Career
Charlon Kloof is a player who has often changed teams after he finished his spell in the NCAA, and only in Murcia he has stayed longer than a season. At 30 years old he has shown that he is capable of adapting to any situation in all kinds of destinations.
Here is a review of his career as a summary:
Development years: Canarias and NCAA
As a youngster, he went through the prestigious Canarias Basketball Academy, but made the jump to the NCAA with St. Bonaventure University (Atlantic 10 Conference).
At this modest university, he shaped his game for three years, and as a senior he settled as a starting point guard who scored 11.8 points and 5 assists in 33.4 minutes on average.
First steps in Europe: Turkey, Greece, Italy and Macedonia
He crossed the ocean straight to Istanbul and played in the Turkish second division, where his good numbers led him to the Greek league.
After a good start at the Rethymno Cretan Kings, where he scored 10,6 points in 27,4 minutes in the first 13 games, Torino front office brought him to the Italian league.
There, he didn’t perform as expected and took another step back in his career. At MZT Skopje he felt important again and led the team to the national title, where he would be named MVP. In 43 games between the Macedonian league, ABA and Eurocup, he averaged 11.3 points and 4 assists, which caught the attention of UCAM Murcia.
Jump to the elite: UCAM Murcia
This was be the most promising project he had joined so far. The team coached by Ibon Navarro stood out in the Final Four of the FIBA Champions League, where they finished third, while they ended up 10th in ACB with 50% of wins. 8 points in 19 minutes on average were worth their continuity.
In the second year, already with Sito Alonso on the bench, the arrival of Askia Booker subtracted some usage for him. Although he played around the same minutes, he would end up leaving last summer for OGM Ormanspor in the Turkish league.
Back to his self in Turkey: OGM Ormanspor
In this unusual season, his minutes have risen (25.1) and has shared the court with another guard like Chris Warren, but they have understood quite well and the performance has been good, to the point of increasing up to 61% in true shooting.
Style of play
He is a guard that can occupy both positions on the backcourt. Without being an outside shooting specialist, he is physical on both sides of the court and brings intensity.
To get to know him a little better, we analyse him in the different game situations that are most common for him.
Pick & Roll offense
Kloof is a good pick & roll player and has reached the 85th percentile according to Synergy (International). He has a tendency to go towards the hoop, where he is more efficient, and with his physical tools he is able to finish above his opponent, whether it is his defender or the big guy that comes to help.
As a passer, he can also do a lot of damage, and he has been able to add 1.476 PPP on his passes to roll man. He can also take advantage of the gravity of the roll to a spot up three. Of course, this also depends on the efficiency of his teammates, but it is clear that he has the ability to generate from this situation.
Isolation
Following the theme of being a handling guard, he does not hesitate to take responsibility when playing 1 on 1. His dribble is fine and different finishes allow him to attack any opponent guard. Again, he is better at scoring from close to the basket, and he has strength and experience to do so with 15 out of 16 at the rim this season.
Transition
In Turkey we have seen him with better numbers in this section (70th percentile). He likes to push early on, both after a defensive rebound or an opponent basket rival. He finishes with explosive dunks or layups after some contact, and is a weapon to be used in teams that like to run, but always trying to keep the percentage of turnovers under control.
Assists
He is not a pass first guard and over time he has become more of a scorer than a creator for his teammates. However, he has good vision and knows how to find his teammates, as we have seen in the pick & roll section. Sometimes, he is conservative in the pass, but that also helps to minimize turnovers, although as we see in the video he is able to get good assists.
Catch & Shoot
In the last three years he has moved around 1 point for possession in spot-up situations, and although he is not a born shooter (36% on three pointers this season with 2 attempts per game), he cannot be ignored in this situation. Good shooter from the corners, where he has a sweet spot, either waiting for the ball or relocating after a drive.
Steals
At 1.91m and in good shape, he can press his opponents and do some damage. He is also able to successfully steal the ball from the weak side and is usually ready to help. I think he has enough level to raise his defensive performances a little bit, but in general he complies and gets stops in his pair.
Pick & roll defense
He can put pressure on the opponent guard. Sometimes he has trouble navigating screens, but if he goes under he usually gets back for the shot as he tries to recover. He has legs to be a competent defender in this side of the game, although obviously he won’t be interested in a switch with the big man because of the height and weight difference, but he can handle both «2s» and «3s».
Statistical profile
We have seen a significant improvement in his passing game in situations of pick & roll, rising to the 96th percentile (International) to the roll man, after two seasons in Murcia with bad records in that regard (0.778 and 0.875 PPP).
Next year we will see if it is something temporary, but in that sense he arrived with good numbers from Skopje (1 PPP) and, after leaving Murcia, he has shined again, so maybe the scheme played a role or the efficiency of his partners also had some influence.
Likewise, his production in transition has also increased considerably. Of course, we must also take into account that the Spanish league is more demanding than the Turkish one. In any case, the Dutchman has shown that he can be a solid guard with starting minutes or come off the bench in higher level teams where he does not carry so much load but can contribute on both sides of the court.
His 61% in True Shooting gives him that profile of a point guard that is solid in attack and maximizes scoring opportunities. However, in this reduced season (he has played only 19 games) we must assess the numbers with caution. Depending on histeam next season, we will be able to evaluate which profile and responsibility suits him best.
We compare his offensive profile with other guards in the Turkish, Spanish and German leagues:
Conclusion
Charlon Kloof is a safe bet for mid-level teams in the major European leagues. He has been proving what he is capable of for many years and is now in his prime.
This last season has served to clear some doubts that arose in Murcia, where the game plan was not the most ideal to see him shine. In Ormanspor we have seen that he can play with another point guard like Chris Warren, either as an initiator or more off ball, especially for that corner shot I mentioned.
He’s also a regular in the Dutch team, where he’s used to leading the team. Without a doubt, he is a good choice for teams looking for a guard with physical presence, experience and the ability to either take responsibility or be a second option.
