Major Wingate

After a failed drug test led to his removal from the Tennessee men’s basketball team, Wingate played this last season in Turkey. The former Vol has elite athleticism for the center position in the NBA, but has yet to make any major improvements to his game during his post-high school career. Though he did display an improved feel, Wingate still has much progress to make to become NBA ready.

Early on the in the game, Wingate immediately made his presence felt by knocking down a 10 foot jumper on the baseline, and making an outstanding pass to a cutting guard the next time down the floor. In Turkey, the troubled center clearly spent some time playing in the high post, and there were at least 4 nice passes by Wingate to cutting guards today. Offensively, Wingate still struggles to convert anything outside of a dunk, and his shooting mechanics clearly need a major overhaul.

Defensively, Wingate showed improved positioning coming from the weak side, but still remains ineffective as a shot blocker. His lack of timing on the defensive end leads to a number of fouls, and he would be unable to remain on the floor for more than 10 minutes in the NBA for this reason. Wingate’s poor hands hurt him greatly when it comes to rebounding as well as catching the ball in traffic on the offensive end. Major Wingate has the talent and athleticism to play in the NBA, but he must fight an uphill battle to reach his potential.