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2020 NBA Draft thread

#1hiphopjunki3

Go Spurs Go!!
Since the NBA season is in flux I figured I should get a head start on sharing info about this upcoming draft class.

PROSPECT RANKINGS
*ORDER WITHIN TIERS IS FLUID & TIER 2 IS SORTED BY POSITION.

Tier 1

Anthony Edwards (university of Georgia)
Height: 6'5" Wingspan: 6'9" Weight: 225 Age: 18.6


Lamelo Ball (Illawarra) Australian Basketball League
Height: 6'7" Wingspan: 6'10" Weight: 180 Age: 18.5

Cole Anthony (university of North Carolina)
Height: 6'3" Wingspan: 6'4" Weight: 190 Age: 19.8

Tyrese Maxy (university of Kentucky)
Height: 6'3" Wingspan: 6'6" Weight: 198 Age: 19.3


Tier 2

Nico Mannion (university of Arizona)
Height 6'3" Wingspan 6'3" Weight 190 Age 19


Killian Hayes (Ratiopharm Ulm) German League
Height 6'6" Wingspan 6'8" Weight 185 Age 18.6

Theo Maledon (Asvel) French League/Euroleague
Height 6'5" Wingspan 6'8" Weight 175 Age 18.7

RJ Hampton (NZ Breakers) Australian Basketball League
Height 6'5" Wingspan 6'7" Weight 185 Age 19.1

Issac Okoro (Auburn University)
Height 6'6" Wingspan 6'9" Weight 225 Age 19.1

Deni Advija (Maccabi Tel Aviv) Euroleague
Height 6'8" Wingspan 6'9" Weight 210 Age 19.2

James Wiseman (university of Memphis)
Height 7'1 Wingspan 7'5" Weight 240 Age 18.9

Onyeka Okongwu (university of Southern California)
Height 6'9" Wingspan 7'1" Weight 245 Age 19.2


 
Anthony Edwards (UGA)

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Net Rating
: +1.4

Athleticism / Frame Overview: Strong, elite athlete off two feet and very good off one. Quick reaction time with hands and changing body position – quick hip turns and quick hands. Quick first step / burst, with good acceleration getting downhill – strength allows him to stay on his path without getting bumped by defenders…does a nice job actually dislodging them on his way and at the rim. Has really quick feet, even when his stance is a bit too far wide – makes me think that there might be another lateral quickness level (or at least more consistency) if he brings his feet closer in a little.

Mentality Overview: Aggressive on ball as a scorer and competitive on defense when he’s involved – PnR, ISO, etc. (though PnR needs consistency). Floats on defense when he’s playing off ball (not much of a team defender doing the little things) and is a bit too stationary when he’s not on ball on offense, or moving to get the ball . Very self-aware of his mistakes and seems like a very coachable player based on reports and the Mike Schmitz video, but shot selection on offense is still concerning.

Offensive Role: Scoring / engine G – not someone I would want initiating the offense without other plus playmakers (and capable scorers) around him. His size should give his lineup versatility. Probably more of a secondary-tertiary option on a good team instead of a #1 option on playoff team. Needs playmakers around him, unless his passing ability improves a lot

Defensive Role: Edwards the size and quickness to be a menace POA / man to man defender at the 1 or 2, but needs work on his IQ in order to be an all-around impact player. Needs to improve team defense (tagging, stunting, 2-9, playing pin, etc), because he’s way too stationary now and needs to be more ready off ball to help – zones out off ball.




 
Anthony Edwards Offense

Finishing: Good, not great finisher. Strong driver and does a nice job using his physicality on drives, but can learn to use his body better at the rim to dislodge players and finish through contact – even though 16 and 1s is a good number through 21 games, it could be higher if he learned to use his strength better on the attempt and not try to avoid contact. High level cutter – does a nice job setting up the cuts faking high, and going backdoor / simply taking advantage of defenders when they turn their heads. Soft touch with either hand, though his right hand is better at the moment. Can finish off one feet or two, though way more powerful off two. Hard to bump off his spot on drives due to strength. Nice job using his length instead of short-arming the finish. Has some weird misses in the paint, so there is still room for touch to improve. Nice body control getting around the defenders in the paint / on the way to the paint. Finishing numbers should improve if / when he learns to use his body better around the rim, because the body control is nice, strength is very nice, and has a soft touch with either hand. 5 dunks in the halfcourt vs 6 shots blocked in the paint (due to forced attempts). Does not have a high free throw rate due to overreliance on jumper. Edwards draws fouls (4 a game), but this could be higher if he didn’t settle for as many jumpers as he currently does.

