Scouting Report on Top Florida and California High School Prospects in 2024 Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament and Hoophall Classic Title Game featuring film breakdowns from NBA and data visualizations using Cerebro Sports’ analytics.

How often do two #1 draft prospects face off in the same game?

Now ask yourself what the chances are of the #1 rated prospects in three separate classes playing in the same game, let alone doing so twice in one season.

The number one senior, Cooper Flagg (2024); the number one junior, AJ Dybantsa (2025); and the number one sophomore, Tyran Stokes (2026) all sit atop their respective big boards, projected to be the top NBA Draft picks in the near future.

Their teams, Montverde and Prolific Prep, matched up twice this season: the 2024 MAIT Championship and the Hoophall Classic, the first time in the history of hoops that ESPN aired a game featuring #1 prospects from 3 different draft classes.

(graphic via ESPN)

The Teams

Montverde Academy
Prolific Prep
Oak Ridge
Brewster Academy
Calvary Christian
DME Academy
Riviera Prep
The Rock School
Imani Christian

The Players

Cooper Flagg, AJ Dybantsa, Tyran Stokes
Asa Newell, Liam McNeeley, Shon Abaev
Jordan Tillery, Elijah Crawford, Rob Wright
Tyler Johnson, Ryan Jones Jr., Dante Allen
Derik Queen, Alden Sherrell, Moustapha Thiam
Dwayne Aristode, Winters Grady, Cameron Simpson
Mikey Lewis, Curtis Givens, Nojas Indrusaitis, Zoom Diallo

The Numbers

Let’s look at Cerebro Sports’ data to compare different impact metrics kept track by Cerebro to evaluate the stats from the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament’s standout players.

To find the best players from the tournament overall, let’s compare overall impact (C-RAM) and defensive statistical impact (DSI) to show the most impactful two-way players who impact winning the most from the handful of games in the 2024 Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament.

The visualization below graphs the most active defenders on the x-axis compared to overall winning impact on the y-axis, revealing how much of the defense component makes up each player’s overall two-way impact in these games.

Cooper Flagg (12.9), AJ Dybantsa (10.7) and Tyran Stokes (10.7) finished 1st and T-2nd respectively in Cerebro Sports C-RAM metric, rating off the charts as the most impactful players overall from the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament.

Cooper Flagg jumps off the page, dominating his games on both ends in winning affairs while filling up the box score, averaging 4 blocks and 1.7 steals in the 3-game tourney. Stokes trailed only Flagg in defensive statistical impact.

Liam McNeeley bringing defensive impact with his sniper off ball shooting and scoring versatility gives him exciting ceiling of two-way impact at the highest level.


All of the MAIT’s Top-10 most impactful players by Cerebro’s C-RAM played for Montverde or Prolific, except for three:

4th Ryan Jones Jr., The Rock School
6th Tyler Johnson, Oak Ridge
9th Dante Allen, Riviera Prep

Asa Newell, Liam McNeeley, Tyler Johnson, Dwayne Airstode and Derik Queen stand out for their overall impact, with the next range of positive impact comparitively features Aiden Sherrell, Elijah Crawford, Mason Fuentes, Curtis Givens, Winters Grady, Cameron Simpson, Joseph Hartman, Shone Abaev, Cameron Simpson, Jordan Tillery, Rob Wright, Nojus Indrusaitis, Mikey Lewis, and Zoom Diallo.

Curtis Givens, Montverde’s sixth man, ranks 2nd overall in the tournament in defensive statistical impact, much higher than one might expect given the talent in the field. Flagg, Givens, Stokes, Sherrell, McNeeley, Gaskins were the most active defenders from the tournament.

The goal of the data visualization below is to show the best offensive producers of the tournament to help predict the best Future Scoring Creators, the most efficient and most consistent offensive options for creating good shots for themselves and others.

To do so, let’s compare players’ pure scoring prowess (PSP) and floor general skills (FGS) to find high feel good decision-makers who can score effectively and create consistently. Scoring (PSP) is on the vertical y-axis, and Playmaking (FGS) is on the horizontal x-axis. Each player is marked by a circle with 3pt efficiency shown by the size and color of the circles; the bigger and brighter, the better.

Which prospects can be relied on the most as offensive engines for team-first shot creation?

AJ Dybantsa stands out for his scoring load and efficiency with the ability to set up others. Derik Queen and Ryan Jones Jr rated off the charts in scoring in these three games too.

Cooper Flagg, Liam McNeeley, Tyran Stokes, Tyler Johnson, Shon Abaev, Dante Allen, Asa Newell, Elijah Crawford, and the Fuentes brothers rate well in both playmaking and scoring, some of the more reliable shot creators from the tournament.

Dwayne Aristode, Winters Grady, Cameron Simpson rated in the Top-15 as scorers, mostly doing their damage from deep, each rating Top-3 in 3pt efficiency respectively.

Rob Wright, Curtis Givens, Jordan Tillery rate similarly positive in scoring, showing a range of good to great playmaking skills.

In the Hoopshall Classic tournament, Cooper Flagg ranked 5th in overall C-RAM, though most teams only played 1 game to Flagg’s 3. (Cameron Boozer ranked 3rd with 2 games played)

The Top-6 most impactful Hoopshall Classic players by Cerebro’s C-RAM with 2+ games played and 10+ minutes per game, with notable prospects like Cameron Boozer, Jase Richardson, Darius Acuff from the The Sunshine Classic, the last tournament held at Montverde.

Flagg racked up 12 blocks and 6 steals to only 5 fouls throughout the Hoopshall Classic, rating good to great in scoring, shooting, passing, finishing, and defense by Cerebro.

Click the YouTube LINK above for a Video Scouting Report on the Top-5 players who shined brightest in the Prolific – Montverde Matchup: (Cooper Flagg, AJ Dybantsa, Tyran Stokes, Asa Newell, Liam McNeeley)

The Film

Cooper Flagg
6’9″ Forward/Wing
Montverde Academy

• Star-stopping shot-swishing superstar
• Versatile, lengthy, active big wing defender
• Elite motor, never gives up on a play, never runs out of gas, plays hard through the final whistle
• Phenomenal rebounder using height, length, anticipation, timing
• Great vision, looks for open shooters on drives
• Well-rounded threat to score on and off the ball
• Tough shotmaker from every spot on the floor, rim-attacking dunks, 3pt range
• Cerebral ball instincts, especially off ball cuts, putbacks, rebounds, help defense blocks
• Attacks closeouts against rotating defenses to create rim shots for himself, open kickouts to teammates, fouls drawn in traffic

Players with the wingspan, height, footwork, and athleticism to guard anyone on the floor and swat any shot in sight with the timing, ball instincts, and awareness to pull it off posses a rare combination of skills eluding to a potential rim-deterring defensive anchor.

While no player is perfect, Cooper Flagg does nearly everything well on the hardwood. With a motor that doesn’t turn off, Flagg is able to fill any role, guard any player, attack the rim, shoot from deep, beat you with the pass, operate either end of a pick-and-roll, and even get hot in a post-up or pull-up style from midrange, at the rim, and from deep.

When artificially intelligent robots eventually replace human beings as basketball players, those robots will model their game after Cooper Flagg’s archetype.

With similarities to Aaron Gordon, Shawn Marion, Andrei Kirlenko, and any do-it-all stat-stuffing tall forward who brings versatility to defense and scoring before him, Cooper Flagg is The Ultimate Swish Army Knife.

Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero awards Cooper Flagg Gatorade Player of the Year (Photo Credit: WABI/Joe Greer)

Cooper filled the box score in a victory over Oak Ridge during the MOAT, posting a statline of 22 PTS (50 FG%) – 14 REB – 6 BLK – 2 STL – 3 AST/3 TO (1 foul)

Scooping a sweet pickpocket steal guarding point-of-attack, drawing a hard foul attacking the rim off the turnover, blocking a shot from behind before throwing down a monster putback one-handed slam, making a smartly timed deflection to force a turnover before a methodical fundamental footwork driving rim-finish, timing up a buzzer-beating putback showing anticipation and motor crashing the glass for rebounds, even drilling an impossible pindown pull-up turnaround jumper off the handoff for good measure, while protecting the rim racking up blocks every time you look up.

Fake handoff in-and-out dribble stepback pull-up three all in one motion. Block a shot, grab the board, push the pace, fake the kickout, eurostep through traffic, throw down the slam; death by a thousand cuts leaves opponents begging for mercy.

The Maine Event featured 2 Flagg Plants and 4 Blocks in the Hoophall Classic championship matchup…

…in the first half.

Elite modern defenders who aren’t quite traditional big men like Bam Adebayo, Jonathan Isaac, Jaren Jackson Jr., or even the all-time great Kevin Garnett himself show how Flagg’s ideal role can be maximized at the highest level, unleashing a do-it-all ball-hawking big on teams that haven’t maximized their floor spacing.

While only listed as 6’9″, The Boys Basketball Gatorade Florida Player of the Year brings nonstop energy and laser focus, quite literally every possession. Arguably the most impressive indicators of future success for Flagg’s upside is his motor. Cooper continues to contest shots, crash the boards, attack the paint, and protect the rim; all game long, no plays off.

Allowing Cooper Flagg to freeroam defensively is a recipe for disaster for opposing teams. When Flagg is matched up with a non-shooter, free to read and react as his team’s free safety, mayhem ensues; no shot is safe.

In one sequence against Prolific, Cooper fights through a screen at POA, and though too late for the shot contest, he sees the board bounce his way, leaps in to tip the board in traffic with one hand, and fights multiple opponents for the loose ball.

Then Coop brings the ball up the court looking up for a teammate to push to, gets the ball back and immediately attacks the closeout with a pumpfake low-swing dribble drive, creating open looks for others by drawing in extra eyes into the paint and no-look kicking out to the open man, creates a would-be hockey assist corner three for his team, rebounds the missed shot with another one hand tip to himself reaching over the opponent without fouling, and cleans up the play with a one-legged Dirk Fade for good measure.

Lockdown on-ball perimeter defense on top prospect AJ Dybantsa, with Flagg flipping hips getting tall/thin fighting over screens, poking at the ball stopping dribble drives, deflecting ball right out of his hands for the steal, and finding teammate Derik Queen for the fast break rim-roll reverse.

This sequence highlights Flagg’s anticipation, timing, and grab-and-go style, swatting Dybantsa’s drive with the help of McNeeley going straight up to contest in semi-transition, with Cooper scooping up the boarding and pushing the pace. Every player can improve something; this play ends with a lowlight, showing how with more game rep experience and ball control dribble drills could be beneficial for feeling out defenses with decision-making, as he challenges 3 defenders with all his teammates open behind him for trailer kickouts; Flagg gets blocked and called for a travel, losing possession.

High low back and forth between Flagg and Newell leads to a wild contested FLOATA for Flagg through contact, bending over and around the defense

Back-to-back backdoor baseline cutting slam dunks against DME’s 2-3 zone with the help of a back screen from a teammate in the paint. Flagg’s timing, hops, and cutting impact on display.

AJ Dybantsa
6’8″ Wing/Forward
Prolific Prep

• NBA GMs dream big wing star scorer with high two-way feel, winning impact, and nightly tough shot making highlights
• Elite All-Star Upside and Immediate Impact Two-Way Starter as Versatile Scoring Big Wing
• Soft touch finishing at the rim and midrange tough shots
• Deep range and shooting confidence on in-rhythm Pull-Up triples
• Potential primary scoring option at NBA level as consistent scorer on and off ball
• Good ball control, sometimes a loose dribble but burst and wingspan allow him to recover and sometimes use the looseness to create a movement advantage to throw off the defense
• Nice vision, good decision-maker, looks for teammates on kickouts when drawing defenders into paint
• Exciting player for fans as tough shot-making scorer at every level with a smooth shot release, bouncy breakaway dunks

AJ Dybantsa’s ceiling similarities ideally look something like a Paul George archetype, the modern generation’s favorite 6’8″ archetype like Tracy McGrady was for kids growing up in the early 2000s, in their incredible all-around ball skills and natural athletic two-way feel, the ability to create their own shot from any spot on the floor, keep dribble alive without losing it, and rise up with a nearly unblockable shot release for a splashy jumper from on or off the ball, with those ball instincts playing out on the other end when jumping passing lanes, blocking shots from behind, reading plays before they happen.

Brandon Miller may be the most similar type of exciting slim 6’8″ versatile big wing scoring prospect in the league today.

These high-potential wings could have a range of outcomes like Jeff Green, Harrison Barnes, Andrew Wiggins, RJ Barrett, to Tobias Harris as tall, lengthy, skilled wings who can put the rock through the net and make it look easy and natural doing it; players viewed as potential all-stars at some point in their development yet brought day one impact as starting-level forwards who can score semi-consistently in the 15-18-21 PPG range as reliable two-way starters in the right lineups dependent on the opportunity and roles.

Dybantsa dropped 22 PPG through 3 tournament games in Montverde shooting 25/37 FG and 6/12 3P. While his passing numbers were only an 11 AST / 11 TO ratio, AJ made good reads looking for shooters when his shot wasn’t available after breaking down the defense and drawing extra defenders into the paint.

Flashes elite shooting touch.

First the FLOATA drawing a big man on the switch, then picked up by a big in transition, calls his own number, drops the hesitation moves and half-spin fakeout footwork for driving contested shots, converting both runners to end the first quarter in Prolific vs. Montverde

Savvy ball and body control to break the full-court press with a give-and-go; drawing a switching big to half court, accelerating swiftly past him; spin, gather, decelerate to split a swiping help defender; stop on a dime for the touch FLOATA.

The first time these two teams met in the Hoopshall Classic, AJ Dybantsa led his team in scoring with 21 PTS – 5 REB – 4 AST

This is a pro move early in the game by AJ Dybantsa showing his advantage creation, body control, and soft finishing touch.

Draws big man on switch in PnR -> Hesi -> in-and-out dribble -> stop on a dime -> lofts up a FLOATA -> Swish

In this pick-and-roll, Dybantsa flashed his feel for the game when he’s trapped by the wide wingspans of Flagg and Queen before hitting the roller with a b-e-a-utiful touch lob pass over the top of the blitzing defenders for a rim-rolling rim-rocking slam!

Crossover hesi drive through contact AND1 against Cooper Flagg?

AJD gains momentum after Zoom breaks down the defense attacking the paint with a drive and kick, opening a gap for AJ to attack the closeout, crossover reset to force Flagg to open his hips and start backpedaling, gifting Dybantsa a half-step advantage, all the room he needs to attack the rack, stop on a time, create contact and still finish the shot falling to the floor.

The release on this shot is so high even NBA defenders would have trouble blocking it.

AJ Dybanza being able to rise up for contested middy pull-ups will make him hard to guard as a pro; tall tough shot-makers who can get to their spot and consistently hit their shot over contesting hands are hard to guard at every level.

Dybantsa dropped 21 PTS in the the Hoophall Classic Title Game, rising to the occasion as the game went on: drilling two threes, dishing out a 3pt assist kickout, and drving coast-to-coast for the one-man grab-and-go fast break FLOATA

Earlier in the tournament, AJ Dybantsa dropped 18 PTS – 9 REB -0 1 STL on 8/11 FG and 2/3 3P for Napa California’s Prolific Prep in an overtime victory against Dante Allen out of Miami, FL’s Riviera Prep.

Dybantsa flashed the full custom edition matte yellow lambo grand theft auto potential star package against Riviera Prep, showing off start-stop body control, decelerating drives, hesi handles, soft touch, wide vision, strong north-south athleticism, and deep range shooting.

AJ Dybantsa was a one-man human highlight reel: a mean drive-by dunk, a powerful tip slam, a nasty drop-off bounce pass, a corner C&S three off the in-and-out dribble kickout from Zoom Diallo, a clean decision driving through the paint for the corner kick, a nicely timed board off a miss, multiple cross-court passes into shooter pockets, sound closeouts and contests.

Prolific Prep’s Dybantsa and Stokes kept their foot on the gas in the semi finals against Brewster.

AJ is a real hooper, a monster on the hardwood, converting 10/11 FG and 2/3 3P on his way to 30 PTS – 1 STL – 1 BLK and 5 AST / 2 TO in the W. Flashes scoring versatility, next-level athleticism, shooting touch and grab-and-go body control.

Hitting contested middy pull-ups, finishing the post-up face-up stutter-rip reset driving spinning finger roll, driving and gliding right by any defender in isolation and handoff sets into decelerating finger-rolls, all while relocating with off-ball movement for plays like the zipper screen catch-and-shoot triple and timing up the backdoor cut for an easy one at the rim.

Consistently shows two-way feel, timing, effective use of length advantage and defensive awareness for deflections, steals, stops, with 4PT swings off turnovers ofrten created.

In this game against Brewster, AJD scoops up the loose ball recovery and throws down a tip slam off the turnover; then he sees a pass coming, jumps the passing lane for an anticipatory steal and breakaway highlight slam, then patiently protects the rim blocking a reverse, then flips hips at point of attack defense and fights through a screen to force the guard into a travel, then grabs and goes off a rebound with a flashy highlight behind-the-back dribble and alley-oop lob to Tyran Strokes.

