John LINEHAN
LINEHAN, John
STRENGTHS: In his position, he’s one of the best defender in Europe. A steal specialist, he has extremely quick hands, he takes it off the opponents’ hands and covers the passing lanes well. He grabs a rebound here and there. In terms of sliding through the screens, he has few peers. He leads by example. He makes the attitude of the team better. On offense, he seldom makes any mistakes and never forces the issue when running the plays. WEAKNESSES: He’s on top on defense, but he’s a lot less influential on offense. He neither scores much nor creates plays. He rarely shoots from the arc, which makes him predictable. He only drives when he has the possibility to go all the way. His limited size makes it difficult for him to face the help defense. As a point-guard, he only knows one way to play, he neither excels as a passer nor as a dribbler. CAREER: He came out of Providence with the best record of steals in the whole NCAA history. He did well at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament but struggled in his first pro years, without playing much and doing very little in the minors in the USA. He arrived in Europe without credentials and a modest contract. He was an important player at Paris, earning himself a call from Strasbourg, who was in the Euroleague. Won the French league title with Cholet in 2010 before moving to Nancy, where he already played in 2006-07. EVALUATION: Difficult not to appreciate somebody who plays with such a great will. He has a huge heart and can make the difference thanks to the pressure he puts on the ball on defense. Had a couple of spells here and there, but really performed at his best in France, with Nancy and Cholet. On offense, he’s not asked to put his teammates into the rhythm. A point guard with limited tasks and without upside.
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