Texas basketball commit Chendall Weaver's many talents

Seth Fowler graduated from Texas in 1998. Since 2004, he has been helping home buyers and sellers in the DFW Metroplex. Whether new construction, existing homes, investment property, or land, he is your Real Estate Sherpa - guiding you through the process, making it an enjoyable experience. Based in Tarrant County, however, he will help connect you with a quality Realtor anywhere in Texas, the United States, or in the world. When looking to purchase or sell real estate in this new market, call Seth at 817.980.6636.

• • • • •

Chendall Weaver, a transfer from Texas-Arlington who committed to the Longhorns, is a highly athletic guard that can also shoot the three with high efficiency. Playing for the UT-A Mavericks this past season, Weaver put up 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and two assists per game in 29.5 minutes.

As a true freshman, Weaver started 25 of the 32 games he played in, and was a clear leader statistically for his team: he finished third in points per game, second in rebounds per game, and second in assists per game. He's a true all-around guard that possesses game-changing athleticism and has three more years of eligibility.

Without further adieu, let's break down Chendall Weaver's game.

• • • • •

• • • • •

ATHLETICISM/FINISHING.

Chendall Weaver is a very impressive athlete, an explosive leaper at 6'3. Though he didn't have great numbers at the rim in his freshman campaign, he's absolutely demonstrated flashes of ability to score on contested takes inside the paint.

Watch an example below of Weaver's body control. He's trying to complete the Euro-step when he meets his defender mid-air, yet is able to hang in space and get the shot to go, drawing the foul in the process. The ability to complete the three-point play here is very important because his drive made the defense completely collapse, with three Abilene Christian defenders surrounding him upon landing.

This can be very advantageous. The magnetism that comes with a guy who can attack the basket is so important for offensive spacing, allowing for kicks to the weak-side for open shots as well as attempting to finish these tougher plays.

Another example here of Weaver's athleticism on the finish – watch the double-clutch he does after making contact with the defender. He keeps the ball high and his eye on the basket, allowing him to hit the shot upon descending from the initial jump. It takes real skill as well as upper-body control to be able to contort yourself in a manner that allows you to score through the contact in this situation.

He also demonstrates a bit of a double jump when going for the potential miss, which is another indicator of good athleticism.

• • • • •

DISTRIBUTION.

Weaver is a pretty solid passer for his age, with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio (2 to 1.2). He shows flashes of elite distribution occasionally, however, like in the examples I"m about to show.

Watch what he does below in this clip. He's beaten his man already on his cut, where he comes from the opposite side to take the pass from the guard on the wing. As soon as he gets the ball, he's looking for a cutter to the rim, which he finds pretty quickly. He delivers it perfectly out of the reach of the defender, leading to an easy basket by the big.

In the following clip, Weaver attacks from the wing after receiving the pass, immediately headed towards the rim, where he's met by two three defenders; this will obviously leave some one open, and in this case, it's UTA's #22. #22 finishes through contact, giving Weaver the assist after an intelligent use of vision after being stuck in an awkward spot on the baseline.

• • • • •

SHOOTING OFF THE CATCH.

Weaver is an excellent shooter off the catch, illustrated by his 40.2% three-point shooting. According to Synergy Sports, he averages 1.21 points per shot when he's assisted, which puts him in the 85th percentile in the country. When guarded on the catch-and-shoot, he averages an extremely impressive 1.43 points per shot, ranking him in the 98th percentile.

Below is a good clip of his shot-making ability when set up in a good spot without having to create his own space. He catches, gathers, and sinks the three from the right wing, like my uncle's political leanings.

He has great mechanics and gets good arc on the shot, which is important considering he's just 6'3. The fact he can elevate over taller defenders and still maintain the shooting stroke's trajectory is really impressive.

Below is another example of his shooting prowess. Here, he just stands on the left wing, like my mom's politics, waiting for the pass. His defender is focused inside on the point guard's threat of driving the rack, and he gives Weaver enough space to easily get a wide-open look.

He hits a quick release off the reception, getting the ball out of his hands before his opponent can close out properly. Three points for the UT-A Mavericks.

• • • • •

TRANSITION PLAY.

Noting his athletic prowess and speed, as well as his finishing ability, you can probably piece together that Chendall Weaver is pretty effective in the fast -break. His distribution in the fast-break leaves a bit to be desired, but that will come in time. He is very capable of taking an opponent's turnover and scoring on the other end.

Watch the play below. His speed is on display here as he takes a tipped pass the other way for two. I know I discussed his athleticism already, but I'm just so surprised that no one was talking about this guy last summer. He's not perfect obviously, and his stats aren't outrageous, but the ability is so obvious to me. I will get to his weaknesses in a bit, but he's absolutely an important piece for this Longhorns program.

In another instance, Weaver shows an incredible ability to finish at the rim, absorbing the contact but still managing to get the bucket in mid-air while drawing a foul in the process. If this Texas defense can reliably force takeaways in live-ball situations, Weaver is absolutely a guy that can help take advantage of opposing miscues.

The things that Chendall Weaver needs to work on to get to the next level as a player are: (1) shooting off the dribble, (2) tightening his handle, and (3) becoming more consistent on the defensive side. Working on his handle would be a smart investment of time because that will naturally affect his confidence when shooting the ball off the bounce.

I've shown you the mechanics present on his catch-and-shoot opportunities; there is no reason he can't translate that to a shot on the move. Of course, it will be more difficult for a guy like Weaver to withstand the brutal physicality that defines the Big XII's basketball personality, as he's not played a tough schedule in college. The highest-ranked team UT-A played last year was LSU, where Weaver scored just six points.

I am however still very excited about this pickup. He doesn't seem like a "warm body to roll out there" as my dad used to say about spare players. Weaver has the potential to be a fantastic lead guard, maybe not completely this season, but as a junior. He will definitely have to iron out the kinks in his game to become a more effective overall piece, but I really like his athleticism, his shooting off the catch, and his distribution.

Some of these faults will be exacerbated in league play, of course, as I mentioned earlier. But I believe in Terry's ability to evaluate talent and know how to build a roster. We will see the end result when the dust settles on the transfer portal in general.

• • • • •

@KeenanWomack on Twitter.