Tyran Stokes
6’8″ Forward
Prolific Prep

• Natural Athlete who flies around the court, a north-south force who gets up vertically
• Impressive body control on change of pace; can accelerate, decelerate, explode at right times to create advantages and shots for himself and others
• Good timing anticipation and ball instincts jumping passing lanes
• Foul-drawing and bump-and-finish through contact for soft touch finishing and eurostep footwork on drives
• Deep range shooting capability

Betting on 6’6″+ players with noticeable athletic advantages amongst their peers, who can already utilize deceleration body control with ball instincts, contact-drawing ability, and clean shooting touch are all good bets for future development.

Against Riviera: 14 PTS – 15 REB – 5/2 AST/TO – 4 STL – 5 BLK; thats 15 boards and 9 stocks for THE POINT GUARD!

Tyran Stokes dropped 22 PTS & 5 REB on 64% FG% in the contest against Brewster, with an impressive sequence swatting a shot strongly, grabbing the loose ball, and running the floor for a coast-to-coast fast break flush, showing off the touch and timing tossing up alley lobs and throwing down oop slams.

Here against Montverde, Stokes draws a foul and a goaltend after the MEAN right to left hesi crossover, driving through contact, before following that up with another driving bucket at the rim, driving and jumping around the floor in a herky-jerky style similar to Markelle Fultz in terms of his start-stop body control, crossover handle, and lift at his size.

Sneaky athleticism shown here as Prolific runs double drag, Tyran Stokes slips the screen and pops out into the corner, where the ball finds him as he shows off the first step burst to beat his man into the paint, decelerating and exploding for the poster slam, hanging in the air while gliding through two defenders.

Stokes drills C&S threes off the strong flare screen and kickouts from AJD, one in the clutch to take the lead with under two minutes to go in the MAIT championship.

Drawing lumbering bigs into switches creates advantages for this change of pace wing.

Earlier in the Prolific-Montverde game, Tyran Stokes draws a foul by hesi-driving into big man D.Queen after first being trapped and drawing the switch.

Later in the game, Stokes draws DQ on a switch again, this time using his speed, ball and body control to crossover and accelerate into a spin move, slowing down with decelerating footowork for a finesse finger roll finish at the rim, shown below:

Tyran makes a good read one play breaking up PnR lob for a steal, but then tosses up the bad pass turnover on a fast break.

After a good team defense possession with AJD cutting off baseline drives and stunting at shooters, finished off by Aiden Sherrell protecting the rim with the help-side block, Tyran Stokes explodes like a firework show through a cloud of defenders, taking off for the breakaway highlight jam, showing off his first step burst, decelerating body control, and downhill force.

Tyran Stokes starts with no momentum here; yet he still makes a play from behind, as Stokes accelerates, times up, and catches Cooper Flagg for a chasedown (double-block) after Asa Newell got a block of his own the possession prior.

Asa Newell
6’10” Forward
Montverde Academy

• NBA size, height, length, strength, effort, footwork, two-way feel
• Outstanding motor, energetic rotating relocating rim-running rim-protector play-finisher
• Brings defensive tenacity, swarming opponents with active hands, lengthy feel, and quick feet from wing to wing
• Great fundamental postup footwork, dropsteps sealing defender behind with counters
• Can hit open catch-and-shoot three, make extra swing pass
• All-around winning player with high floor as athletic north-south plus-defender rotation player with post-up dribble pass shoot skills and a high ceiling as a two-way starter if he scores effectively at the NBA level.

Asa Newell plays with so much energy its like he’s dropping a spirit bomb on the court.

He’s everywhere defensively, contesting everyone, and always beats everyone down the floor for rim-runs in transition.

Newell outworks his opponents by moving with purpose off the ball; rotating, contesting, blocking shots, rim-running, making extra passes, cutting to the rim.

Should be a future pro rotation player for his defense and play-finishing alone, attacking both ends like a Brandon Clarke.

Rated 3rd in At the Rim efficiency via Cerebro Sports’s ATR metric.

The Asa Newell Sequence

Switches onto Dybantsa in P&R, deters multiple driving lanes, contests stepback pull-up three, runs floor to beat the other team to the paint to secure leverage positioning, drop step slam from the dunker spot to force a timeout.

Against Oak Ridge, Asa Newell made it a mission to gain position for the patented postup drop step spin baby hook early and often, finishing with 12 PTS (5/7 FG) – 8 REB – 1 STL – 2 AST/2 TO and a double-block with Cooper Flagg, a common occurrence for the pair of pterodactyls holding down the frontcourt.

In Montverde’s *87 POINT* win over Imani Christian (127-40), Newell made an immediate impact on both ends to the tune of 15 PTS (7/11 FG) – 8 REB – 3 AST – 1 BLK. Asa beat his man down the floor to park in the paint and secure post-up drop-step positioning near the rim, beats opponents to the ball by crashing the boards for misses, going back up strong with his go-to baby hook fling.

Montverde Teammates Rob Wright and Curtis Givens showed vision and scoring ability with heads up plays, making good reads, and hitting relocating C&S threes. Cooper Flagg swished in some C&S threes, adding a look off dime and back-to-back blocks, because that’s what he does. McNeeley led Montverde in scoring with 18 PTS and 3 3PM and a nice dunk. Imani Christian’s backcourt of RJ Sledge and Tristen Brown showed off clean finishing at the rim with crafty finesse and footwork.

Master of the postup backdown block dropstep baby hook shot down; a go-to move that works, with counters to boot.

Look at this ball awareness by Newell, timing up an offensive rebound during a free throw with a defensive end swim move to pull the chair out from behind the man boxing him out, deflecting the board to himself, and immediately turning and looking for the other rebounder, Liam McNeeley, on a relocation corner three that resembles one of the all-time moments in hoop history, Chris Bosh kicking out to Ray Allen to keep the Heatles alive against the Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals.

Liam McNeeley
6’8″ Guard
Montverde Academy

• Legitimate floor spacer, knockdown 3pt shooter, especially C&S and movement threes running off screens, forever relocating for the catch-and-shoot dagger from deep
• Versatile scorer with diverse shot profile on and off the ball
• Soft shooting touch at the rim and from beyond the arc
• Attacks closeout with force, looking to score, slam, finish strong
• Pesky defender who’s feel for the game helps break on slow handles and passing lanes for steals (made slightly easier knowing Flagg Newell and Queen are behind you to clean things up)

Good scorer, good decision-maker, good passer, good finisher at the rim, great anticipation defender, great 3pt shooter; that’s one prettyyy, pretty, pretty good rotation player at any level, if not a high-volume scorer 3pt sniper at the highest one.

Able to create good looks for himself as an on-ball scorer, or with the help of a strong handoff as an off-ball threat running around screens, stretching the floor where defenses need to know where he is at all times, Liam McNeeley shares scoring versatility and off-ball shooting gravity of snipers like Malik Monk or Tyler Herro.

Can’t be left open, should be trapped/iced with the ball in his hands to deny the shot and force a dribble or pass-to contain shooting threat. McNeeley will counter with a quick decision to drive hard at rim for the dunk or clean finger roll finish.

McNeeley balled out in the Hoophall Classic Title Game, leading all scorers with 22 PTS on 4 3PM; Liam impressed with his shot versatility, a diverse diet of dunks and threes.

With refined footwork, timing, awareness, McNeeley created his own scoring opportunities primarily by staying in motion off the ball, running through Elevator Screens for a turnaround C&S 3pt jumper, stopping on a dime after jumping a passing lane for a steal to decelerate into the pull-up jumper, even countering the three by attacking closeouts with finishing-at-the-rim packages and hammering home slams at the rim, while making the extra swing pass when needed, seen in the video below:

Often leads team in scoring next to potential pros in Cooper Flagg, Derik Queen, Asa Newell, Rob Wright, Curtis Givens.

As Hoophall MVP, Liam McNeeley won one plaque, one picture with Ice Cube, and one OFFICIAL Hoophall MVP bathrobe.

(Photo Credit: Lonnie Webb)

Liam McNeeley’s soft shooting touch isn’t just found from beyond the arc, here using the rip-through re-screen off the handoff give-and-go to evade AJ Dybantsa’s length on the perimeter, force a switch on the drive, and still swish in the FLOATA through bump and finish contact, even switching hands from left dribble to righty push shot in the air. Skills galore

After their teammate is blocked, Flagg wastes no time grabbing the loose ball and no-look kicking out to Liam McNeeley for a C&S three, one of his favorite targets on drive-and-kicks, clearly trusting the knockdown shooter at every opportunity.

Elijah Crawford
6’2″ Point Guard
Brewster Academy

• Natural point guard mentality looking to push pace at every opportunity and find teammates for open looks
• Two-way feel, frenetic energy, active hands forcing deflections
• Anticipation jumping passing lanes, timing up rebounds
• Impressive start-stop body control on decelerating drives
• Strong, big, explosive, especially for his height and position
• Tight handle, great vision, clean passing chops
• Tough pull-up shotmaker at midrange and 3pt level
• Developing skills like finishing at the rim, decision-making to slow down the game, and consistency would raise ceiling

In the Semifinal against Prolific, Elijah Crawford came to play, leaving it all on the floor with 30 PTS – 5 REB – 4 AST / 2 TO shooting 11/17 FG and 6/6 FT.

Soft touch, scoring versatility, finishing packages like the FLOATA, pull-up jumpers from the contested middy running Spain P&R to the stepback triple out of double-drag pick-and-roll, an off ball elbow screen cutting alley-layup, a transition outlet up-and-under finish, multiple nicely timed backdoor cuts to the rim, always looking for the best shot for his team by drawing extra defenders and creating looks for others, hitting teammmates in shooting pockets; highlights here.

Elijah’s all-around point guard play was made evident even when teammates’ shots didn’t fall, because open 3pt looks were still created. Once after he ran back on defense for a deflection, he swoops in for the rebound in traffic, brings the ball up, moves the ball around, gets the ball back, and makes a spinning pick-and-pop pass to the shooter; another tim, he operates double-drag after double-drag until he finds the driving lane he wants to manipulate the defense with to create an open look for the shooter.

In the MAIT’s 3rd place game between Brewster and Oak Ridge, Elijah Crawford put up 7 PTS – 6 REB – 5 AST / 2 TO – 2 STL in 23 MIN, making winning plays through out.

The Stanford commit’s sweetest sequence may have been the deflection for a steal pace-pushing dropoff pass for a trailer in transition C&S three. Elijah stays bringing up the ball like he’s mad at the basket, on a grab-and-go wheel with a never-ending motor the whole game. Hits Nojus Indursaitis for the highlight fast break slam, drills a pull-up three after trapping his man under the screen, hits the grab-and-go turbo button off the board for a quick corner-kick 3PT assist to Dwayne Aristode, and drills a behind-the-back fadeaway middy pull-up so fast you’d miss it if you looked down for a second.

Jordan Tillery
6’6″ Guard
Oak Ridge

• Tough shot maker who can score at all three levels
• Active hands and great timing for digs, deflections, passing lane steals, blocks on the way down
• Soft touch on threes, floaters, alley oop lobs
• Natural point guard at 6’6″, tall for position
• Great body control for deceleration finishes at the rim, grab and go acceleration speed, first step burst to the rim
• Tight handle ball control on dribbles
• Great vision, playmaking feel, team-first passing chops

Jordan Tillery out of Oak Ridge can fly.

Tillery impressed in all-around winning two-way impact against Montverde with anticipation and active hands creating multiple deflections for steals; soft touch, sound timing, and good body control on the spinning FLOATA, tight handles for a mean ISO finger roll reverse, range on the three-pointer, vision on the alley-oop lob pass and mad hops on throw down mean tip slam.

In the first quarter, Tillery’s active hands deflects the live dribble of Liam McNeeley in transition, then forces another turnover soon after for a second steal, following those up with a nice display of body control and shooting touch on the spinning FLOATA.

Over the course of the game Jordan flashed fiery handles and finishing at the rim on the finger roll reverse, knocked down a catch and shoot jump shot from downtown, and lobbed up an alley-oop to Oak Ridge teammate Tyler Johnson.

Tillery left it all on the floor in the fourth against Montverde. The Southern Miss commit stripped Rob Wright’s shot on the way down after leaping to contest, throws down a powerful putback one-handed tip slam off his own miss, swipes the ball away for a deflection steal, completes the give-and-go fast break flush slam dunk highlight.

What a move by the Georgia Southern Commit.

Against Brewster, Tillery showed off effective flashy handles, vision, body control, rebounding timing in traffic, and finishing at the rim with the decelerating finger roll and a good two-handed skip pass across the court. While his shot might not have been falling, he found other ways to contribute. Oak Ridge teammates Tyler Johnson (6/8 FG 7/8 FT) and Cameron Simpson (6 3PM) dropped in 20 points a a piece.

Jordan Tillery gains a momentum advantage into the DHO from the wing, sizes up the defense, drops a quick killer crossover, attacks the gap with burst, decelerates into the air hunting contact for the bump and finish against the big in the air with a tough soft touch up-and-under winding finger roll.

Against The Rock School, Tillery picked up the grab-and-go pace and hit tough shots galore, despite a few turnovers trying to make a play:

19 PTS (8/11 FG) – 5 REB – 1 BLK – 1 AST / 4 TO

Middies with the contested turnaround Dirk fade
Clean finishing at the rim
Timing up the lob pass
Sound body control decelerating on coast to coast drives
Impressive ball skills for the 6’6″ playmaking speedster

Tillery leaving it all on the floor to propel his team to a win: opens the second half with a pull-up three, later with a rebound in traffic and huge block in the clutch:

Tyler Johnson
6’5″ Wing
Oak Ridge

• Athletic force uses advantages effectively over peers, energetic rebounder
• Strong play-finisher at the rim, can hit open three and attack closeout with burst
• Risky reacher on defense, gets steals but more fouls than forced turnovers
• 16 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST in a win over The Rock
• 19 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL vs Montverde Academy
• 20 PTS (6/8 FG), 9 REB, 5 AST in a win over Brewster Academy
• 5th in overall impact via Cerebro C-RAM
• 33% 0.7 3PM over 3 games
• 1.3 STL+0 BLK for every 2 Fouls

In the Montverde matchup, future Virginia Tech Hokie 6’5″ Forward Tyler Johnson flashed creative handles, tight ball control, transition tenacity, cerebral team defense, active hands for a passing lane deflection steal before a give-and-go layup, tough shotmaker on pull-up and catch-and-shoot threes, driving up-and-under finish at the rim through defenders.

The future UCF sharpshooter 6’6″ wing Cameron Simpson showed off his funky jump shot and feathery shooting touch throughout the tournament with 3 catch-and-shoot treys against Montverde and 2 pull-up threes against Brewster.

6’0″ point guard Jalen Reece pitched in against Montverde with impressive pull-up shooting, the stepback gather from three, the pull-up middy, spinning elbow fadeaway, with a nice wraparound pass for a corner catch-and-shoot three. When facing Brewster in the 3rd place, Reece showed he had the full-sprint-stop-on-a-dime elbow pull-up jumper down looking like Russell Westbrook, even hitting behind the back dribble fadeaways to create space for himself to go to work.

Shon Abaev
6’7″ Forward
Calvary Christian

• Tough shot-maker at all three levels
• Developable ball-skills with NBA height and length
• Tight handle, mastery of dribble moves
• Soft touch shooting as clean scorer with silky smooth jump shot as a pull-up threat

Shon Abaev shows off his full arsenal of ball-skills, body control, ball control, and scoring touch: the fake-drive stepback three; the fading in-and-out dribble stepback corner three over contests; the change-of-pace hesi fading FLOATA, splitting the trap defenders into a eurostep FLOATA through 3 total defenders; the leaning pull-up middy fadeaway; splashing in talls hot release middy fadeaways like a young Michael Beasley making every shot feel unblockable by falling away while taking it.

Shon Abaev may be getting buckets professionally for years to come. His shot release is hard to contest, and when he shows the ability to get to any spot on the floor, the shot confidence to rise up and fire, and the silky smooth shooting arc to drop in nothing but net shots from anywhere, there’s little defenses can do but send multiple defenders, and pray.

Guard Cayden Daughty, Shon’s teammate at Calvary Christian, also impressed with his natural feel in this game, creating a hockey-assist corner-kick three-pointer off a nice hang dribble revealing his handle, vision, and passing chops, while keeping active hands ready for a deflection and steal.

vs. Riviera Prep
Shon: 16 PTS on 7/13 FG – 5 REB – 2 STL
Cayden: 17 PTS on 7/7 FT – 3 STL – 3 AST / 1 TO

vs. Brewster
Shon: 16 PTS on 17 FGA – 6 REB – 7 AST / 1 TO – 2 STL – 2 BLK
Cayden: 20 PTS on 12 FGA

Rob Wright III
6’1″ Point Guard
Montverde Academy

• Two-way team-first floor-stretching playmaker who plays hard and smart for his size
• Traditional point guard with modern scoring creator skills, savvy connector, smooth 3pt jumper, tight ball control handles
• Hunts contact on drives for fouls, nice aggressiveness with the ball, tough shot-making on runners over tall defenders
• Gets up under players on defense, forcing offensive fouls, making opposition uncomfortable.
• Winning player, makes talented teammates better with natural point guard instincts that elevate an offense, makes the right play every play, looks for best shot for the team, hits open shots, high floor as floor-managing 3pt-shooting connector

Showing nice touch against Oak Ridge with the underhand bounce pass, the running FLOATA, and the catch-and-shoot corner three.