Shooting: Not a great shooter, but there is reason to buy stock in his shooting. He has good form, has a very smooth looking jumper mechanically (natural lean and maybe a slight elbow flare), and he’s a solid FT shooter for age. In addition, he’s 17/38 on pure C&S jumpers. The numbers don’t look good at first glance because of the low percentages, but it’s not indicative of his shooting ability as much as it shows how much the UGA offense relies on him for perimeter creation and his shot selection. Though there can be some minor tweaks with his form, I don’t think change is entirely necessary – his release is the same on C&S and off the bounce Js, he gets good bounce on his shot, has a quick set in the lower body and transfers energy quickly from the load to the release, and can square up well in air. Streaky outside shot as of now, but he can get hot pretty quickly and then his shot becomes a flamethrower, hitting shots from deep off the bounce and well contested – the shots he can hit when hot are not great shot selections, but just shows that when he’s hot, he’s hot and very hard to stop. Also, his shot is damn near impossible to block for wings given the high release point (see below). He has a really seamless transition from handle with either hand to shot on all off the bounce jumpers – full speed downhill pullups, stepbacks, side-steps, and just “basic” crosses into Js. His ability to have consistent form regardless of setting and while at the same time showing the ability to hit pretty much every shot in the book is rare. Shot selection needs to be cleaned up and he still needs to get more reps in, but I am confident in his ability score at all 3 levels…efficiency is another question, and that could be more dependent on his shot selection over anything else

Shot Versatility: Some versatility, though he’s mainly an off the bounce shooter and small movement C&S – he’s not running hard off screens. In the sample size I’ve seen from AAU to college, Edwards does not look particularly comfortable shooting off hard movement – his first instinct is to put the ball on the floor. Not someone I would call a pure shooter – more of a shot maker. He has a full off the bounce shot-making ability, going downhill, stepbacks, hesitations into jumpers, etc – nothing consistent yet, but it’s been a part of his toolbox going back to AAU (80th percentile off bounce, 46.7% adjusted FG%). My favorite part is his shotmaking ability to seamlessly shoot off a left or right handed dribble because the comfort he shows off either hand is rare – this includes going downhill / stopping on a dime, which could make him a pretty devastating PnR player if he is able to develop his jumper a bit more. I can see him becoming a 3 level scorer, though maybe not the most efficient (unless he starts attacking the rim a bit more). Teams won’t be able to go under him out of fear of him hitting a 3, and if they go over, he could pull up going either direction or take it to the rim (while he does finish better with his right hand now, he still can finish well with his left for his age and there is reason to think it will continue to develop). Good catch and shoot player, though not someone who is a real movement heavy shooter – more basic movement, as in relocations, pindowns, etc. 83rd percentile on “pure” C&S (67.1% adjusted FG%) on 38 attempts. Wasn’t asked to play off ball much, and the actions he had off screens were more to get him going downhill…and his first instinct off the screens was to put the ball on the floor, so I’m not sure he has too much comfort here in strict C&S off screens. He has deep range off the bounce and on C&S. When playing off screens, Edwards’ first reaction is to put the ball down – if he gets rid of this habit, there is potential for some pindown / off screen actions due to his speed, good (and high) release, ability to set his man up on cuts (maybe some potential to do the same off screens?), and ability to square up on the release in air. Good PnR and ISO scoring potential – though inconsistent, he shows the ability to get where he wants and hit from all 3 levels. 12-18 on ISO shots at the rim is good, though would like to see more attacks.


