NBA stars talk Rockets’ James Harden, Ben McLemore, and more at 2K tourney

McLemore’s athleticism

Deandre Ayton also mentioned Ben McLemore’s freakish athleticism during his game against Zach LaVine, saying ,”B-Mac has bounce. Especially when he was at Kansas.” Although Houston Rockets reserve Ben McLemore has permanently shifted into a sharpshooter role, he’s shown himself capable of being a highflyer as well.

As Ayton states, McLemore was an elite dunker, as he posted a 42-inch vertical at the NBA combine, which was the highest at his position, which even topped Victor Oladipo. McLemore’s hops were on display countless times during his time with the Sacramento Kings, and he churned out a banger in the 2014 Slam Dunk Contest by jumping over Shaquille O’Neal.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to view, now’s your chance.

Shaq was sitting in a high chair, and McLemore cleared it altogether, which is difficult to pull off. Many times in the dunk contest, we see players brush up against objects/players they’re trying to hurdle. That wasn’t the case for the Kansas sharpshooter, which is yet another example of B-Mac’s hops.

McLemore has shown an incredible level of versatility in the league, as he’s proven to be a highflyer and an elite sniper, which isn’t easy to do. This was on display when McLemore coined the Half Court Swish Dunk, which can be seen below, courtesy of his Instagram page.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGsakPEQHIj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again

McLemore was even labelled by Kansas coach Bill Self as the best dunker he’s coached, which self stated during an interview with Rusty Dodd of the Kansas City Star, which also speaks to Ayton’s claim about McLemore’s hops at Kansas.

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