna shoot a couple 3 balls/ gm. We’ll see but he’s obviously gonna be even better this year.

Strengths: Smart. Can jump out the building. Strong rebounder/ defender. Super efficient on the offensive end on putbacks and has a nice touch around the goal.

Weaknesses: Not a lot here. He fouled a lot last year but I expect that to be cleaned up. A hair slower than the likes of Horace in lateral mobility. Not a great shooter or at operating away from the basket but again he’s supposedly improved big time in the offseason. A bit undersized for a 5.

Contribution: Primary backup at 5 that should get 15-20 mins/ gm. A better system fit for Bruce I wouldn’t be surprised if he logged more mins than Austin on some nights. Mac is just an absolute stud and fan favorite who brings a ton to the table.

The GREG Ranking: #4

wait so now we can just write our own content? All we need is a site and a badge and I'll be the reporter from AU.....

 

[WDE_Tarp]

wait so now we can just write our own content? All we need is a site and a badge and I'll be the reporter from AU.....

HOLY CRAP THIS IS GENIUS. I wonder if we could somehow pull this off?