Shot Versatility: Some versatility, though he’s mainly an off the bounce shooter and small movement C&S – he’s not running hard off screens. In the sample size I’ve seen from AAU to college, Edwards does not look particularly comfortable shooting off hard movement – his first instinct is to put the ball on the floor. Not someone I would call a pure shooter – more of a shot maker. He has a full off the bounce shot-making ability, going downhill, stepbacks, hesitations into jumpers, etc – nothing consistent yet, but it’s been a part of his toolbox going back to AAU (80th percentile off bounce, 46.7% adjusted FG%). My favorite part is his shotmaking ability to seamlessly shoot off a left or right handed dribble because the comfort he shows off either hand is rare – this includes going downhill / stopping on a dime, which could make him a pretty devastating PnR player if he is able to develop his jumper a bit more. I can see him becoming a 3 level scorer, though maybe not the most efficient (unless he starts attacking the rim a bit more). Teams won’t be able to go under him out of fear of him hitting a 3, and if they go over, he could pull up going either direction or take it to the rim (while he does finish better with his right hand now, he still can finish well with his left for his age and there is reason to think it will continue to develop). Good catch and shoot player, though not someone who is a real movement heavy shooter – more basic movement, as in relocations, pindowns, etc. 83rd percentile on “pure” C&S (67.1% adjusted FG%) on 38 attempts. Wasn’t asked to play off ball much, and the actions he had off screens were more to get him going downhill…and his first instinct off the screens was to put the ball on the floor, so I’m not sure he has too much comfort here in strict C&S off screens. He has deep range off the bounce and on C&S. When playing off screens, Edwards’ first reaction is to put the ball down – if he gets rid of this habit, there is potential for some pindown / off screen actions due to his speed, good (and high) release, ability to set his man up on cuts (maybe some potential to do the same off screens?), and ability to square up on the release in air. Good PnR and ISO scoring potential – though inconsistent, he shows the ability to get where he wants and hit from all 3 levels. 12-18 on ISO shots at the rim is good, though would like to see more attacks.


 
Anthony Edwards Defense


Awareness / Team Defense: Makes highlight plays, but not a consistent team defender / having high awareness. Not a defensive playmaker off ball, more so on ball with his quick reactions / hands. Can take advantage of poor passes and shows some flashes shooting the gap with his quick first step, but defensive playmaking is not consistent. He’ll make some nice rotations from time to time, but he’s not someone who consistently defends rotates around the perimeter keeping the shell or rotate down when he has to. There are some flashes, but his off ball defense needs work. Not someone who does the little things off ball like keeping hands out, stunting, digging, 2-9ing / playing the block, playing pin in PnR. Need to be more consistent and play with a higher sense of urgency / effort on the defensive end. Ball watches a bit too much.

Rim Protection: Not a high-level rim protector outside of some highlight blocks (MSU game comes to mind). He’s not someone who rotates particularly well to protect the rim – he can be late to cutters and drives. Needs to do a better job being ready to move and help from the weak side, because with his pop + strength, he should be able to contest shots well at the rim. Needs to learn to 2-9 and play the block. When defending the rim on his man driving to the rim, he does a nice job contesting those shots with his quick leap and his length.

PnR Defense: Has the lateral quickness, strength, and ability to get over screens, but he needs to improve consistency. Potential switching in pinches due to size/strength. Does a nice job getting skinny and over the top and actually sliding to beat the ballhandler to the spot instead of having to turn and recover / play from behind when he wants to – not consistent here. His footwork in the PnR shows promise, with his first step going over with his lead instead of moving his back foot first – fewer steps at POA = easier to get over, as it’s one less step you need to recover from. Active hands from behind reaching in creating turnovers (similar to what Morant did last year), though I’d like to see him make a more consistent effort getting back in the play instead – risky poking the ball out, as it could lead to fouls and it puts the defense in a precarious situation if he misses. When going under, does not do a good job getting back to the shooter – ends up giving up open jumpers. Has the length and burst to contest, but just does a poor job here. Tries to swipe at the POA, which can work (and has worked a decent amount) due to his quick hands, but it also leaves him open to being burned by drives as it leaves him flatfooted and slower to react – he does the same thing in ISO defense from time to time. Doesn’t always stay in his stance though and stays upright, which leads to him turning his body at POA.