Smart movements, relocating here to the corner, up to the wing, attacking closeout with 0.5 second decision making, spin move footwork and clean finger roll finish to create easy layup for himself off BLOB set:

Good 3pt shooter on and off the ball

FLOATA King Rob Wright III has mastered one of the toughest shots in the game, a necessary one for a point guard attacking the rim with drop defenders who tend to be much taller and in the way.

Clutch scoring late for Montverde, runs Horns set with picks on both side of the ball, reads defense and finds good shot for himself to tie the game with just over a minute to play in the MAIT Championship game.

Clean contested dribble drive up-and-under reverse for Rob Wright without much room to operate:

Rob Wright III is as cool in the clutch as they come.

Montverde clears the entire side of the floor with a misdirection stagger screen for their 3pt threat McNeeley to distract the defense as Wright and Queen run a simple angle high PnR

Rob feels his first step advantage with the big man too high up, speeds past the dropping big for a finger roll layup.

Rob draws a charge on Dybantsa the next play before Flagg beats a press for a breakaway slam to seal the championship!
(Flagg blocks another shot and draws a foul with 5 seconds left for good measure before the buzzer)

Derik Queen
6’10” Center/Forward
Montverde Academy

• Overpowering NBA Size, Strength
• Mobile Rim-Protecting Rim-Rolling Lob Threat Play-Finisher
• Good footwork, handle, finishing touch, vision, timing
• Active Hands, solid defensive instincts to Deflect ball without fouling
• Questionable decison-maker with developable ball-skills, can be too forceful with a live dribble

vs Oak Ridge: 23 PTS on 11/15 FG with 11 REB – 2 BLK – 1 STL – 2 TO

Rim-deterrent against Oak Ridge contesting shots and forcing bad ones, despite a handful of plays of trying to do too much, Derik Queen throws down a couple of strong man putback jams. Queen flashed sound footwork and shooting touch near the rim on the spinning hook shot through traffic and solid timing on a late-possession block to prevent a 2-on-1.

Big rim-runners like Derik Queen, Aiden Sherell, Ryan Jones Jr. rated highly in At The Rim efficiency via Cerebro, as do wings who attack the rim Asa Newell, Cooper Flagg, AJ Dybantsa, Tyler Johnson, Tyran Stokes, Liam McNeeley; all in the Top-10:

One example of Active Hands in drop defense against PnR helps Derik Queen poke dribble away from the driver, Zoom Diallo, forcing a turnover.

Here’s an up-and-down sequence summing up the Derik Queen experience:

Opens the 2nd quarter with one big coast-to-coast Oreo cookies DQ blizzard to-go, where at first Queen shows off great timing and active hands by breaking up a bounce pass, once again forcing a turnover in PnR drop coverage, this time stunting at the ball-handler and falling back to guard the roller.

Queen’s ability to dribble the ball up the court is a positive, but when he forces the dribble through traffic, he makes the game more difficult for himself. Instead of setting up the offense, Queen spins into a tough fadeaway midrange jumper, and while creating this shot is no easy task, it’s certainly a shot the defense is okay with Montverde taking anytime.

Queen immediately sees his shot is off, timing up an offensive rebound by crashing the glass, resetting his footwork for the second jump, and putting back the layup in traffic.

Derik Queen’s size, strength, and instincts give him incredible advantages that should translate to the NBA level; focusing on perfecting what he does well instead of improving weaknesses outside of the role he needs to fill could help carve out a long NBA career, a two-way role in play-finishing and paint-protection. Developing ball skills to round out his game could make him more well-rounded, but learning and understand how and when to utilize these skills defines one’s feel for the game.

In a matchup against DME’s 7’2″ Center Thiam, Queen held his own in a size mismatch, flashing all of the ball skills and nice vision with a look-ahead pass, bringing the ball up, finding Cooper Flagg for an alley-oop, drilling a pull-up middy, and blocking a shot at the rim with good ball instincts, anticipation, timing.

Queen finds an open spot against the 2-3 zone, parks, catches, turnaround baby hook bucket:

Queen flashes baby hook shot prowess, and has good patience, timing, and footwork in the post, but can find himself in situations where a loose handle moving in traffic can lead to a turnover, tough shot in traffic, or offensive foul; one or two plays of trying to do too much outside of his current skill-set. Other times, one can see good touch on plays like a high-low post-entry pass out of double drag, but just as often negative possessions seem to occur from unforced errors.

A shot-creating point guard ala Chris Paul to Deandre Jordan back on the Lob City Clippers or Luka Doncic to Derrick Lively today could unlock and maximize Queen’s full skill-set as a rim-protecting rim-running play-finisher with soft hands, creating a positive feedback loop where the big man is rewarded on offense for his effort and tenacity on defense.

Curtis Givens
6’3″ Guard
Montverde Academy

• Smooth 3pt jump shot streaky scoring on and off the ball
• Clean finishing skills at the rim, middy pull-up game
• Runs pick-and roll and pushes pace quickly looking to score first and create second
• Tight ball control, good handle, sound body control, effective decelerating drives
• Nice timing, anticipation, ball instincts forcing turnovers on blocks and loose ball recoveries

Montverde’s Curtis Givens is a walking bucket with a reliable 3pt shot; the 2023 Hoopshall Classic MVP (13 PTS 6/8 FG 2 STL) shows good feel, handles, touch, speed control decelerating after burst to the rim, and good ball instincts timing up steals hopping passing lanes. In this year’s Hoopshall Classic Title Game, Curtis added a clutch shot in the final minute.

Against Oak Ridge, Curtis dropped in an efficient 10 PTS (4/7 FG) – 1 STL – 2 AST/1 TO with a catch-and-shoot three, a soft touch finish finger roll running pick-and-roll, a tough same-side reverse on the drive, good body control throughout with the start-stop layup, active hands and nice timing to jump a passing lane for the steal.

A tough shot-maker on threes and near the rim, with good ball instincts and ball skills, Curtis Givens may remind fans of Tre Mann or Cole Anthony with his shot diet, shot release, silky smooth P&R north-south middy-to-deep pull-up score-first approach.

Off the handoff from Newell, Givens takes the half-step advantage to drive through the tiniest of creases in the defense, making a driving lane out of thin air for the clean contested reverse at the rim.

Newell crashes the glass for a second chance board, kicks to Curtis Givens, who pumps the three, fakes the pass, and attacks the closeout, beating his man and creating contact with the big for a bump and tough soft touch spinning reverse.

Nojas Indrusaitis
6’5″ Guard
Brewster Academy

• Great off-ball mover cutting, rim-running, relocating around the arc
• Brings 3&D impact as a guard
• Sound fundamental footwork, dribble moves, clean driver through traffic
• Good vision and feel
• Hustles for loose balls
• Anticipation, timing, awareness on team defense

11 PTS – 2/3 3P – 6 REB – 3 AST / 2 TO in 20 MIN vs Calvary Christian

Nojas makes a pro move eurostep finger-roll through traffic and diving on the floor for a loose ball steal, nice outlet pass lookahead vision to find Elijah Crawford for a smooth up and under, jumping a passing lane for a steal and breakaway slam

Smooth-looking jumper on the pull-ups with 18 PTS – 5 REB – 3 AST against Montverde in the Hoopshall Classic tournament.

Dwayne Aristode
6’7″ Guard
Brewster Academy

• Knockdown 3pt shooter can score on and off the ball
• North-South athleticism with defensive timing, first step burst, and natural hops
• Scoring versatility with up-and-under reverses at the rim, deep range 3PT shooting, and fadeaway middy pull-up
• Good handle using behind the back dribble and first step to create advantage on drive

21 PTS 4/11 3P 4 REB 3 AST in 26 MIN vs. Calvary Christian

Zoom Diallo
6’4″ Guard
Prolific Prep

• Explosive north-south guard
• Fast, strong, quick first step burst, notable athleticism
• Good footwork, deceleration body control
• Strong finisher through contact, switches hands on drives like a running back
• Shooting touch at and around the rim
• Smart player with good timing on cuts
• Nice vision and decision-makingas a passer

Diallo zooms by his opponents with ease, flying past defenders with elite first step burst, accelerating and decelerating with impressive body control, moving off the ball for swift cuts and north-south attacks.

Zoom doesn’t just fly by you; he drives through you.

Don’t underestimate the strength of a man named after a burst of speed, who shows sound footwork and impressive proprioception, with his ability to envision and execute his own graceful athelticism in movements through space.

Zoom Diallo accelerates in the sidelines-out-of-bounds play off a screen, staying in motion which maintaints an advantage in momentum for a strong drive into the up-and-under finger roll finish.

Winters Grady
6’8″ Wing/Forward
Prolific Prep

• Catch-and-shoot 3pt off-ball threat
• Knockdown off-ball shooter running off screens, movement shooter
• Solid feel to attack closeout with pumpfake and pass to find open cutters

Against Riviera, Winters splashed in 23 PTS on 6/8 3P in 25 MIN

Winters Grady shot 4/7 from downtown in the Hoophall Classic, running off stagger screens and relocating for C&S triples:

Mikey Lewis
6’3″ Guard
Prolific Prep

• High feel, smart decision-making point guard, knows where to be and where to find his teammates
• Excellent anticipatory timing feel and footwork for relocation threes
• Deep range off-ball shooting gravity
• Incredible vision dishing out catchable passes
• Soft shooting touch, tough shot making, finesse finishing at every level
• Midrange game with floaters and pull-ups
• Great all-around offensive game; size may present challenges defensively

In the Hoophall Classic championship matchup between Prolific and Montverde, the St. Mary’s commit tossed in a tear drop FLOATA, zipped passes ahead in transition and to cutters, and knocked down the pullup middy and catch-and-shoot triple.

Incredible AND1 FLOATA here as Mikey Lewis attacks Asa Newell’s closeout with a through-the-legs hesitation dribble, change of pace acceleration intothe bump and finish one-legged runner while falling away from the rim, just an impossible shot that #0 makes look easy.

Beats two trapping/ICE defenders in PNR swarming the ball with a lofty touch pass to the roller, Aiden Sherrell finishes the play strong at rim after a strong screen. Ball-handler Mikey Lewis sees the trap coming, backs up with one step to keep his dribble alive and buy time for the roller to beat the tag from the wing and be left open at the rim, then drops a dime.

Shows off relocation timing and displays footwork fundamentals for C&S threes, running around screens, staying aware of his location on the court and where the ball is at all times.

Aiden Sherrell
6’11” Center
Prolific Prep

• Good timing, anticipation, and ball instincts protecting the paint as a rim-deterrent without fouling
• Length, height, footwork effective for switching and drop defense
• Team-first mindset looking for best shot rather than forcing up bad one, finds shooter (#0 Mikey Lewis) for relocation handoff triple after rebounding own miss

Against Riviera: 12 PTS – 8 REB – 3 BLK – 1 STL 4/8 FG – 2/2 AST/TO

Sticks with his man in drop defense tagging the roller, help defense protecting the rim blocking Asa Newell’s second chance post-up shot and Rob Wright’s driving runner in PnR:

Moustapha Thiam
7’2″ Center
DME Academy

• NBA Size, Height, Strength, Length
• Sound post-up footwork fundamentals, hook shot soft touch
• Good two-way feel and team-first decision-maker
• Anticipation, timing, ball instincts as rim-protector

Montverde hosted DME Academy the Saturday night prior to the MAIT, where Moustapha Thiam, DME’s 7’2″ center who ranks 20th in his class and has committed to play at UCF, impressed with his anticipation rim protection skills, sound post-up footwork fundamentals, soft touch finesse finishing on hook shots on the block, and good feel making team-first reads.

Thiam combining his size, skill, and instincts could lead to a long professional career in basketball. On this play, he uses his size, anticipation, vision to make a simple yet clean high-low entry pass that not all big men have the touch to make.

Ryan Jones Jr.
6’8″ Center/Forward
The Rock School

• Off-Ball play-finisher, especially on cuts and as C&S 3pt shooter
• Team Leader, Volume scorer on good shooting efficiency
• Active deflector, yet fouls just as often

15 PTS 8 REB 3 STL 6/12 FG vs Oak Ridge

Rating 4th overall in impact in the tournament by Cerebro’s C-RAM, Jones scored off the charts with per game averages of 21 PTS (63% FG% ) on 2.3 3PM (50% 3P%) and 5 REB in 3 games, racking up 2 blk+stl for every 2 fouls. Ryan scored 27 PTS in a W over Imani Christian, showing his play-finishing abilities as a catch-and-shoot 3pt threat and cutting off ball to the rim.

Dante Allen
6’4″ Guard
Riviera Prep

• Volume scorer, tough shot maker
• Good 3pt shooter, sound defender, 3&D impact
• Soft touch on shots near the rim

Dante Allen impressed with two-way impact, hitting 37% on 3.7 3PM over his 3 games in the tourney.

Against Prolific: 23 PTS on 22 FGA with 5 REB – 4 STL – 5 AST / 3 TO

Against Calvary Christian: 17 PTS on 15 FGA and 4 3PM – 3 AST – 4 REB

Despite some smooth soft touch deep high-arcing FLOATAs for Riviera guards Allen and Myles Fuentes (21 PTS), the vision of Fuentes’ brother Mason (9 AST/5 TO), and sound rim-protection instincts from their center Gustavo Guimaraes Alves (4 BLK), Dybantsa’s Prolific Prep team pulled away late.

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Video & Stat sources: NBA.com(video), Cerebro Sports(data), Montverde Academy(film), Maxpreps(heights)

The post Scouting the 2024 Hoophall Classic Title Game & Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament appeared first on Swish Theory.

Teams: Montverde, IMG, Columbus, Brewster, and Sunrise Christian

Standout Players:

Cooper Flagg, Cam Boozer, Asa Newell, Elijah Crawford, Rob Wright, Darius Acuff, Donnie Freeman, Cayden Boozer, David Castillo, Elijah Elliot, Derik Queen, Jase Richardson, Liam McNeeley, Dwayne Aristode, Randy Smith

How many future NBA lottery picks can you spot in one photo?

Fun Fact, hoop heads: Jason Richardson and Carlos Boozer both have two sons currently playing for Columbus basketball; that’s two Richardson sons and two Boozer sons all on the same high school team in Miami, for those keeping track at home.

Feel old yet?

A strong-shouldered forward with feathery shooting touch like his NBA All-Star dad, the 6’9″ Cam Boozer quickly become a household name in draft circles as a Top-3 2026 prospect, with this Montverde-Columbus marquee matchup featuring another potential Top-3 prospect (in 2025), Cooper Flagg, just to name two of many exciting prospects in this contest.

Cooper Flagg’s game stretches the word ‘versatility’ to its limits. Doing it all on both ends of the floor, Flagg flashes elite touch, feel, and vision, a natural scoring creator constantly looking for the best shot for his team whether that be setting up shooters on drive-and-kicks or self-creating a good look for himself.

Boozer exploded in the second half, playing with more intensity and focus, powering through opponents, pushing the pace on lookahead passes, and gliding off ball for well-timed cuts, play-finishing rim-rolls, and in-rhythm pick-and-pop jumpers.

Asa Newell, a 6’10” forward who fills a rim-rocking rim-protecting rim-runner role creating vertical gravity for Montverde, shows incredible two-way potential with NBA size, length, active hands, and energetic motor that produces deflections, shot contests, blocked shots, and nasty highlight play-finishing moments throwing down highlight slams.

Rob Wright stepped onto the court Friday night ready to take care of business, not leaving the building until he had swished more FLOATAs for Montverde than every other player in both games combined that day.

Cayden Boozer, Cam’s brother, ran point to a tee, fulfilling classic playmaker duties with touch passes, highlight play feel, and good feel decisiveness on when to score and when to create for others.

Like his pops used to do, Jase Richardson flashes bouncy rim-rocking hops and soft shooting touch with a bucket-getting swagger, swishing high-degree-of-difficulty shots from a left-leaning elbow pull-up middy to a fadeaway AND1 FLOATA.

MVA’s Derik Queen stands strong and tall, overpowering opponents for boards and putbacks, muscling in rim-roll play-finishes, giving his all every play he’s out there. While the finesse footwork can come and go for someone who sometimes moves like a bull in a china shop, that backdown dropstep slam and counter-move hook shot can look effortless when it hits.

