DID YOU KNOW DJ SHELTON'S UNCLE IS LONNIE SHELTON!?!?!?!?!?

I've been as apprehensive about this late pickup as the next person, but I think this kid has a shot at being something special. The only thing I knew about Shelton previously was that his uncle is Lonnie Shelton, so get ready to put that on your FSN banter-bingo cards. I'm a little shocked that his AAU team was the Bay Area Hoosiers. I was not aware Indiana had a Bay Area. Speaking of shocked, I'm as shocked as you are that this blog is being updated... Let's watch a little movie and then talk about what we saw, shall we?

Some positives:

This kid has an incredibly long reach, allowing him to play 3 or 4 inches taller than he is. He's pulling boards that he has absolutely no business getting to throughout that video.

Some legitimate low post moves (read: MORE THAN ONE). Seriously, when was the last time one of our big men could get the ball on the block and do something other than barrel towards the basket and hope to not draw a charge. The spin move he pulls at the 33 second mark is just filthy.

Handles. We have a big now who can pull down a long rebound and push into transition all on his own and start a fast break (2:04 mark). We haven't had one of those since....Varem, maybe? MAYBE?

Off-Ball Movement The way this kid moves to get open down low is already pretty beautiful. Watch the Pick and Seal at around the 2:34 mark. Getting your four to move without the ball and cause havoc IS BoneBall.

Defensively I didn't pick up a ton, as most of the highlights are him getting blocks and boards, something you'd expect out of a kid with arms that long. Though it should be noted that he did anchor that 2-3 zone; something nobody on our current roster, save Bjornstad, has done with any regularity or success.

Drawbacks: He needs 15-20 more pounds on him by November. He was getting shoved around with regularity and made up for it with his arm length. Not something he'll be able to do against UCLA or even Oregon State.

I'm assuming they didn't showcase his 15 footer for a reason. Bone usually wants four players on the floor who can hit a mid-range jumper. He has a very special NBA Showdown '94 spin move that allows him to create room against players 50 lbs heavier than him, but he's not going to be deadly unless he can drill a shot from 10-15 ft out.

Bottom Line: After seeing this video, I'm much happier than I was when I thought we were taking a flyer on a JUCO throwaway. This kid has the chance to compete at the Pac-12 level THIS YEAR, and could be part of something very special 2-3 years from now.