Shot Contests /
Closeouts: Has the length and reaction time to contest shots, but does not do a good job getting out to shooters when they’re not right in front of him – many shots he gives up are pretty open / lightly contested. The annoying part is that he has shown nice flashes of covering ground and contesting shooters pretty quickly…as with other areas off ball, it’s not consistent and his effort comes and goes. However, when he’s defending players in isolation, he does a nice job contesting – it could just be an effort issue off ball. I would also like to see him clean up his readiness on closeouts and not allowing driving lanes as often as he does. He has quick reactions / COD which can help him get around this issue to a certain extent in college, but it likely won’t work as well in the NBA. Needs to work on closing out under more control, give more effort getting out to the perimeter, and stay away from biting on fakes.

Off Ball Defense: Prone to losing his man off ball due to ball watching – does not do a good job tracking his man off ball / keeping his head on a swivel. Does not do a good job getting through screens – poor angles/technique/footwork and just looks lazy and disinterested. Does not do a good job getting out to shooters to contest after the screen, either. The flashes here weren’t very promising either, and there were not many to even hand his hat on…

Man (ISO) Defense: Has ability to shut down multiple positions due to very quick feet, anticipation, good hips, strength, and length…but needs to stop reaching, as this takes him out of position defensively and NBA player s can exploit this and draw fouls. Quick hands and quick reactions. He doesn’t always stay in his stance (gets up too high, sits on heels a bit too much, etc), but can still stick with most players due to his very quick feet – this makes me believe there is more man to man defensive potential waiting to be unlocked if he is able to stay in his stance more often. Does a great job getting into players physically without being too physical, using hands, and making the ballhandler uncomfortable. Excellent anticipation and quickness laterally. If he is beaten off the bounce, he does a good job turning his body and trying to get back in the play. Is prone to crowding the ballhandler when it’s not necessary. Though he can stick with some players despite being very close at the POA, staying back to a “normal” amount gives him the ability to cut the ballhandler off either before he reaches his spot or at his spot- basically, there is no benefit to crowding ballhandlers when he is very effective playing defense from a normal distance. Prone to not always finishing out plays when beaten off the bounce.

Footwork: In space, it’s good for a freshman – main thing I would try to hone in on is getting him to stay in his stance (off heels, too) bring in his feet a bit. He moves really well despite the things he can tweak, which gives me reason to believe there is another level of lateral quickness (and ISO defense) that he can unlock. When he relaxes in his, as mentioned above, he can turn his body into the defense at the POA in the PNR, making it difficult to get through unscathed (on set screens and slipped screens). He shows major flashes getting over the top with the proper footwork (more often than not, it’s quite good), so the base appears to be there – the turning of the body is the random blip, not a common incident. Though there is the occasional crossing of feet, he generally does a good job sliding. As mentioned above, his footwork/technique getting through screens off ball is not good


 
James Wiseman Scouting Report

James Wiseman Scouting Report

James-Wiseman222.jpg



Athleticism / Frame Overview: Good, not great vertical athlete. Tight hips and “heavy” feet moving laterally – not particularly quick. Long-loader and doesn’t rise well in crowded spaces. Long arms with a large catch radius on lobs, entry passes, and general passes that aren’t very accurate. Very strong and well rounded strength in upper and lower body, though he can probably get a bit stronger in his base. Unsure about core strength – seems a bit unbalanced in space (and is prone to putting hands straight out to counteract the poor balance?). Wide base on perimeter that might contribute to the poor balance.

Mentality Overview: In college, he was happy playing his role. Definitely took some bad shots, but was mainly a paint and in player and appeared happy doing that. In HS/AAU, he thought his offensive game was a lot better (unicorn type) with the ability to play inside and out…and that was not good / right. Needs to consistently play to his strengths while he tries to develop his game a bit. Needs to work on using his strength more on defense and being more attentive with technique/positioning. Solid job using strength in paint, but would like to see him use it more. Active on the offensive glass. Motor doesn’t fluctuate that much – usually pretty high.

