February 9, 2010
A weekly feature in which we spotlight a player from the West Michigan area, comparing him to his NBA or major NCAA counterpart based on his playing style, talent (relative, of course), appearance or anything else that warrants a comparison.
Derek Klein attacks the basket | Craig Powers, Powers Media
Derek Klein (Otsego) — Andrea Bargnani
- Spirit animal — Heteroptera
Typically, the skill sets present on a basketball court are divided predominantly based on a player’s height. The tall guys tend to play the game one way — back to the basket, slow, plodding, strength and leverage, etc. — while the shorter players tend to play the game another way — facing the basket, quickness, finesse, shooting, etc. Although they exist on the same court, playing according to the same rules with the same ball at the same time, they’re playing two totally different games.
That is, except for those players who have the height and strength of a post player, complete with defensive and rebounding abilities to match, combined with the overall skill-set of a guard. Except for players like the Toronto Raptors’ Andrea Bargnani, and his high school counterpart, the Otsego Bulldogs’ Derek Klein.
Like Bargnani, Klein’s game is a study of two halves.
On the defensive end, Klein is a typical PF/C. He matches up with the opponent’s biggest and best post player, while also functioning as a safety valve underneath the basket with his ability to alter shots, and then subsequently grab rebounds. In this way his influence extends to the entire Otsego team, because his presence behind them enables them to guard their man closely, without fear of being beaten to the basket.
On the offensive end, Klein really plays more like a SG/SF. His number-one asset is his remarkable shooting stroke, which is the keystone around which his entire game is built. His is a quick release, launched from high over his head which, along with his 6-5 height, makes it nearly unblockable. It is successfully launched from as far away as 25-feet on a consistent basis, forcing his defender to guard him beyond the three-point line. Because his defender is typically one of the opponent’s taller players, his guarding Klein on the perimeter opens up the lane for all manners of Otsego drives and basket-cuts, including his own.
And seeing a 6-foot-5, burly post player juking defenders and slicing to the basket is simply a thing of beauty.
Klein is not the best player in Southwest Michigan, even though he may be on the fringes of the conversation. He may not even be the best player on his team (that honor being debatable between he and younger brother Jared Klein).
Still, he’s undeniably special. Ultimately Klein is the kind of transcendent basketball player that changes the entire dynamic of a team because, like a rock thrown into a pond, his multifaceted presence alters the basketball reality of the rest of the court, creating opportunities that are otherwise non-existent.
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