Frenetic energy, two-way feel, active hands forcing deflections, impressive start-stop body control for decelerating drives, and tough midrange pull-up shotmaking round out a high floor as a defender, playmaker, and shotcreator for Elijah Crawford of Brewster, a bulky yet zippy point guard who generally looks in full control on both ends when he’s not losing control in moments where it’s too late to hit the brakes.

IMG’s Darius Acuff came out with the win over Brewster, making shots in the clutch, cruising to a smooth 24 PTS – 4 STL – 4 AST afternoon where Acuff scored effortlessly from all three levels on driving contested finishes at the rim, pull-up and catch-and-shoot treys from downtown, and free points from the pinstripe.

Donnie Freeman, Acuff’s teammate, got plenty of buckets of his own for IMG, flashing all of the developable ball skills, good feel decision-making, and impressive timing for someone with legitimate NBA size, wingspan, and two-way impact. Prospects with the height and length to defend multiple frontcourt positions who show capability in every offensive area, who don’t hurt their team on either end, who flash on-ball self-creator upside tend to be the most coveted prospect types by pro teams.

Sunrise Christian Academy’s high-octane backcourt of division one commits Elijah Elliot and David Castillo pushed the pace early and often, creating big 4pt and 5pt swings with Elliot deflecting everything in sight, forcing turnovers off pick-six steals, and finding a leaking out Castillo for transition threes and fast break flushes.

Stats Analysis

To evaluate the stats from the Sunshine Classic’s standout players, we can utilize Cerebro Sports’ data to compare different impact metrics kept track by Cerebro, allowing us to visualize findings like the best Scoring Creators by comparing players’ pure scoring prowess (PSP) and floor general skills (FGS) to find high feel good decision-makers, the players who most consistently create the best looks for themselves and others.

Good play-finishing skills, two-way feel for the game, positive length metrics are always coveted in the NBA; developing plus-defense and dribble-pass-shooting ball-skills into reliable scoring versatility and two-way team-first impact can take a potential nba rotation player connector to the status of all-around star, seen by the rise of Tyrese Haliburton.

Which prospects can be relied on the most as offensive engines for team-first shot creation?

Cam Boozer and Donavan Freeman rate strongly here as both scorers and creators, in a similar range of output this weekend as Cooper Flagg and guards Rob Wright and Darius Acuff.

Elijah Crawford flashed elite playmaking skills setting the table, tied with Rob Wright for best floor general skills rating, as Liam McNeeley leads the group in scoring after a lights out shooting performance from downtown.

Zooming out, we can compare overall impact (C-RAM) and defensive statistical impact (DSI) to show the players who impact winning the most from the handful of games in the 2023 Sunshine Classic.

The visualization below graphs the most active defenders on the x-axis compared to overall impact on the y-axis, revealing how much the defense component adds up towards each player’s total two-way impact in these games.

Donovan “Donnie” Freeman stands out once again due to his instinctual defense and overall impact from efficient scoring at all three levels, impressive indicators for someone already donning NBA height and wingspan length.

******

2023 Nike EYBL Scholastic Sunshine Classic Day 2 Standout Players

******

#32 Cooper Flagg, 6’9″ Forward, Montverde Academy

vs. Columbus
23 PTS
8 REB
7 AST / 3 TO
3 STL + 2 BLK
9/17 FG – 5/6 FT
(31 MIN)

vs. Sunrise Christian
12 PTS
12 REB
5 AST / 0 TO
2 BLK
4/10 FG – 4/4 FT
(20 MIN)

vs. IMG
13 PTS
4 REB
2 AST / 3 TO
5/11 FG – 3/3 FT
(31 MIN)

Watching Coop Flagg hoop can only be compared to seeing a cartoon octopus chef cooking up breakfast in the kitchen.

With 8 legs at his disposal, this hash brown slingin’ mollusk can flip an egg, sizzle some bacon, grill the onions, boil a little rice, bake a tortilla, sprinkle on spices, grab the Cholula hot sauce from the fridge, and drizzle a little honey on the final product that is the perfected breakfast burrito, all at the same time.

How else can one describe Flagg’s swish army knife versatility from his defensive instincts to offensive malleability?

Cooper Flagg will defend a guard and switch onto a big before blocking a drive in help;
score off the post-up mismatch on the block with a spinning FLOATA;
break out for a coast-to-coast pull-up elbow middy;
ignore the screen for a driving up-and-under reverse;
push for a transition drive-and-kick 3pt assist;
crash the boards for a flyby putback slam;
pull-up for a fadeaway jumper;
deflect everything in sight;
score efficiently from the field and the line;
switch onto anyone and everyone he can find;
time up cuts, rebounds, and blocks with ease;
and make good team-first decisions with the ball.

The Maine Event will drill tough shots anywhere, anytime, with the ability to dribble, backdown, and pull up from any spot.

In the 2022 Sunshine Classic, Flagg posted the highest impact rating compared to his peers via Cerebro’s C-RAM (+10.7) after an off-the-charts defensive statistical impact rating of 119 due to averaging 3.7 BLK + 2.3 STL over three games.

A year later at the same event, Cooper posted a Top-5 rating with +9.0 C-RAM and 83 DSI rating, staying active defensively by averaging 1.3 BLK + 1.0 STL over those three games, posting 5 Stocks (STL+BLK) against Columbus alone.

Flagg rounded out his impact with good all-around team-first play, posting a below average 69/100 PSP rating as a scorer, yet showing good feel as a decision=maker with a 75/100 FGS rating and 74/100 ATR finishing, metrics via Cerebro Sports.

Montverde’s coaching staff matched up Cooper against Jase Richardson in the Columbus game, a huge length mismatch favoring Flagg, which locked up Richardson most of the night. Fans could see Jase visibly frustrated with Flagg’s go-go gadget arms swarming every move, but the opposing team making this part of their gameplan is out of respect for Richardson’s threat of sparkplug scoring and smooth shooting touch, even if it dares top prospect Cam Boozer to beat them.

Flagg constantly looks to set up his knockdown shooters like Rob Wright and floor-stretching wing #30 Liam McNeeley, who dropped 16 PTS on 4/4 3P in 22 MIN against Sunrise Christian and 20 PTS on 5/8 3P in 27 MIN against Columbus, flashing feathery touch as a knockdown perimeter shooter, posting an off-the-charts 110/100 3Pefficiency rating via Cerebro.

Measuring all the skills and two-way feel Cooper Flagg possesses can be hard to compare with so few players coming before him being as versatile on both ends of the floor, let alone one side of it; embodying the word versatility with super-deflector shot-swatting defensive superpowers balanced by a diverse offensive shot diet and table-setting desire to seek out teammates while looking for the best shot for his team, Cooper walks into the NBA as the ultimate modern plug-and-play player with sky-high two-way range of potential due to the combined sum of everything he already can do on the hardwood.

Andrei Kirlenko would serve as a fine example of the type of versatile big wing impact defender and team-first decision-maker Flagg could model parts of his game after, as the cerebral defensive playmaker carved out a long career locking down the opposing team’s best player in any position 1-4 while blocking, passing, switching, rebound-crashing, cut-timing and closeout-attacking drives with team-first vision to drive into the paint, draw defenders, and look to kick.

Cooper becoming a primary offensive scoring engine on top of that floor-stretching rim-running play-finishing talent could pave a lane towards future stardom.

#12 Cam Boozer, 6’10” Forward, Columbus

vs. Montverde
20 PTS
8 REB
5 AST / 8 TO
4 STL + 1 BLK
6/13 FG & 7/10 FT
(30 MIN)

A powerful yet graceful dancing bear 6’9″ forward who rocks rims on rolls through the paint, shows soft touch on the jump shot, looks ahead for outlet passes, and glides through defenses on off-ball cuts, Cam sure plays like a Boozer.

In the Montverde matchup, Boozer came out with more intensity in the second half, focusing on powering through people, showing sound handles on the ball, lookahead vision as a playmaker, and leaving huge impact as a rim-finishing play-finisher, even blocking a Flagg driving layup in help defense before finding his brother Cayden on the break off the turnover.

His outlet passes to jumpstart fast breaks were plentiful, even featuring a highlight coast-to-coast live-dribble behind-the-back dribble corner kick 3pt assist!

Boozer flashed all the developable dribble-pass-shoot ball-skills with strong finishing power and good off ball movement timing. This powerful 6’10” hammer who nails deep range jumpers projects to be an offensive force at the highest levels, excelling in similar areas to his NBA All-Star dad, while showing natural scoring creator tendencies for team-first shot creation.

Cam posted the 6th-highest overall impact rating in the event with 8.9 C-RAM, practically tying Cooper’s overall rating. Boozer was more effective as a scorer with a 79/100 PSP rating in the matchup, slightly more impactful defensively with an 87/100 DSI, while mostly matching Flagg in Floor General Skills and At The Rim effectiveness (75 FGS and 70 ATR)

Cam Boozer and Cooper Flagg sit atop future NBA Draft big boards for a reason; big wing/forward plus-defenders who can be relied on as halfcourt offensive creators, connectors, and play-finishers tend to be impactful winning basketball players.

The Good
Scoring at all three levels on and off the ball
Pick-and-pop, catch-and-shoot, relocation threes
Vertical gravity rim-running and well-timed paint-cutting
Drawing fouls with brute strength, sound footwork, solid handle
Clear vision, passing ability, grab-and-go playmaking chops looking ahead on fast breaks
Filling out the box score on both ends like a Shawn Marion or Aaron Gordon multi-faceted turnover-forcing play-finisher

The Bad
Losing control. Whether it be his own strength, the dribble, body and ball control at times – focused effort on spatial awareness, gaining the proprioception feeling of understanding one’s own body movements in space, could work wonders
First half lacked energy and focus compared to second half, but played opponent even from that point in a tough matchup

#14 Asa Newell, 6’10” Forward, Montverde Academy

vs. Columbus
13 PTS
5 REB
3 AST / 3 TO
1 STL
6/9 FG
(31 MIN)

vs. IMG
18 PTS
5 REB
1 AST
1 BLK
1 STL
8/12 FG – 2/3 FT
(24 MIN)

vs. Sunrise Christian
12 PTS
2 REB
6/9 FG
(16 MIN)

In the 2023 Sunshine Classic, Asa Newell ranks T-7th overall in Cerebro Sports’ comparative impact rating (+8.1 C-RAM), flying around to rack up blocks and shot contests while scoring efficiently by running the floor, posting an 81 PSP rating in Cerebro’s scoring measurement, finishing with respectable ratings as a defender (67 DSI) and at-the-rim finisher. (67 ATR)

Oddly uncredited for any blocks against Columbus, the 6’10” Asa Newell showed out with swarming defensive focus, active waving hands breaking up passing lanes, arms straight up deterring opponents from the rim, awareness deflecting everything in sight, even timing up shot contests from marquee matchup Cam Boozer to spark an early 20pt lead for MVA.

Montverde even scored instantly off the opening tip, as Asa Newell won the jump ball by tipping it forward for the easy 2-on-1 mismatch breakaway layup to strike first.

Offensively, Newell shows team-first decision-making feel as a connector, especially impressive for someone with his NBA-level height and length as a 6’10” big/forward with plus wingspan, like watching a young Larry Nance fly up and down the court.

Newell’s two-way impact as a big/forward was felt right from tipoff, never faltering throughout the night, with an early steal leading to the first of many Rob Wright FLOATAs.

One possession, Newell anchors the defense in the paint with back-to-back blocks, but is called for a foul on the second.

In the slowmo clip below, Newell shows sound backdown footwork fundamentals with the dropstep and post-move finish over Cam Boozer.

Time and time again, Newell would deflect a ball, break away on the outlet, and score easily and effectively running from rim to rim in transition, timing up off-ball cuts through the paint for dunker spot jams, and outhustling opponents off forced turnovers by beating them to their spots to spark those very same fast breaks with incredible body and ball control.

Asa Newell stays running the floor, moving defensively, attacking the rim on one end and protecting the rim on the other.

#1, Elijah Crawford, 6’1″ Point Guard, Brewster Academy

On 11/30 against Sunrise Christian, Stanford Commit Elijah Crawford went off from midrange and in the paint, creating pull-up jumpers and looks at the rim for himself while driving and kicking to teammates as a natural point guard scoring creator.

Elijah’s impact is felt on both ends every possession from a motor that never turns off.

vs. Sunrise
16 PTS
5 AST / 2 TO
6 REB
1 STL + 1 BLK
6/11 FG – 4/4 FT
(23 MIN)

The next day, Brewster’s Elijah Crawford energy stood out again in the early friday game against IMG.

While Crawford’s Brewster team lost the game down the wire, Crawford’s effort was felt consistently on both ends. The bulky 6’1″ point guard uses his strong size and zip-zap athleticism to make you feel him everywhere, every play, all at once.

vs. IMG
7 PTS
6 AST / 6 TO
5 REB
1 STL
(28 MIN)

Elijah Crawford will stop sprinting suicidies mid-game after the spinning top from Inception’s closing scene stops spinning.

Flying around both ends of the floor, deflecting loose balls with active hands while pushing the pace off forced turnovers, looking for teammates at every turn, Elijah stayed in full control of the game showing traditional point guard skills in a bulky frame and impressive start-stop deceleration, reminding one of explosive guards like Russell Westbrook, Baron Davis, or Deron Williams.

Plus-defender positive decision-making point guards carve out NBA careers, just ask Tyus Jones and his brother, Tre.

If Crawford had finished better at the rim, or if his receivers could handle high-speed passes a little better in the first half, his team could have easily pulled out the victory in a game so tight that every possession mattered. 

Elijah showed strong two-way feel for the game, reading and reacting well with good ball instincts, with great vision constantly looking to create for others, diming the pass of the day with the overhead two-handed lookahead bounce pass for the fast break flush, dishing a driving jumping skip-pass to an outside shooter across the court, hitting the dunker spot and roll-man with beautiful wraparound pass assists, and sticking with Acuff well at times defensively, making life difficult.

Controlling the game on both ends, Elijah sparks a 5pt swing sequence with a mean chasedown block on Acuff leading to a catch-and-shoot transition three for himself, drills an early tough pull-up elbow jumper after stopping on a dime like Westbrook on the coast-to-coast drive in transition, crosses up his defender in ISO for a gliding running hook, makes separation on drives, stays pushing the pace, and jumps passing lanes for deflections.

This dynamic two-way playmaker reveals great proprioception, flying around on and off the ball while mostly staying in control and aware of his own body’s movements, locations, actions on hesitations, cuts, drives, faking angles to attack gaps and create scoring opportunities for himself and teammates, perennially looking for the open man.

Crawford’s overall impact rating of 6.5 C-RAM was comparable to his IMG adversary Darius Acuff (6.6). Elijah’s strong playmaking skills were on full display, tying Rob Wright for the highest Floor General Skills rating of the event (77 FGS), as Elijah’s hustle could be felt throughout, resulting in a 70 DSI rating.

The Good – Strong point guard with great stop-start decelerating body control explosiveness, decision-making feel, vision and passing chops, feels like he’s impacting and in control of every play the entire game

The Bad – Makes it to the rim yet missing close layups, can slip out-of-control pressing the accelerator pedal too hard, throw passes with too much heat on them, sometimes leading to unforced turnovers on drives and passes. Focused practice could help develop finishing touch at the rim, deceleration controls for changing momentum, and softer passing touch.

Brewster’s #3 Dwayne Aristode produced all around, flashing good decision making, two-way feel and good timing while filling out the box score against IMG: 15 PTS – 13 REB – 4 AST / 2 TO – 1 STL (6/10 FG – 3/6 3P) in 30 MIN

Aristode’s play stood out on the stat sheet, posting a 67/100 rating defensively in Cerebro’s DSI, scoring a solid 77 PSP rate, shooting well from beyond the arc with an 84/100 3PEfficiency rate, and finishing in the paint with an 89 ATR rate at the rim.

Brewster’s #4 Nojus Indrusaitis showed clean shooting form finding his rhythm as a scorer knocking down 3/8 3P from downtown off ball screens and kickouts, breaking away for fast break flushes, staying active off the ball constantly moving around, looking for opportunities to cut, flash, and dish against IMG: 16 PTS – 2 AST / 3 TO in 31 MIN

Indrusaitis’ best ratings were found in a D&3 role, posting a 69 DSI rating and 64 3PE rating, via Cerebro Sports.

#5 Darius Acuff, 6’2″ Point Guard, IMG Academy | & | #10 Donavan Freeman, 6’9″ Forward, IMG Academy

vs. Brewster
24 PTS
4 STL
4 AST / 4 TO
8/16 FG – 4/6 3P – 4/5 FT
(29 MIN)

vs. Montverde
12 PTS
4 AST / 4 TO
5/16 FG

A self-creator rim-attacking traffic-weaving north-south force who keeps an eye open to create for others, Darius Acuff is a walking bucket, straight cash money shooter, here on a mission to put the ball in the basket.