Offensive Role: Rim-runner with some potential shooting as a C&S player and maybe some PnP from midrange. Not someone I’d dump the ball down to in the post, not a passer (low ceiling as a hub), and not a movement shooter. Ideally, he’s a PnR diver / heavy screener who makes his living in the paint as a lob threat, getting early position in transition (good at this), and cleaning up the offensive glass. Some PnP from mid and maybe low volume C&S from 3, but not a high amount because he makes his money paint and in with his size

Defensive Role: Rim protector, drop big. Not someone I’d want out in space because his footwork is pretty poor, not great of turning hips, has “heavy feet,” and isn’t balanced in space. Footwork can be cleaned up to remedy some of these issues, but he’s a good rim protector when he sees what’s in front of him. Needs to work on awareness as the back-end of defense, but it improved from AAU to college (some miscommunication issues during the small sample size in college, though not necessarily his fault). Timing affecting shots around the rim is good.



 
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Post Up: Mechanical in the post and goes to fadeaways too often. Does a nice job getting position and moving away from incoming double teams, though. Would like to see him kick it out or use his size a bit more imposingly instead of settling for fades. Besides the fades, he doesn’t really have go-to moves. Huge target in the post due to wingspan and does a nice job sealing his man allowing for entry passes over the top. Going back to AAU/HS, he’d force post ups with better looks available from teammates.

Shooting: Not much there yet, but there is reason to buy the shot. Nice and high release (very difficult to contest) with no major form issues and a smooth release, good FT shooter for a freshman big, and hit a few on limited attempts this year. Likes the turnaround J from the post, though, as mentioned above, he settles sometimes for those when he has an advantage situation. Shot is a bit less smooth (and slower) the further from the block he gets, though still not broken – also looks like he has a natural lean on C&S, which is probably something that should be cleaned up. Potential PnP player going forward and I can see him adding range including some 3s, though I’m don’t really think he’ll be hitting PnPs from 3s – just spot ups, which is probably not something you’d want in high volume because of how impactful he is on the offensive glass. In HS/AAU, as with postups, he’d force shots – thought of himself as a unicorn instead of a mere paint player. He did hit some jumpers, but would often takes some pretty atrocious off the bounce shots.

Shot Versatility: Probably not much here going forward. I can see some low volume 3s potentially and some PnPs from midrange…but you’d want to limit those attempts due to how impactful he is on the offensive glass. Don’t see him taking PnPs from 3 or off the bounce Js. Flashed some post fades away from double teams that had nice footwork (hit a couple), but I’d look to limit these too – don’t want him taking too many because of his size.

Shot IQ: Not great. Going back to EYBL, his shot IQ was in question. He’s such a big player that you’d wish he would use his size more and bully players, but he didn’t – wanted to play finesse more than use his strength. Did the same in college where he’d take post fades when he had a mismatch. In college, Coach Hardaway did a great job keeping him more within his role as a paint and in player, dominating the offensive glass and rim-running in the PnR and transition (including secondary breaks). There were still definitely some blips in his shot selection, but he was pretty squared within his role at Memphis. He has a fluid turnaround J (and did a nice job turning away from help in the post to get an open look), but these shots are low percentage and he’d be better off kicking it back out to the perimeter.

Handle: Mechanical handle – not someone who has the handle, creativity, or food speed to break guys down off the bounce…not that this would be his role, as he will likely be just a play-finisher. Might have some ability with some grab and go, though I wouldn’t necessarily trust him leading a break very often, and when he does I wouldn’t want him taking many dribbles. Does not have the mobility or handle to beat a defender who stops him on his initial take.

