Alumni Profile: Rudy Gay

Name: Rudy Gay

Team: Memphis Grizzlies

Position: Small Forward

Looking Back: Rudy Gay was entering his third year on a young team and had to adjust to an incoming superstar in O.J. Mayo that plays a similar style of ball, though at a different position. It wasn’t easy for the high flyer and he didn’t show much improvement statistically throughout the year with only his three point percentage rising a hair. His team had trouble finding the chemistry to compete in the West and floundered at the bottom of the league.

The Good: Rudy is UConn’s most athletic alumni in the NBA and is at his best in the open court and slashing to the rim. He has slowly worked on his jumper and has improved, but it isn’t a reliable weapon yet. He is a scorer though, ranking 16th in the NBA in field goal attempts and 18th in field goals made.

The Bad: Defense isn’t Rudy’s best attribute. While he does get his hands on the ball, ranking 22nd in steals, he isn’t known for his ability to shut down an opposing player. He also has issues with ball security and is ranked 22nd in turnovers a game at 2.57. With the leaping ability that Gay possesses, he doesn’t block shots, ranking a horrible 41st in the NBA at .75 a game.

Looking Ahead: Rudy and the Grizzlies look like they have a team that could compete for a bottom of the echelon playoff spot, but they need to find that team chemistry that they lacked last year. Entering his fourth year, Rudy should have the maturity and focus on becoming a leader that he needs to be.