Darius rated well amongst other starting guards in the tournament, rating 6.6 C-RAM overall. Acuff impressed across the board, with strong two-way impact as a plus-defender, clean deep range shooter, smooth individual scorer, and team-first decision maker; a true scoring creator who looks to set himself or teammates up with a good shot every time down the floor. Darius posted ratings of 72 PSP as a scorer, 77 DSI as a defender, 70 FGS as a playmaker, and 82 3PE as an efficient perimeter shooter, revealing impressive all-around winning impact as a connector who doesn’t get beat on either end.

Acuff is a phenomenal finisher at the rim, looking unstoppable driving through the paint as he avoids all the towering trees cars and logs flying at him like he’s George Costanza setting the high score on a pizza arcade Frogger with the perfect combination of Mountain Dew, Mozzarella, and just the right amount of grease on the joysticks.

Flashing good feel dishing to others, Acuff showed willingness to attack the rack with a scorer’s mentality, look for contact to draw fouls once there, and finish with soft touch or look to kickout, coming through in the clutch for IMG to go up 4 late in the game, twice, by splashing a triple and swishing two free throws to ice the game against Brewster.

Darius’ shooting touch stays on point with stepback swishes from deep, the free throw line, and the field, especially on finger rolls at the rim, though few if any floaters were made in the IMG-Brewster game by any player.

Team shot creation, individual scoring, two-way feel to force turnovers and create easy scoring opportunities in transition, with superb touch from the rim to beyond the arc, Darius Acuff shows real promise as a scorer, shooter, and playmaker.

#10 Donavan (Donnie) Freeman, 6’9″ Forward, IMG Academy

vs. Montverde
20 PTS
9 REB
3 AST
4 STL + 1 BLK
8/16 FG – 3/4 FT
(27 MIN)

vs. Brewster
16 PTS
12 REB
3 AST / 3 TO
3 STL + 1 BLK
6/8 FG – 2/3 3P
(31 MIN)

6’9″ forwards with grab-and-go mentality, realistically developable dribble-pass-shoot ball skills, and good two-way feel don’t grow on trees; Donnie Freeman makes winning plays on both ends with intriguing scoring creator potential on the ball.

Talents as promising as this tend to be some of the most coveted prospect types in the draft, like Devin Vassell or Mikal Bridges, players who have nearly every tool at their disposal. The development of these prospect types depends on the situation they end up in, like water bending to the glass that holds it or turtles only growing as big as their bowl lets them

Freeman posted the highest overall impact of the event with 12.5 C-RAM, along with off-the-charts defensive output of 110 DSI after racking up 7 steals and 2 blocks over a 2-game stretch. Donavan’s scoring effectiveness is noted in his 87 PSP rating as an individual scorer, 78 3PEfficiency rating as a floor-stretching forward, and 83 ATR as a rim finisher in the paint.

Not enough film was taken of Donavan Freeman, a legitimate NBA prospect with bankable aspects to his game that should translate to every level he reaches going forward.

It’s not every day a prospect as tall as Donnie can create his own shot, dribble on the drive, finish at the rim, stretch the floor from deep, and use his height and length effectively to be an absolutely disruptive defender.

Against Brewster, Donnie Freeman showed smooth scoring chops along with dribble pass skills, notable for his height, featuring a mean stutter rip drive and dribble drive rim-finishing capabilties.

After a great hustle play by #14 Felipe Quinones, #10 Donnie Freeman throws down a breakaway slam.

Right before that, Freeman pull-ups up for a clean middy.

Soon after, Donnie makes a good connector pass to the open man, and draws a foul on the floor, later hitting a contested catch-and-shoot triple.

6’8″ IMG forward #11 Khani Rooths shows tight handle for his size and strong rim-rolling vertical gravity finishing plays, too.

#1 Rob Wright, 6’0″ Point Guard, Montverde Academy

vs. Sunrise Christian
11 PTS
6 AST / 0 TO
2 STL
3 REB
5/6 FG – 1/2 3P
(15 MIN)

vs. IMG
11 PTS
5 REB
5 AST / 1 TO
2 STL
4/12 FG – 3/3 FT
(31 MIN)

vs. Columbus
18 PTS
5 REB
4 AST / 5 TO:
1 STL
6/12 FG – 2/5 3P – 4/4 FT
(31 MIN)

Some hoopers were just born to run point.

With 15 assists over 6 turnovers in 3 games, Wright racked up a pristine 2.5 AST/TO ratio, rounding out a good 77/100 Floor General Skills Rating via Cerebro’s playmaker metric. Grabbing 5 steals in this stretch helped Rob round out an 83 DSI rating, while he rated solid as an individual scorer at 69 PSP with soft finishing touch and a sound 70 3Pefficiency rate.

Whatever offensive role you need your guard to fill, Rob Wright is here to fill it.


Hit the roll-man off the handoff? No sweat.

Drill the catch-and-shoot corner three? Splash.

Step into a pull-up trey in a scramble? Easy breezy.

Attack the closeout with the shot, dribble, and pass? Fo’ free.

Swish floaters in pick-and-roll over drop coverage? Like it’s nothin’.

Hockey assist kickout to the open shooter three passes away? Here ya go.

The future Baylor point guard makes running an offense look easy, drilling threes and floaters off and on the ball, looking to create for others at all times, taking the open shot when it’s there and looking for the best shot for his team every time down.

Active hands, phenomenal feel, sound timing helps Wright break up passing lanes to force turnovers for steals.

Soft shooting touch on runners, catch-and-shoot threes, and pull-up jumpers with deep range on high efficiency from the line and downtown provide extremely promising indicators of future scoring success at every level.

Not to mention, he’s clearly a fan favorite of Montverde’s student section:

#2 Cayden Boozer, 6’5″ Point Guard, Columbus

vs. Montverde
10 PTS
4 AST / 3 TO
1 STL
3/7 FG & 3/4 FT
(22 MIN)

Big point guard, impressive playmaking ability, consistently looks to set up teammates.

Two-way feel with plus size and length for your position are bankable traits at ever level.

Great vision, nice body control, good decision-maker with crafty passing touch.

Cayden Boozer shot the lights out from deep with a 92 3PEfficiency rating on the night, flashing natural point guard skills even with a relatively low 62 Floor General Skills rating, and impressing as a defender with good size for his position helping force turnovers and generate a 70 DSI rate.

Watch him set up a pick-and-pop to big bro with the hook pass, hit the short roller with a smooth bounce pass, and then…

WAIT

WAS THAT A BOOZER TO J RICH JR. NBA STREET GAME-BREAKING DOUBLE ALLEY-OOP?!?

#4 Jase Richardson, 6’3″ Guard, Columbus

vs. Montverde
9 PTS
3 AST / 4 TO
1 STL
4/6 FG
(27 MIN)

Jase Richardson flashing smooth ball skills, especially as a lefty bucket-getter with soft touch tough shotmaking talent, impressed in feel for the game and as a a walking NBA Jam highlight machine, all similar traits to his father, the OG J Rich.

In an off-night from deep, Jase did his damage in the midrange and the paint, running off handoffs and screens looking to put the ball in the net.

Showing ball control, body control, vision and shooting touch on the driving spinning AND1 FLOATA, the elbow left-fading pull-up middy (off the stutter rip drive and kick from Cam Boozer), spinning into swishing runners, drawing fouls on bump-and-shoot drives, hitting teammates after drawing extra defenders, reveals scoring creator potential.

Columbus guard #3 Randy Smith made winning plays throughout, forcing steals, pushing pace, corner vision kickouts.

Randy’s two-way impact as a plus-defender forcing turnovers for a 78 DSI and knockdown shooting ability hitting at an 83 3PE clip didn’t go unnoticed, making plays to create scoring transition opportunities for his team.

(*Columbus guard Benny Fragula also made notable impact with his 7.1 C-RAM rating top-15 for the event in a 3&D role with marks of 88 3PE and 94 DSI.)

#25 Derik Queen, 6’10” Forward, Montverde Academy

vs. Columbus
9 PTS
5 REB
1 STL
4/8 FG
(9 MIN)

vs. Sunrise Christian
14 PTS
7 REB
3 AST / 2 TO
1 STL
6/7 FG
2/2 FT
(21 MIN)

Derik Queen posted the 3rd highest impact metric of the event (+8.9 C-RAM), revealing effectiveness as a play-finishing scorer (92 PSP), around the rim play-finisher (86 ATR), and active defender (69 DSI)

A hulk-like play-finisher with soft receiver hands to help catch post-entry passes and dunker spot dumpoffs, 6’10” big/forward Derik Queen brings uber athletic swarming energy, infrequently insane intensity, solid post-up footwork and nice hook shot touch.

For someone his size, however, racking up just 1 BLK + 2 STL against 10 personal fouls over a 3-game stretch is a red flag for defensive awareness and effectiveness at forcing turnovers without fouling. Utilizing sheer strength, sound footwork, active hands with better timing and less reaching could improve results.

Against Cam Boozer’s Columbus squad, though, Queen seemed to force things, losing control of power/handle/footwork, looking a little less coordinated in the post compared to cleaner paint production in the IMG matchup the night before, where Derik dominated the paint to the tune of 25 PTS – 13 REB – 1 BLK shooting 11/14 FG and 3/3 FT in 25 MIN !

#10 David Castillo, 6’1″ Guard | & | #5 Elijah Elliot, 6’2″ Guard
Sunrise Christian Academy

David Castillo
vs. Brewster
14 PTS
3 REB
1 AST / 1 TO
3/8 3P – 3/3 FTf
(23 MIN)

Kansas State commit David Castillo flashed knockdown floor-stretching duties with rim-running vertical gravity, outrunning the opponents over and over on fast break outlet opportunities, looking to score on quick pace

Castillo’s 84 3PEfficiency rate via Cerebro Sports reveals his catch-and-shoot knockdown ability, shooting 36% 3P% making 2.5 3PM over two games against Brewster and Montverde.

Elijah Elliot
vs. Brewster
7 PTS
6 STL (!!!)
4 AST / 1 TO
2/4 FG – 3/3 FT
(31 MIN)

FAU commit Elijah Elliot was everywhere all at once, flying around like a mad man forcing turnovers, pushing the pace, looking to find others on fast breaks.

Elliot’s 6 STL outing led to the 2nd-highest defensive statistical impact rating of the tourney behind Donavan Freeman, with Elijah posting a 102 DSI. Vision looking to create for others on display with a 72 FGS rating.

sources:

film, words, and data visualizations from @BeyondTheRK

data via Cerebro Sports

box score stats via mvasports.com
(https://mvasports.com/sports/national-interscholastic-basketball-conference/schedule/2023)

The post Scouting the 2023 Sunshine Classic appeared first on Swish Theory.

Paolo Banchero stepped into the league a walking mismatch.

A 6’10” 250lb tank in transition and North-South force of nature has the tight handles, clean footwork, and high feel to one-vs-one anyone in sight.

He operates both ends of the pick-and-roll with ease, relentlessly attacking the rack with finesse, body and ball control to maintain balance on drives and jumpers.

Banchero beats up bigs on the block, glides past guards on the wing, and wedges past wings inbetween; Paolo speeds past smalls and overpowers the powerful.

Raised in Seattle, Washington, a young hoops fan grew up rooting for the local Huskies squad, attending games and cheering for collegiate standouts Markelle Fultz and Terrence Ross.

He admired tall tough shot-making midrange assassins, incepting hours and hours of highlights from unstoppable scorers, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant.

His mother, Rhonda Smith-Banchero, was a former professional basketball player who retired as the Washington Huskies’ all-time leading scorer.

She would develop the skills that define his game on the court and instill a decision-making process off of it, decision-making that may have once saved his life.

In 2018, Police held a fifteen year-old Banchero and his seventeen year-old friend, Washington State guard Noah Williams, at gunpoint. The crime? The teenagers were leaving a concert, driving a Jeep. Police were looking for a “reportedly stolen Jeep.”

“I had a situation with the police when I was 15, where me and my friend had got pulled over, and they pulled guns on us, and we got arrested. They had suspected we stole the car, but it wasn’t [true]. They had the wrong car and everything, so it was a situation that I had to deal with back then,” Banchero told @MarcJSpears in this incredible story,

Banchero and Williams would pursue a lawsuit against the King County Sheriff’s Office, with goals of receiving a public apology and effecting change.

On Sept. 6, 2019, the Associated Press reported that the King County Sheriff’s Office was ordered to apologize, pay $80,000, and implement new use-of-force guidelines to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by two African American teens, Williams and Banchero, who say they were wrongly held at gunpoint at a concert.

Banchero’s coachability allowed his teachers to help mold a decision-making process.

“I’ve had some encounters where I had to do the right thing in situations that were tricky. Just knowing what my mom had taught me and using that was big,” Banchero said.

“Paolo was always driven,” his mother, Smith-Banchero says, “Any sport, we would tell him, ‘Don’t go out there and mess around… ‘Don’t practice bad shots. Don’t practice that mess.’ And he was just always listening. Coachable, even from that age.”

“Paolo is really coachable. And a big reason for that is because of the family he comes from… All he is and all he ever hopes to be is a result of his mother,” – Legendary Duke Coach K

Banchero goes on to praise Coach K for taking his raw talent and helping “blend it all”, via the Knuckleheads Podcast with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles:

“(Coach K) taught me how to be more efficient. How to use my size and god-given ability to keep things simple. Helped me when I got to the league just blend it all, blend the skill with being able to dominate. He helped me a lot though.” – Paolo Banchero, via Knuckleheads Podcast / Player Tribune

Banchero highlights his current head coach Jamahl Mosley for giving himself and teammates freedom to play through mistakes with the expectation of playing hard on both ends of the floor in return:

“(Coach Mosley)’s helped me a tremendous amount, too; and he’s been there for me the whole time, he’s been real hands on the whole time. Since I’ve first got there, summer league practices, him being there, damn near going through drills with me, playing D, and just always being a voice.

He’s preached me playing with freedom, but also, having to play hard, play defense, not just be a one-way player. He lets me play through mistakes; he lets everyone play through mistakes.

He a coach who’s gonna let us play as long as we giving effort and playing the right way. He’s a great coach, man; it’s a blessing.” – Paolo Banchero, via Knuckleheads Podcast / Player Tribune

Paolo’s Historic Rookie Season

Paolo Banchero just put up one of the greatest rookie seasons in the history of the sport.

Perhaps his most impressive trait as a first-year player, Banchero burst out of the gates rating among the all-time greats at racking up foul calls as a rookie.

Unlike some high-volume whistle-drawers, Banchero collects free points at the pinstripe: Paolo shoots 74% from the free throw line.

Even though it’s the least entertaining aspect of the game to fans, free throws are still the most efficient shot around.

FT% serves as a relevant predictor for future scorers, revealing hard-working athletes willing to spend the time to develop touch talent into working ball-skills.

Banchero being the best in his class and already amongst the league leaders at racking up fouls while taking the free points at an efficient rate reveals Paolo’s foul-drawing to be one of the best bets of reliable scoring around the league going forward.

How does Banchero generate so many free throws as a rookie? Sharing similarities in the face-up attack with Zion Williamson, like unstoppable downhill drives with a head of steam, Bullyball Banchero makes light of the opposition, drawing fouls by staying light on his feet before gracefully exploding at any time.

As lead decision-makers, these primary playmakers take advantage of parallel processing skills to keep track of all the moving parts, proprioception to perceive the position and movement of their own body through space, and processing speed to evaluate the next best action to take.

Nothing rocks the house like a Paolo Power Slam.

Paolo finished the season ranked 19th all-time in Free Throw Volume among Rookies since 1959, tying Zion with 7.4 FTA per game.

Some of the most dominant scorers to ever play can be seen in this data visualization of high-volume rookie free throw takers, with Rick Barry, Michael Jordan, and Oscar Robertson leading the group in efficiency.

Video Visualizing Paolo Banchero’s standing among the Top-25 All-Time NBA Rookies in Free Throw Attempts Per Game Volume since 1958-59 with FT% Efficiency via interactive data visualization in Python.

Paolo quickly put up performances on par with any rookie before him.

Oct 13, 2022: Paolo Banchero signs sneaker deal with Jordan Brand

Oct 19, 2022: Paolo Banchero throws down JUMPMAN Poster Power Slam in the first official game of his NBA career

Making his jumpman contract official in game one, Banchero scored more points in his NBA debut (27 PTS) than any rookie since Allen Iverson twenty seven years ago. Only three No. 1 overall picks since 1969 have dropped 25+ PTS, 5+ REB, and 5+ AST in their NBA debut: LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Paolo Banchero

Paolo recorded two Career-Highs in his tenth career game with 33 PTS & 16 REB, joining LeBron as the only teenagers in NBA history to record a game with 30+ PTS & 15+ REB while becoming the first Magic Rookie since Shaquille O’Neal to record a game with 30+ PTS & 10+REB.

The very next game, Paolo became the fifth Teenager in NBA History to record consecutive 30-point games, joining LeBron, Zion Williamson, Luka Doncic, and Devin Booker.

Paolo’s 20-PT Game Tracker:

1. Six straight 20-point games to start a career ties Grant Hill, Dominique Wilkins, and Oscar Robertson for the third-most of any player.
2. The last three players to score 20+ points in 15 of the first 20 games of their career: Michael Jordan, Zion Williamson, and Paolo Banchero
3. Finished first season with 40 20-point games, the same number as Rookie LeBron.