Passing: Not a passer. Had one nice pass vs South Carolina State in semi-transition, but that was the only one that flashed during his brief time in college. Even during AAU, he was not a passer – always way more of a finisher, or someone who tried to finish (forced a lot). Flashed some very basic passing in AAU/HS, but they were stationary looks and no PnR short roll / movement passes. Because he was boxed in to a more specific role in college (purely a finisher and screen setter), his job was to simply finish when he got the ball in the paint. However, again, going back to the AAU/HS tape, there is plenty of poor shots / missing open teammates. Turnovers weren’t really an issue in the tiny sample size in college (3 turnovers in 3 games, though only 1 assist…but, again, his role was a finisher), but they were in AAU/HS. As a rising senior, he had turnovers to 14 assists in 21 games in Peach Jam and EYBL. As a junior, he was at 18 turnovers to 9 assists. There is ample evidence that he is severely lacking as a passer and decision-making / feel going back to his pre-college tape. His role in the NBA should be one that minimizes the thinking on the fly aspect…unless he is able to develop it in time, which means the game would have to slow down for him quite a bit. Keep him as a rim runner / screener.

 
Awareness / Team Defense: Needs work. I go into more detail through different lenses below, but rotations on the perimeter need work, rotations underneath need work, and it appears like he sees/processes things on the court a step late (which makes sense when watching his decision-making on offense). There were a few plays (mainly on the interior) where he showed solid help awareness, but they were basic rotations that he saw coming – no quicker plays that required faster processing on the move. Does not process things quickly – this is why he’s often caught out of position in the PnR. Does not do a good job paying attention to his man if he’s in movement / action off ball and the action on ball. Also needs to work on helping more on off ball screens – he primarily focuses (eyes and body) on his man and not seeing man and action.

Rim Protection: High level rim protector who does an awesome job using his length to make things difficult. Prone to biting on fakes, but generally does a good job simply going straight up – the issue of biting on fakes was common in AAU and HS. His vision on defense / awareness is pretty limited to what is in front of him as a rim protector – he’ll contest shots well when they’re in front of him and he sees it coming, but if it’s a quicker, bang-bang, play that requires more defensive awareness, he can be late rotating. Rim protection looked better in college than it did in AAU, which is potentially a good sign (limited sample size, poor college opponents besides Oregon), but was still sometimes overly reliant on his reach + pop (which isn’t great in tight spaces) to contest instead of rotating properly and still bit on a few fakes. Would like to see him improve his rim protection by rotating first instead of simply relying on athleticism, because it’s not going to be as effective in the NBA against bigger and better athletes.

Defense in Space: Not very comfortable in space. Looks off balance / can be shaken when he’s out there, which could be a core strength issue or it could just be how he is. I don’t think he’ll ever be fully comfortable out there, so he’s primarily going to be a drop big in coverage. Definitely needs to work on footwork. Prone to crossing feet, hands sometimes go out if someone drives resulting in fouls or a lack of contest. Very wide base too, which should probably be brought in a bit as this might help his lateral movement and change of directions. Hips aren’t slow, but they’re not quick either. Has “heavy feet.” However, there were a few solid defensive possessions in space moving his feet against smaller players or a big facing up. Still not someone I would want switching very often.

PnR Defense: Average PnR defender. Takes bad angles giving ballhandler an area to attack, does not communicate well with the point of attack defender (though it could have just been the small sample size), hips don’t turn very fluidly (though there was a nice flash vs Oregon and vs SCST), and his feet are somewhat heavy. When he is in drop coverage and well positioned, he does a decent job containing the PG (and is pretty quick to react and contest) …but his positioning can be pretty terrible and take him out of plays entirely either by being too far back, opening up hips too much giving an angle to drive, or staying too far back – drop coverage positioning is hit or miss, even though it’s where he’s probably “best” and will likely be his coverage going forward. I don’t think he’s particularly good recovering back to his man, which will only be exploited against better shooting bigs…he’d also require help off ball from teammates against rolling bigs, which would then force him to run to the open man who rotated to help him, which is not something I am confident he can do based on his slower reaction time, hips, and foot speed, and also because his defensive awareness needs work – not sure he’d know where to run without someone telling him where to go first. Basically, needs a lot of work here all around…though there is potential here as a drop big if he learns positioning better.

Shot Contests: Nice job using his length to contest shots when he can get there in time, but he’s not very quick to shooters. Also, doesn’t fully close à seems like he hesitates on some shooters and starts his choppy steps too early. This goes to the unease he feels space. In drop PnR coverage, does a nice job contesting the ballhandler’s shots. Not particularly quick getting out to shooters, especially if it requires a change of direction. As mentioned above, positioning in drop coverage is hit or miss – flashed a couple of decent contains, but would also be too far back in coverage, and in turn, late to contest the shot.