First 15 Games: Banchero became the fifth player in NBA history since 1950 to have 300+ PTS, 100+ REBS, & 50+ ASTS in his first 15 career games, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bernard King, Sidney Wicks, and Oscar Robertson.

First 31 Games: Since the ABA-NBA merger, the only three Rookies to reach 600 points, 200 rebounds, and 120 assists through their first 31 games are Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Paolo Banchero, via @jkubatko of Basketball Reference.

First Season: Banchero is one of nine rookies ever to average 19.5 PPG – 6.5 RPG – 3.5 APG, joining Luka Doncic, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Sidney Wicks, Elgin Baylor, and Blake Griffin.

Winning the NBA’s 2023 Rookie of the Year in a 98-2 landslide vote, Paolo Banchero became the third Orlando Magic player to win the award alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Mike Miller, who happens to now be Banchero’s agent.

Walking mismatches gain advantages for different reasons as players who can score on any position defender 1-5, no matter the size or speed of the man in front of them, who create scoring opportunities for themselves and teammates no matter who or what the defense throws at them.

Possessing taller height, soft touch, and sound footwork on the block creates an advantage for any player posting up.

Players who fly past defenders on the perimeter, accelerating without a screen and decelerating on a dime show an advantage in burst and body control; having the handles to find angles and dribble drive through defenses without turning over the rock reveals ball control.

Scorers who combine these advantage in faceup and backdown situations tend to be effective in ISO and Post-Ups, playtypes without a screen.

Playmakers with vision and a combination of these advantages may be more effective with the help of a screen running handoffs or operating Pick-and-Roll.

Timing for teammates and understanding the offense can help players measure up cuts from off-ball wing or backdoor baseline. Rim-rollers with soft hands and big bounce can create vertical advantages as lob threats.

Catch-and-shoot skills for players who can knock down a jumper from deep from a standstill, especially from the corners, tend to be efficient in Spot Up situations. Those shooters become even more effective in Spot Up when they put the ball on the floor off a pump-fake and dribble-drive against closeouts to keep the defense rotating.

Shooters with agility, conditioning, and the ablity to catch and shoot off the run create varying advantages off the ball running Off Screens like elevator/iverson/stagger sets through the paint, or into Handoffs around the arc, through any angle they need to create a split second opening needed to get a shot off before the defender can contest.

Stars who score on and off the ball, drive and kick when drawing help, and look to draw fouls through contact combine a multitude of these advantages into an all-around shooting profile, becoming scoring creators making decisions on a play-by-play basis who bend defenses first before reading and reacting second.

Could Paolo Banchero become a heliocentric scoring option, a LeBron or Luka type point-forward who runs the entire offense, with the ball in his hands every play and nearly every shot being the result of a decision made by the star player?

If Paolo scores at good efficiency with higher usage, that may be worth exploring. Generally speaking, though, championship teams are built with more balance in mind. Maximizing a player’s box score production is one thing, whereas creating a sustainable system that consistently creates good shots is another challenge entirely.

Finding ways to make life easier for the team’s best player is a primary goal. Flanking that player with other good decision-making connectors opens up the floor in a variety of ways. Instead of allowing defenses to overload the paint to stop one star from driving at the rim, a well-defined system forces that defense to worry about all the ways that star can beat them all at once.

Consider one of the only ways to slow down Steph Curry. Arguably the best on-ball scorer in the league, someone who perennially tops the league in ISO and P&R efficiency, Steph is magic with the rock in his hands. However, one critique in the all-time scorer discussions is that Steph can’t shoot over multiple defenders like a Kevin Durant; when Curry has the ball, trapping double teams can force the pass.

This strategy tends to happen when a player is so good, the defense’s only hope is to send a second defender at that player, leaving somebody wide open. The defense would rather guard 4 players with 3 defenders than play straight up against this star. This results in open shots for teammates, which is by definition good offense.

Why don’t the Warriors run the Harden Rockets offense, endless on-ball reps for the most efficient on-ball scorer in the league? Because Steve Kerr realizes the benefits of balance, keeping the entire team involved, and most importantly, building an entire system around the threat of Steph Curry rather than relying on the production of Steph Curry.

Consider On-Ball Steph as the ace up Coach Kerr’s playbook sleeve. Even though Curry is more than capable of running the offense every play, why ask Steph to create a good shot for the team 50+ times per game when the team can use Curry’s off-ball gravity to create a good shot for someone every possession without the tradeoff of overtasking the individual with decision-making fatigue?

By building an off-ball screening system of endless relocating handoffs, defenses not only have to worry about the ball, but now have to keep track of the greatest shooter’s whereabouts on the court at all times, living in perilous fear that a heartbreaking dagger could launch from deep at any moment.

The Warriors thrive on off-ball movement, handoffs, and screens; could Paolo emulate the Draymond role as a handoff short-roll playmaker surrounded by shooters, with the added benefit of Banchero threatening to drive, kick, or rise for the shot at any time?

Could an NBA offense rely entirely on the scoring creation play-by-play decision-making of Paolo Banchero? Probably.

Would that offense maximize the team’s chances of winning, or simply maximize the star player’s output in the box score?

Penciling himself in for the Finals before the season started for nearly a decade, LeBron is the one player who has been able to single-handedly will his team to the biggest stage over and over again, sometimes with little help. While LeBron’s Finals appearances essentially serve as the exception to the rule that ‘teams win championships’, even James needed multiple co-stars to finally get over the hump.

Those Cavs and Heat title teams relied on ISO turn-taking more than a system bigger than one player, yet that overwhelming firepower was enough to win multiple rings.

Could Banchero emulate a scorer combining elements in the face-up game between Zion, Melo, and LeBron as a bucket-getting driving force who needs no help to get buckets, draw fouls, and create looks for himself and opportunties to kick to others?

Banchero would need a sizable jump in impact to be anywhere near LeBron’s level, but Rookies who average 20 PPG and 7.4 FTA are rare, and like Zion before him, that superstar jump may arrive sooner than later.

Who are the ideal player types to surround Paolo with, ISO killers like Kyrie next to LeBron and Ingram next to Zion with 3pt shooters, or as many well-rounded good basketball playing connectors as possible?

Banchero’s scoring versatility as a pull-up threat, play-finishing downhill force, and all-around scoring creator big wing helps the team he’s on keep their play-calling options open.

The Magic should explore every avenue to constructing a sustainable offensive system.

Like most teams, Orlando’s most effective halfcourt sets relied on execution:

Paolo’s on-ball double-team gravity in ISO, faceups, and backdowns; P&R Ball-Handling precision from Franz Wagner, Markelle Fultz, and Cole Anthony; Jalen Suggs’ sneaky success in Handoffs and reliable Strong Screen chemistry in The Wagner-Carter Connection; Spot Up closeout-attacking efficiency from Gary Harris, Wendell Carter Jr., Cole, and the Wagner Bros; Post-Up mismatches for everyone from Bol Bol and Mo Wagner to Fultz and Paolo; all of Orlando’s frontcourt being strong play-finishers as the P&R Roll-Man.

Visualizing Scoring Efficiency by Playtype PPP for Orlando Magic rotation players, data via Synergy Sports:

Banchero’s proven one-on-one prowess from any spot on the floor serves as a legitimate offensive hub on its own. Due to high volume and dipping efficiency throughout the year, Banchero scored at an average rate in most playtypes.

Zooming out, the most impressive signs are Paolo’s scoring versatility and all-around shot profile: good Post-Up efficiency as a Rookie, dominance in energy playtypes Putbacks, Transition, and Cuts, and solid efficiency hovering between 0.85 and 0.9 PPP when running both ends of the P&R, ISO, Handoffs, and Spot Up plays.

While individually each rate is fairly average, being able to score reliably in multiple playtypes, being good at everything with the handle and feel to create shots for one’s self and others, creates a sum of its parts effect greater than any one play, an all-around walking mismatch who can defeat different matchups in different ways.

Watch Paolo Banchero drills four threes on the way to 22 PTS in one half against the Celtics, hitting jump shots on and off the dribble out of all sorts of sets: Horns, Horns Flare, DHO, P&R, ISO, and even a fan-favorite Melo-inspired Post-Up Turnaround Baseline Fadeaway

Fourth Quarter Franz

Another year, another sound season for Fundamental Franz Wagner in the blue and white pinstripes.

Wagner methodically breaks down defenses, penetrating the paint in pick-and-roll for snake-dribbling euro-stepping running hooks.

Franz does his damage attacking from every direction on the court, scoring effectively in playtypes involving strong strong screens from Wendell Carter Jr., usually starting from the corner of halfcourt for an Angle P&R with smooth finishing on drives and clean shooting from deep.

Banchero and Wagner give the Magic an advantage held by few teams: two 6’10” wing playmakers who penetrate the paint at will. If Paolo and Franz make up the decidedly untradeable core going forward, then a drive-and-kick offensive hub between the two tall scoring creators exists.

Wagner masterfully runs halfcourt offense with the help of a screen in Handoffs and Pick-and-Rolls, while Banchero self-creates his own advantages facing up defenders in ISOs and Post-Ups.

Wagner shows incredible timing, feel for teammates, and understanding of the game. Franz cuts with purpose, flies on fast breaks, and stays moving off the ball to create easy scoring opportunities for himself.

Averaging near 19 PPG with a solid shooting line of 49-36-84, Wagner maintained good efficiency with high volume.

Zooming out to total offense, Wagner averaged over 1.0 point per possession (1.03 PPP) on 17.8 offensive possessions per game, second in total volume behind Paolo’s 21.6 possessions while rating above league average in efficiency. (0.98)

Fourth Quarter Franz was The Closer countless times this season, ranking 5th in total 4th QTR Points in January before eventually slipping to 9th by the end of the season.

Highlighting Chef Wagner cooking up his Fourth Quarter Franz recipe in the clutch:

Orlando’s two team-first forwards didn’t take long to gel.

Against Toronto, the Magic’s tall tough shot-making duo combine for 57 points on 20/27 from the field scoring 87% TS%.

Wagner’s defense is strong, with good rotations, helping the Magic slow down opposing stars.

Against the Clippers in December, Orlando found success blitzing pick-and-roll, forcing 8 turnovers with the hectic trapping coverage.

The Magic’s defense held their own shutting down Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to a combined 7/27 FG. When guarded by Paolo, Franz, and Bol, the Clippers star duo had trouble getting a clean shot off: in these matchups: Kawhi shot 2/11 and George shot 3/9.

Franz closed the Clippers out with two FLOATAs in the final minute.

Wagner would close out the Clippers in the final minute again later in the season with a stepback three over Robert Covington.

Franz’ one-legged Dirk fadeaway became a go-to move for Wagner last year. While Franz hasn’t gone to the move as often later in the year, Wagner knows he can pull the leg-kick fade any time he creates an advantage with a quick deceleration near the rim.

Poetically, Fourth Quarter Franz closes out Luka’s Mavs with the patented driving leg-kick Franz Dirk Fade

In Indiana, Wagner did his best Luka impression on the left wing, knocking down 3 Pull-Up Triples, 2 Stepbacks, over 1 switching Myles Turner.

In Portland, Franz dropped 15 PTS in the final quarter to beat the Blazers with his patented running hooks, gliding reverse finger-rolls, a catch-and-shoot triple, and even hitting Dame with a his own medicine, the pull-up trey.

the theme of the season: no lead is safe against Orlando.

The Mosley Magic Don’t Quit.

The Redemption of Markelle Fultz

A broken back.

A pit of despair.

An impossible leap.

And yet, The Dark Knight Rises.

“Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.”

A proven full-time starting point guard for the foreseeable future.

A shoulder-faking midrange assassin who adds funky flare to every move.

A table-setting pick-and-roll maestro who gets to any spot below the arc he wants, traps defenders on his hip with hostage dribbles, and stays looking for pull-up jump shots, kickouts to open shooters, and no-look lobs to the dunker spot.

Markelle Fultz is officially back, dropping dimes like rhymes on decelerating drives.

MF Doom leaves his adversaries in dismay.

Overcoming injury, reforming his body, escaping the pit he was trapped in.

Whether or not he is The Batman remains unclear.

The Rise of Markelle Middy is a feel-good story any basketball fan can get behind.

3 Markelle Fultz quotes from the Knuckleheads Podcast via Player Tribune with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles

Fultz on perseverance to fight through injuries:

“I just really learned how to focus on the day and win the day, and the next thing you know it got closer and closer and closer. Again, I think my love for the game really kept me going. Because I never really got a chance to showcase what I really wanted to do and I’d be dammed if I let an injury keep me from doing that…

I love the support and everything, but I strive off the doubt and the hate, the people saying I can’t do it. And I also understand, I’m thankful for where I’m at, it could be way worse , and I also could not be playing right now. So like, I take the good, and I’m thankful for it, and I give all the glory to god, but I also understand I have so much room that I can grow.

That’s what keeps me going, cuz I really feel like there is no ceiling. I can get stronger, I’m doing what I’m doing now, I can still shoot better, there’s so much stuff that I can continue to do, and that’s what keeps me going. Because I still feel like, my IQ for the game is at a very high level, but I still can continue to make my teammates better, be a better defender, everything.”

Fultz on Paolo growing up as a fan of his Washington Huskies:

“It’s crazy. I think it’s dope, a unique experience.

Well for me, this is my second time playing with a #1 pick (Ben Simmons and Paolo) so like, I also understand what he’s going through in a sense. So I feel like, me being through what I’ve been through, I think he understands that he has somebody real, who’s also been a #1 pick, so I feel like he knows that I’m somebody he can talk to.

A real hooper, and also has the Seattle ties, makes it even better. Again, a real hooper right there, he’s gonna be something real special. He’s already something special, but as the game continues to slow down for him, I’m super excited; I’m honored that I had a chance to be able to be a point guard that can help him right now.“

Fultz on Orlando Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley’s impact on the team:

“I think the biggest thing with Mosley… he care about us as people.

It’s not just about hoop for him; don’t get me wrong, he cares about winning, he hates losing, but he more wants us to be great young men, especially for a team like us, we got a lot of young guys.

That always makes you feel better as a person, coming in knowing that a guy isn’t just worried about winning or just talking basketball all the time, he’s asking how you’re doing, he’s worried about how your family, doing stuff like that.

So like, I think that’s a big part about it, but he also has a good combination of getting on us, but like understanding we have a young team so making it fun, like it’s not all drill-drill-drill, it’s like a good combination of come in and get your work in, lock in for right now, and then you can go enjoy, do what you gotta do, but we gotta take care of business…

Understanding we got a coach that rocks with us, we got to protect him, we stress that a lot to our teammates.”

Coach Mosley gives players freedom to play, the only requirement: play hard.

Orlando started the season 5-16 without Fultz. Markelle returned to the lineup, and hasn’t missed a game since.

In 58 games with Fultz at the helm, The Magic posted a .500 record, the 7th-best Defense, and the 6th-best FT Rate on Offense.

Defining an offensive system around what already exists could be Orlando’s clearest path to success. Endless “paint and spray” drive-and-kick ball-movement allows everyone to feel involved, feel out the game, and feel motivated to give their all.

A fast, fun, watchable offense built inside-out from paint penetration, the team moves to the pace of their point.

The Magic are one of four teams with three players driving to the rack at least ten times per game, joining the Clippers, Pelicans, and Celtics. Orlando ranked 15th in pace, 12th in points off turnovers, and 10th in drives per game.

The Showtime Magic run the break off forced turnovers and endlessly attack the rack behind the three-headed monster of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Markelle Fultz.

Visualizing Players averaging 10+ Drives per game while totaling over 80+ 3PT AST:

Highlighting Magic Markelle Moments this season

One of the biggest highlights of the season, Markelle Middy closing out the Celtics in Boston during the six-game win-streak that would turn out to be the longest of the season.

Markelle controls the pace, setting the table for teammates, looking for the best shot for his team.

Revenge Game Fultz dishes out seven dimes in a six minute span before half before Paolo, Suggs, and Mo Wagner spur a big comeback win in the second half in Philadelphia.

Markelle Middy shows off his two-way tenacity traveling to the West Coast.

Fultz times up FOUR quick steals in the first quarter against the Clippers, dropping 28 PTS, drawing 8 FT, and completing the highlight off Wendell’s big block on Westbrook with a coast-to-coast finger-roll

Fultz tallied a career-high SIX steals against the defending champs in Golden State while filling out the box score: 17-7-6-6

Fultz drills four midrange jumpers from the same shot zone in Phoenix, creates for teammates while pushing the pace, and keeps his hands active to force two turnovers on Devin Booker and Chris Paul.

While Fultz’s form is automatic in the midrange, his shot release on the three-point jumper looks like a different form. Fultz hypes up Magic fans late in the season with the cleanest-looking in-rhythm pull-up three of his Orlando Magic career in a monster third-quarter sequence in a Sunday afternoon game against Jaden Ivey’s Pistons.