Off Ball Defense: Generally, not great. Improvements have definitely been made from AAU to college, but he still has a ways to go. When his man is setting a screen off ball, Wiseman pretty much only pays attention to his man – no hedge to help the player receiving the screen, he ignores the action away from his man, etc. Slow to recover to the open man, which goes to the awareness / reaction time / footspeed and hip turn issues I have. Not someone you want defending bigs who can shoot off movement because I think he lumbers a bit too much.

Man Defense: Would like to see him be a bit more physical and use his frame / strength to bother players instead of just his length. He has a strong base and strong upper body with room to grow. Flashed ability to defend slower bigs in space / non-shooting bigs, but he’ll likely have issues trying to keep up with the quicker bigs who tend to play in space more. Heavier feet with a base that’s a bit too wide in his stance + hip turns aren’t that great, but not horrible (average, basically).

Footwork: Needs work. Footwork in the PnR is quite often bad. As mentioned above, he’s better in drop coverage, but that’s mainly a safety thing with him being better here than hedging and recovering, switching, etc. However, even here, there were plenty of red flags. In the college notes I have on the games I watched, there were plenty of drop coverage issues – poor angles / staying too far back, bad communication, and not closing the gap to the shooter quickly enough. He’d often be caught out position giving up easy driving lanes either standing on the wrong side of the screen or opening up his hips, not react to a ballhandler quickly enough (sometimes, not at all…thus putting pressure on his teammates to rotate well), etc. Quickness wise, he’s not really there either. He has “heavy” feet moving laterally (but is fast in a straight line)…and doesn’t turn his hips particularly well, though he’s not stuck in cement either – just average here, I’d say. He had a few flashes mirroring the ballhandler in PnR (did a nice job on Pritchard with 18:50 left in 2nd half v Oregon) and sliding cutting off a drive pretty well in PnR (1:10 left in first half v SCST). Prone to crossing feet and takes pretty wide steps with a wide base – would like to see him bring his feet in a bit, as it might help with lateral movement (and balance on the perimeter).


 
Athleticism / Frame Overview: Nice straight-line athlete (nice transition player) with solid reactions, but not quick laterally and does not have much vertical pop in crowded areas. Flashes nice acceleration. Hip turns aren’t very good – a bit rigid, though also not bad for a wing. Solid strength for his age and plays pretty physical, but definitely room to improve in both the upper and lower body. Needs to improve balance.

Mentality Overview: Competitive and a really hard worker – from what I have been told, he is an incredibly hard worker – gets to practice before and stays late getting shots up, and also gets extra shots up after games if he has a bad shooting night. He holds himself to an incredibly high standard (and his dad apparently pushes him to get better and put in the work), which is good, but he apparently can get too down on himself if he has a bad game – needs to keep a more even demeanor. Does a nice job playing his role on both ends regardless of what it is – is comfortable playing a more lead role, but can also play a background role. On defense, he competes and does a nice job defending a variety of players (though he can be beaten off the bounce by quicker players and bullied in post by stronger ones).
  • Also, he comes from an athletic family. His father is a former professional basketball player in Israel, for Red Star, and the Yugoslavian National team in FIBA. His mother was a track athlete.

Offensive Role: 2-3rd playmaking option forward who can split time between both positions. Can run PnR as the ballhandler or as the big and beat smaller players in the post on the mismatch – some potential going forward spacing from 3, though he has to clean up his form and will likely not be a movement shooter (besides basic / non-heavy movement). I’m particularly intrigued with the idea of the inverted PnR being run with true shooters

Defensive Role: Combo F who, if he gets stronger, will be physical enough to defend both at a solid level. Has nice awareness / rotations to protect the rim, but his lack of pop and poor measurements will limit his effectiveness here. Smart rotations on the perimeter as well. Will likely not be a high level defender, but he won’t be someone you have to hide – above average, solid defender


 
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