Cole The Sparkplug

This roster is filled with flat-out hustlers, players coming off the bench ready to give their all every second on the floor.

Kevon Harris and Admiral Schofield diving for loose balls, Jalen Suggs beating offenses to the point of attack, and Cole Anthony flying in to crash the boards or timing a Cut to the rim right as Fultz starts to bend the defense on a drive.

Cole Anthony may finally have found his ideal role as a third guard commanding second units and closing games with a hot hand, at least for now.

Ice Cole’s smooth floater, mean elbow middy pull-up, and flashy handles remain effective for creating shots Anthony is confident in making, especially against drop coverage. Even if those shots qualify as tough shots the defense generally wants the opponent to take, making those tough shots semi-consistently is worth exploring the hot hand theory any night.

Being able to operate high pick-and-roll offense between double drags and horns sets to create shots for everyone on the floor is a legitimate NBA skill, if not one of the most desired by front offices constructing an offense.

Cole has rapidly improved as a half-court decision maker, slowing down when he needs to create while never wasting effort on either end. Anthony stays a threat to pull-up at any moment or ignore the screen entirely and attack the rack by driving away from the action.

Once Fultz returned to the starting lineup, Cole was slotted in the sixth man role, proving to be an effective high-energy rotation player. Both point guards thrived in impact, with Anthony’s shooting through the roof in efficiency.

The regular rotation’s leading pull-up three-point threats by efficiency were Gary Harris (45% on 0.6 3PA) and Cole Anthony (39% on 1.0 3PA)

The regular rotation’s leading free throw shooters by efficiency were Gary Harris (90% FT% on 0.6 FTA) and Cole Anthony (89% FT% on 2.8 FTA)

While it’s not quite the Harden-CP3 Rockets playing a Hall of Fame point guard at all times, the depth of Fultz and Cole allows Orlando to always play a starting-caliber point guard capable of executing pick-and-rolls.

The Magic can rely on either point to control the pace and run half-court offense, making the game easier for all involved and balancing team roles by allowing play-finishing scorers to focus on putting the ball in the hoop.

Anthony showed promise in P&R action in the 2021-22 season, averaging the same scoring efficiency of 0.9 PPP as Rookie Franz, on higher volume.

Streaky scoring with reliable effort and good feel for running the offense is appreciated on second units and deserves a look at starting with night-to-night consistency. If efficiency stays level as volume increases, that rate should be tested to its limits.

Visualizing 2022-23 Orlando Magic players who can create shots for themselves and others, the floor-spacing scoring creators via Cerebro Sports data:

Good Ol’ Gary Harris

Sometimes lost in the fold in all the talks of the exciting young core is good ol’ Gary Harris, Orlando’s starting shooting guard for 72 games over the last two seasons.

Gary Harris has slid right into an ideal C&S play-finishing role, maximizing his efficiency as a three-point shooter and adding real two-way impact as a POA defender when on the floor.

While not quite the same scorer as his Denver peak, Harris has made huge jumps in efficiency across the board since his arrival in Orlando.

Gary posted 49% True Shooting percentage in his first twenty games after the trade to Orlando, rising all the way up to 57% TS% in Franz’ rookie season and 62% TS% in Paolo’s rookie season, with his USG% dropping from 20% to 16% to 12% in the process.

Harris 3PAr volume ballooned from 35% to 55% to 71% over that same time frame, with his 3P% efficiency climbing from 36% (3.3 3PA) to 38% (5 3PA) to 43% (4.5 3PA)

Nine Orlando Magic Players on the roster average over 2+ C&S 3PA when they play, all shooting at least 34%, led in 3P% by Gary Harris (43%) and Franz Wagner. (41%)

The outbreak of Franz, the arrival of Paolo, and the return of Fultz all contributed to fewer creation needs and more off-ball play-finishing looks for Harris, resulting in cleaner shot opportunities, higher efficiency, and more impact in a reduced on-ball role.

Providing a steady hand in point-of-attack defense, this savvy vet has proven over a long period of time to still be able to contribute to a starting lineup as a reliable two-way team-first 3&D role player doing the little things with little credit, making the right plays to help his team succeed.

Stealth Mode Suggs

A pick six a day keeps the defense at bay.

Lurking in the shadows before biting like a snake, Suggs surprises the opposition by beating the ball to the point the pass is supposed to arrive at.

A simple stagger screen gone wrong.

Jalen flies up from behind the action, snatches the ball before his man even sees it, going up for a layup on the other end before the defense knows what hit ‘em.

They underestimate his sneakiness.

Jalen Suggs is already one of the more versatile defensive guards in the league. Bringing lockdown effort and quick feet at point of attack, with strength on the block to lose no ground to bigs in the post, Suggs can already guard 1-4 at the highest level.

Stealth Mode Suggs, engaged.

A blur in transition, Jalen Suggs can take off like a rocket or launch the ball up the court quickly. The vision of a former quarterback has it’s perks on the open floor.

Jalen’s developed into a reliable scoring option in plays where he runs off screens.

Slowing down in the halfcourt, Suggs’ decision-making, rim-finishing, and quick-trigger jumper powers are growing stronger, averaging 1.1 PPP on Handoffs , 1.0 PPP Off Screens, and 0.9 PPP in P&R.

Never forget this four-threes first quarter in Brooklyn in 2021:

One of best early season moments: a game-winning spinning stepback three for Jalen Suggs in Chicago.

Jalen Suggs set a Career-High 26 PTS with clutch steals and pull-up jumper against the Splash Bros

Wendell The Rock

Wendell Carter Jr., Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs held one of Orlando’s better net ratings, which adds up due to their execution off screens, reliable pindown handoff Chicago set, and the hard-earned chemistry of Wagner-Carter P&R Connections.

A hustling big who anchors both ends of the floor with high two-way feel for the game, sets strong well-timed screens, and hits C&S threes, Carter remains the rock of these lineups. Wendell brings all-around efficiency in energy plays, rolling and popping in pick-and-roll, spotting up from deep and posting up mismatches.

Wendell Carter led the team in overall impact this season according to Cerebro Sports (+7.0 C-RAM), slightly outpacing Franz and Paolo. (+6.7 C-RAM)

In 966 minutes with the starting frontcourt of Wendell Carter Jr., Paolo Banchero, and Franz Wagner on the court together, the Orlando Magic have a +2.33 Net Rating.

Add Markelle Fultz to that mix of Wendell, Paolo, and Franz on the floor, and Orlando has a positive +1.76 Net Rating in 681 minutes.

Visualizing Orlando Magic players still on the roster with the most two-way impact as defenders and pure scorers in the 2022-23 season, via Cerebro Sports data:

New Bitazde Business

A late-season addition after being waived by Indiana, Goga Bitadze brought good energy, floor-spacing, and sound rim-rolls into post-up mismatches in his short stint in Orlando.

In 114 Minutes with Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Goga Bitadze on the floor, the Orlando Magic posted a +15.63 Net Rating. Usually joined by another starter, this unit impressed against second units once Goga entered the fold.

That 3-man chemistry will be handy going forward, with each player fighting for a starting spot, even if they’re comfortable filling their rotation role. A reliable bench unit could present itself with each player capable of filling in for a starter on the fly.

Visualizing 3-Man Lineup Combos for the Orlando Magic by Net Rating
(via NBA Stats; min. 100 MP)

The Boller Coaster

Few things excite Magic fans like a runaway Bol flying off the tracks.

When Bol Bol is on the loose, anything can happen.

Bol’s fast breaks were like psychedelic fever dreams, as the crowd collectively holds their breath to see if magic could happen one more time.

Sometimes Bol would glide coast-to-coast into a euro-step one-handed jam; other times, he’d fake a handoff and drive right into a post-up mismatch shoulder-faking turnaround baseline fadeaway.

To fans, The Good flashes highlights that resemble one of the greatest rim-protecting and tough shot-making prospects the basketball world has ever seen in Victor Wembanyama. To critics, The Bad reveals black hole level defensive worries on the perimeter, weakness guarding stronger bigs in the post, and a turnover-prone wildcard whose inconsistent decision-making may not be worth the excitement.

A free-roaming Bol is the best Bol, where a sturdy defensive frontcourt around him allows him to do what he does best as a help-side shot-blocking rim-protector with incredibly rare handle, touch, and skills for his height. Bol punishes mismatches in the post with tough shot-making, has a wet jumper from deep, and has the handles to create his own shot on a whim.

Concerns exist for any big being asked to switch on the perimeter, but the modern game demands versatility. Leading the league in 3PT BLKs when smaller guards dared to shoot over the switch, and using his length to effectively stop quicker wings in their tracks, Bol showed some improvement guarding on the wing this season.

Playing through mistakes hopefully creates lessons learned to develop decision-making, while being miscast in an overtasked role could dampen impact.

The Future

Role players like Mo Wagner, Chuma Okeke, and Caleb Houstan have shown reason for encouragement. Mo earns minutes with energy and closeout-attacking chemistry. Though he’s been squeezed out of the rotation due to the logjam of talent in the frontcourt, Chuma has flashed defensive wing versatility, shooting range, and connector ball-skills when available. Houstan has shown on more than one occasion he can be a legit C&S 3PT threat with active hands as a lengthy wing defender.

The defense is full of long, strong, smart, and mostly switchable defenders, who take pride in hustling, rotating, protecting.

Jonathan Isaac’s return lingers as a wide-ranging what-if. One of the most impactful, versatile defenders in the game when healthy, J.I. just can’t seem to stay on the court.

That won’t stop Magic fans from imagining how dynamic a Franz-Paolo-Isaac frontcourt could be in today’s spread NBA, or pondering a possible playoff matchup between Orlando’s young core of Suggs-Franz-Paolo-Isaac-Wendell-Fultz-Cole to Boston’s rotation of Smart-Brown-Tatum-RobWill-Horford-White-Brogdon, let alone daydreaming of what that might look like with another 1-2 lottery picks on the way.

Paolo even matches up well with fellow Duke star Jayson Tatum, showing he can contest Tatum’s jumper without fouling, contain him on drives, and make him work harder than he’d like for points, which is all one can be asked to do defending a superstar scorer like Tatum. Banchero holding his own on both ends with star big wings is huge for future playoff success.

With a 37% chance at a Top-4 pick, a 9% chance at winning the Wemby lottery outright, and over 91% odds of Chicago’s 11th-14th pick conveying, Orlando could very easily end up with another top talent in the draft, if not two.

Imagine this roster adding another explosive guard like Scoot Henderson, Amen or Ausar Thompson into the mix, or a floor-stretching tough shot-maker on the wing like Jett Howard or Gradey Dick.

Countless reasons exist for Magic fans to have hope.

The product on the floor is fun to watch every night.

The drives and kicks are strong; the pace of play is fast; the style of play is furious.

The young talent coming together, meshing, molding into one cohesive unit.

In the present, everyone in the gym is entertained.

For the future, fans are overloaded with optimism.

Win or lose, Mosley Magic teams don’t quit.

Ring the bell.

Data via PBP Stats, Cerebro Sports, NBA Stats, Basketball Reference, Statmuse

Words and Visualizations from @ BeyondTheRK on Twitter, YouTube, Substack

The post Appreciating Paolo Banchero’s Historic Rookie Year in The Most Exciting Orlando Magic Season Since Dwight appeared first on Swish Theory.

“A boat’s a boat, but a mystery box could be anything; it could even be a boat!” – Peter Griffin

Potential lies in the eye of the beholder.

To some, potential is the highest hypothetical ceiling of a prospect if all the flaws of that prospect magically disappear overnight; to others, the most realistic development paths rely on legitimate foundations of proven talent.

Realistic potential relies on skill flashes in the pan slow-cooking in the crockpot of one’s career, whereas hypothetical potential is often raised up by empty hype based on nothing more than blind hope.

What are some signs of realistic potential, where one could project aspects of a player’s game blooming from specific budding skills?

What Defines a Good Basketball Player?

When a prospect consistently shows soft shooting touch from multiple areas of the floor, such as finishing at the rim in a variety of fashions, cashing in floaters in the midrange, and knocking down free throws at an above average rate, one could realistically project that player to continue developing as a shooter and scorer, perhaps even a tough shot-maker.

When a prospect shows the ability to dribble a basketball without turning it over, that ball control unlocks all sorts of scoring opportunities for the player and the team. Working on handles with dribble drills can unlock different types of shot creation for any player to drive to the rack, maintain control on moves, and look to create advantages that lead to easier scoring opportunities for themselves or teammates.

Making the extra pass to the open man around the arc or on a drive-and-kick could signal a future connector. Attacking, bending defenses before kicking out, threatening to score to draw away eyes from the defense, could reveal a player’s readiness for a larger creator role.

Developing some of the toughest ball-skills involves deliberate practice with hours of repeating the same shot or drill at a local park or in an empty gym. Showing work ethic, willingness to learn, and coachability are traits any team values; combining that approach with the talent it takes to develop these traits leads one to believe other ball skills can be improved in a similar routine, with the same effort, focus, and mechanical mindset that got the prospect where they are today.

Prospects who develop dribbling, passing, and shooting become well-rounded offensive players. Players who combine good handles, vision, and touch with natural feel for the game can combine the sum of their parts to become good basketball players on one end of the floor and legitimate offensive stars at the highest level.

These all-around prospects become self-made scoring creators, creating good looks for themselves and teammates on a consistent basis, whose next challenge is to balance making unselfish team decisions with a selfish scoring mindset.

Good basketball players don’t hurt their team. Not hurting your team means competing hard on both ends of the floor, being a plus-defender and sound decision-maker, or at least bringing so much positive impact with otherworldly talent on one side that it makes up for minimal impact on the other side.

Even then, if a slight 6’2” sharpshooter named Steph can become an average defender for his position, no one really has an excuse.

Effort shouldn’t have to be coached, especially at the highest level.

The Scarcity of Versatility

Versatility overflows in positivity; one can never have enough versatility.

On offense, this word means threatening to score multiple ways simultaneously. Having lineups of players who can fulfill different traditional roles all at once, whether that be initiating a play on the ball or finishing a play off of it.

Scoring versatility relates to a player’s shot profile, the ability to score in different methods in different areas of the floor.

Role versatility involves a players being able to switch between roles, ranging anywhere between running some point one play, looking to score first off the dribble the next play, attacking a closeout after that, popping out for three later on, and/or rolling to the rack for a thunderous throwdown inbetween.

Matchup versatility revolves around teams with multiple versatile players being able to play at different paces and styles, affording the coach a multitude of lineup options to play around with in search of finding competitive advantages without shooting themselves in the foot while doing so.

Defensive versatility can be simplified to guarding multiple positions. Being able to switch no matter the matchup; protecting the paint and guarding the perimeter. Having the lateral quickness, body control, and spatial awareness to move side-to-side with ease, rotate from the corner to the nail to tag the roller, and shift schemes seamlessly between hedging, switching, trapping, dropping in pick-and-roll defense to keep offense on their toes.

The epitome of a versatile defender in the modern game is someone long and quick enough to guard a team’s perimeter creator at point-of-attack, agile enough to switch onto the team’s big wing, tall and instinctual enough to time up blocks at the rim while rotating in help, and strong enough to hold their own on the block without giving ground.

A rim-protecting defensive anchor who can switch out and pick up just about anybody at any time, such as Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, and Jaren Jackson Jr.

One doesn’t need to hone every skill mentioned to be versatile, but the more roles a player can fill (or at least threaten the defense that they might fill) on either side of the floor, the more versatile that player is.

The more well-rounded team-first two-way good basketball players that a team rosters, the more versatile that roster becomes.

The Path to Stardom

Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. combines rare natural traits with awareness, skill, and instincts to create an ever-active ball-swarming shot-swatting one-man wrecking-crew on one end of the court and a floor-stretching dribble-driving mismatch-hunting walking bucket on the other.

At Michigan State, Jaren flashed a rim-protecting play-finishing skillset coveted in modern pick-and-pop bigs by every team

In the NBA, JJJ now defines the unicorn label as well as any player alive on the planet.

Jackson will rotate three times and block two shots in one possession, revealing his play-by-play paint-protecting impact while always hovering in help-defense.

Now a franchise cornerstone who can score as the lead option, attack closeouts as the second, spread the floor as a sniper, punish mismatches on the post, and beat bigs off the dribble, Jackson showed early on-ball scoring potential in flashes, when deciding to attack and when given the opportunity.

Trey J’s jumper has a unique shooting form for someone his size. A rapid-fire catch-and-pull-up resembles a low-to-high gather before releasing on the way up that guards like Steph Curry makes look so impossible to guard off the dribble.

At Michigan State, Jaren shared the spotlight with Miles Bridges, Coach Izzo’s #1 scoring option. Bridges specialized in ISOs from the wing, while Jaren spaced the floor for quick-trigger jumpers, crashed the boards, and offered a secondary post-up option. Fans argued Jackson wasn’t being aggressive enough; some could say his modern-big skills were underutilized.

Jackson brought ambidextrous finishing, strong footwork, and soft touch near the rim, while displaying great understanding of the game on both ends of the floor.

JJJ quickly racked up a lot of blocks and threes; more than his peers, and more than just about anyone who ever played collegiate basketball:

Draft Class Superlatives

Voted most likely to be a shot-swatting 3pt sniper, Jaren Jackson Jr. averaged more STL+BLK (5.9) than every top big in his 2018 NBA Draft class (Bamba, Wendell, Ayton, and Bagley), scoring as efficiently across the board (65% TS%) and shooting as well or better than everyone from beyond the arc and the free throw line.

JJJ joined Karl Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis as the only freshman since 2011 with 5+ OBPM and 10+ DBPM, via @advancedstats23. (twitter)

Jackson and Bamba finished Top-2 in BLK%, DBPM, BPM, while helping their teams rank Top-15 in defensive rating.

Jaren: 14.2 BLK% | 5.9 Stocks .396 3pt%, .647 TS%, .797 FT% (.414 3PAr)
Bamba: 13.0 BLK% | 5.2 Stocks .275 3pt%, .593 TS%, .681 FT% (.189 3PAr)
Ayton: 6.1 BLK% | 2.6 Stocks .343 3pt%, .650 TS%, .733 FT% (.078 3PAr)
Bagley: 1.5 BLK% | 1.9 Stocks .386 3pt%, .642 TS%, .622 FT% (.132 3PAr)

Taking a higher percentage of his shots from beyond the arc (.414 3PAr) than all three other bigs combined, Jaren made a higher percentage of those threes than anyone, nearly reaching the elite 40% threshold (39.6% 3P%), while also knocking down the highest FT% (79.7%) of any top big prospect in his class.

All are positive indicators if not bright flashing lights signaling a super-skilled big with the touch, work ethic, and jump shot to bring real shooting skills to the next level and maybe even develop three-level scoring prowess in the long-term, without even mentioning his otherwordly rim-protecting and turnover-forcing numbers.

A historically impressive shot-blocker was also the best 3PT and FT shooter in his class, with clean postup footwork, soft finishing touch, developable ball-skills in every area, and effective awareness to know where to be to do the little things asked of a big.

While feel for the game can’t be measured, it felt like Jaren’s feel was off the charts.

In terms of overall impact, Jaren Jackson Jr. ranked 7th in Player Impact Plus Minus (+7.54) among all college players measured in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, rating right between Mikal Bridges and Mo Bamba. Notably, Zion Williamson and Brandon Clarke collegiate impact jumped off the page, via Jacob Goldstein’s PIPM metric.

Cerebro Sports tracks data from early on in the prospect development cycle to quantify each player’s ever-changing role and situation throughout their basketball journey, from the beginning. Rob James (@RobJamesHoops) of Cerebro has been impressed by Jaren Jackson Jr.’s high two-way floor and instinctual feel for the game for a long time:

“I was there from 2014-2018; in EYBL/HS, I either had 50-60 game minimums.

Jaren shot 39% from 3 on about 140 attempts. The Stretch 5 capability was always there. He was going to hit 3s and protect the rim and score effectively without needing a ton of usage.

Son of a pro is a cheat code, a sweetheart kid of a glue guy dad so getting his was never his thing. Program he comes from, Indy Heat, is basically a “feel for the game” assembly line. So knowing how to play in that body (SUPER young, wouldn’t really hit physical stride til 22-23) he was always gonna be in the league as a BASELINE Al Horford type competing in the playoffs for 10+ years, in my opinion.

Main issue was fouling. takes a long time for bigs to pick up the cerebral aspect of quarterbacking a defense, plus he was still growing into his body and young, hence the fouls were such a big problem early. Upside gets tricky. however the floor was starting for playoff teams for a LONG time.”

– Rob James, Cerebro Sports

Some things can’t be taught. Basketball players who are long (wingspan), tall (height), with big hands tend to be more disruptive defenders, in swish theory.

Measureables that provide Jaren a more realistic pathway to maintaining defensive impact going from college to pro level:

(Draft Class Ranks)
Wingspan: 7’5.25 (3rd)
Hand length: 10in (T-1st)
Hand width: 10in (T-10th)
Height w/o shoes: 6’9.75 (7th)
Standing reach: 9’2 (6th)

Triple J Today

Today, Jaren is a star defender, shooter, and scorer.

How did he find his ultimate development path, resembling the closest player in the league to a modern day Kevin Garnett?

Mastering his defensive instincts to find better balance between forcing turnovers and not fouling. Finetuning that feathery touch into a reliable jump shot from downtown. Combining that deep range with ball control to develop into an on-ball scoring threat with counter-attack moves who can put the ball on the floor and drive to the cup.

Jaren’s profound scoring versatility is most evident in his Synergy shot profile, bringing average to elite efficiency in every playtype. Few numbers highlight Jackson’s versatile shot profile and offensive role malleability as Points Per Possession.

Jaren Jackson Jr. averages 1.0+ PPP in SEVEN playtypes via Synergy, including ISO, Post-Up, Handoffs, Cuts, Putbacks, Transition, and operating both ends of the pick-and-roll.

Jaren ranks 42nd in ISO efficiency, rating in the 82nd percentile. His most efficient playtypes score 1.1 PPP in ISO situations, 1.04 on Handoffs, 1.25 PPP as the P&R Roll Man, and 1.0 as the P&R Ball Handler.

Jackson ranks 39th in the NBA in Dunks with 67; 27 times rolling to the hoop in P&R, Jaren scored 1.8 PPP on 16/19 FG!

Jaren just wrapped up the longest streak of 25pt games in his career with five straight, posting superstar numbers in the process with 29.8 PPG – 7 REB – 2.4 BLK on 68% TS% while shooting 35% 3P% on 5 3PA.

When Ja misses games, the entire Grizzlies’ rotation must fill a bigger role than usual, taking on more of a scoring load to fill the void. Some teams may be more prepared to do this than others, due to rosters featuring malleable talents that work cohesively in different ways. Ready or not, time for other options like Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane to step up.

In the 9 games with Ja out, Jaren’s taken on a primary scoring option role. Winning six of those nine games, Jackson is averaging 23 PPG – 6 REB – 2 BLK while shooting 51-36-75 and winning six of nine games.

In Morant’s return off the bench, Jackson still couldn’t be contained, exploding for 37 PTS – 10 REB – 2 BLK – 1 STL on 14/20 FG and 8/11 FT in Houston.

JJJ’s strongest performance in the Ja-less run arguably came in the beefiest matchup: Memphis’ brewing smack-talk storm with the Golden State Warriors for the title of who really runs the West.

Jaren showed what he’s capable of when attacking all game while somehow having the frenetic energy to stay protecting the paint from every angle, leading all scorers in the Memphis-Golden State matchup with a huge 31 PTS on 64% TS% and 4 BLK.

Jaren takes advantage of his transcendent defensive instincts and never-ending effort to regularly time up blocks in help defense.

In a 5-second span guarding Pick-and-Roll in just the first possession below, help-defender Jaren Jackson rotates to the protect the rim, blows up the roller’s path, blocks the next pass recipient’s shot on the way up, then deflects another pass.

Try again.

Jaren Jackson Jr. has developed his touch into efficient range from downtown. What makes Trey J’s shot release look different for a big is how most tall shooters use the height of their jump at the top of their release to make their shot even harder to guard, like Rashard Lewis or the nearly unblockable Kevin Durant.

Jackson’s three-point threat creates easy closeout-attacking leverage to pumpfake even the smartest defenders off their feet. Jaren can replicate his upward shot release and soft touch from anywhere on the floor, such as the float game, where he makes drifting a one-handed flick shot over the defender look routine.

Here, JJJ sends Draymond flying by on the pick-and-pop pump, accelerates into the open space on the floor, processes his options, and swishes in the high-arcing teardrop FLOATA after realizing no contest was coming to stop him.

Jackson has filled out his frame to hold his own on the block at the pro level. Jaren now has the physicality to create position and soft touch to finish with finesse around the basket, with the body control to speed past bigger defenders.

Jackson’s rounded out his post-up game with footwork, finesse, and counter moves. Ranking 37th in Post Up efficiency, he’s tied with Aaron Gordon and percentage points ahead of Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Vucevic, and Anthony Davis.

As of February 2022, Jaren had taken the 5th-most hook shots in the league, averaging a respectable point per possession when doing so.

Jackson can score over, through, and around nearly any defender standing in front of him. He can speed past bigs, overpower smalls, or rise and fire any time he wants.

A fringe seven-foot positionless rim-protecting do-it-all defender who can shoot on or off the ball or put the ball on the floor, glide to the rack, and finish with either hand at a moment’s notice?

What more could one want out of a basketball player who competes hard every possession on both ends?

What can defenses do when he’s in the zone? Send a double, hope someone else beats them. Even if he’s not known for creating looks for others, Jaren’s instincts, vision, and feel for the game build up a sound decision-making process; Jackson has the vision to notice the double-teams coming and the willingness to kick to the open man.

Versatility allows Jaren to shift roles seamlessly.

Jackson’s ability to overpower shorter players on the block and accelerate past bigs on the perimeter creates a walking mismatch.

With soft touch finishing around the rim, sound ball and body control, and a clean stroke from deep, an unguardable scorer on and off the ball is born; a two-way force who protects the paint every possession and can morph from primary scoring option into secondary floor-spacer instantaneously.

Was Jaren not aggressive enough as a scorer at Michigan State? Should he be praised for being more forthright now in the pros? Were these skills always around and sleeping dormant, or did Jaren finally receive an opportunity to produce as a primary scoring option on a consistent basis, something that’s never truly been asked from him at the NCAA/NBA level?

Maybe multiple things can be true. Jaren has certainly flashed his skillset in bursts.

Breaking out the handles and body control when given a chance, here’s JJJ in ISO dropping a double cross hesi drive one-handed jam back at MSU, because he can.

Jaren rapidly flashed his NBA-level D&3 credentials.

Recording a 7 BLK + 4 3PM outburst in his first 20 games as a rookie? because he can.

Knocking down a triple and getting back on defense to swat two shots in a row? priceless.

10 Graphs Visualizing Jaren Jackson Jr.’s NBA Development Path from Rookie to Franchise Cornerstone

Jaren Jackson Jr. was 1 of 8 Rookies to score 0.95 PPP with 100+ possessions in 1+ playtype, joining Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Mikal Bridges, Trae Young, Deandre Ayton, Miles Bridges, and Collin Sexton.

JJJ was scoring efficiently in Spot Ups, P&R Roll Man, and Transition situations as soon as he stepped on the hardwood.

#1. A Versatile Play Finisher

On Dec 3, 2021, Jaren Jackson Jr. broke the True Shooting stat with his shooting efficiency at 109.1% TS%.

Playing only twenty minutes, JJJ posted a +42 and a 109.1% TS% (!) with 27 PTS – 2 STL – 2 BLK shooting 6/7 3P.

By the 2020-21 season, Jaren was already one of the best jump shooters in the NBA, ranking 17th in efficiency via Synergy among shooters with 300+ shots taken.

#2. The Jumper is Legit

Even though Jackson’s surprisingly struggled in pick-and-pops this 2023 season, only hitting four of fourteen from deep in the playoffs, Jaren’s unfettered willingness to launch from deep continues to keep defenses up at night on the regular.

In 2023, Jaren’s slipped the pick as the roll-man 38 times, hitting 5/7 3P and scoring 1.3 PPP.

While efficiency is always a main goal; volume and confidence can go along way to stretch the floor, keep defenses away from the rim, and open the paint for others.

In 2021-22, Jaren was the 2nd-most efficient pick-and-pop option in the NBA as of January. Jackson served as the floor-streching rim-protecting star for an up-and-coming Grizzlies team that burst onto the playoff scene and isn’t leaving any time soon.

#3. Spacing the Floor for Rim Pressure

When visualizing the Hustle landscape of the league’s most active defenders last season (2021-22), Jaren popped out in multiple categories, ranking 7th in dFG% (41.8%)

Guards tend to rack up more deflections while bigs tend to contest more shots, which adds up given each respective position’s traditional roles of digging at balls on the perimeter and protecting the paint.

NBA Hustle Leaders in 2021-23 with < 43% dFG%, 80+ Deflections, 9+ dFGA/game, 40+gp:

1) Robert Williams 40.3%
2) Matisse Thybulle 40.5%
3) Jaden McDaniels 40.7%
4) Bruce Brown 41.2%
5) Draymond Green 41.6%
6) Caleb Martin 41.7%
7) Jaren Jackson Jr. 41.8%
8) LeBron James 42.2%
9) Deni Avdija 42.3%
10) Desmond Bane 42.4%
11) Rudy Gobert 42.5%
12) Bam Adebayo 42.7%

#4-5. Wingspan Everywhere

2022-23: The Stratosphere of Consistency

1/5/23: Jaren Jackson Jr. drops ORL 31 PTS 10 REB on 91% TS% while holding Paolo Banchero to 2/6 FG, forcing his Paolo’s turnover, with Jaren’s only foul coming on a chasedown block attempt (slammed home by Banchero for the AND1).

As of 1/6/23, Jaren Jackson Jr. Ranks 1st in Blocks/gm and BLK% along with 1st in Defensive EPM; 3rd in Defensive BPM; and 3rd in Cerebro’s Defense Statistical Impact. (DSI)

#6. First Team All-Defense

As of 1/18/23, Opponents were shooting 10% worse in the restricted area with Jaren Jackson Jr. ON the floor vs. OFF, via this phenomenal shot deterrence visual created by @Daniel_Bratulic.

A constant criticism that’s pained Jackson’s game like an Achilles heel may now double as Jackson’s most valuable improvement this season: foul trouble

Jaren’s starting to slow down, react more purposefully, and time his jumps to not rack up as many silly fouls. Developing defensive instincts into better decision-making.

As of 1/20, Jaren ranked among the league’s best in racking up blocks and steals without fouling and making hustle plays without giving up that relentless swarming defensive activity that got him to where he is today.

#7. The Fouls, with Proper Context

However, this area remains a concern for Jaren when teams attack the rim in pursuit of putting him in foul trouble, especially in the playoffs: what happens if the Grizzlies’ most impactful two-way player is unavailable for the team’s biggest moments?

Jackson will have to lean on the foundational traits that got him there: decision-making, instincts, timing.

Perennially facing foul trouble, Jaren’s only actually fouled out of four games in 2022-23. Why does Jackson only average 28 MPG?

Coming off an injury to start the year, Jaren began the season on a minutes restriction at 26.2 MPG in his first 28 games. Over his last 30 games, Jaren’s upped his playing time to 30 MPG.

This season, Jaren is racking up one more combined block+steal than any player in the league who also attempts a minimum of one C&S triple per game, with only 36 players launching more catch-and-shoot three-pointers every night.

JJJ’s DPOY-level two-way impact far outweighs his jumpy foul trouble tendencies.
Jackson’s averaging the best rate of STL+BLK divided by Fouls in his career. (1.16)

#8-9. The Epitome of 3&D?

Add in Deflections to the mix, and Jaren ranks near the top hustlers in the league this season, rating among Toronto’ perimeter players Fred VanVleet and O.G. Anunoby.

How many bigs plays like guards on the wing, breaking up passing lanes for deflections and stretching the floor from deep, all while still doing the little things that teams want bigs to do like putting a lid on the rim and rolling hard to the rack?

Block percentage (BLK%) is the percentage of a team’s blocks that a single player racks up while on the court. Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 9.8 BLK% is the 4th-highest ever block percentage recorded by basketball reference, just behind the top three seasons ever recorded by Manute Bol.

Memphis as a team ranks Top-15 in every defensive four factor:
2nd in Defensive Rating, 2nd in DEF eFG%, 6th in TOV% (forcing turnovers), and 12th in FT Rate (not fouling).

Every 3-man combo you can think of in Memphis’ core between Jaren, Ja, Bane, and Clarke jumps off the page in Net Rating, varying between 60-200 MIN via PBP Stats.

Jaren Jackson Jr.’s individual NBA Ranks (as of 3/24/23)

defense
1st in BLK% (5.3%), 100th percentile via Cleaning The Glass / 9.8% via BBall Ref
1st in BLK/gm (3), BLK/poss (0.5), BLK/MIN (0.11)
1st in 2PA BLK% (9.8)
3rd in Total BLK (167)
4th in Defensive EPM via Dunks and Threes
4th in %BLK via NBA Stats
7th in Defensive BPM via BBall Ref and DSI via Cerebro Sports
7th in Contested Shots (10.8, Tied with Anthony Davis, Isaiah Stewart, Myles Turner)
60th in Deflections (2.0, Tied with wings Mikal Bridges, Devin Vassell, Franz Wagner

3pt shooting
48th in C&S 3PA on 34.2% C&S 3P%
83rd in 3PA volume (4.5, Tied with Nikola Vucevic, Joe Harris, McBuckets, Tobias)
95th in 3PM/gm (1.5, Tied with guards Ivey, CP3, T-Ross)
124th in 3P% (34%, in line with Doncic, Tatum, Brown, Fox,Young)
150th in 3PAr (.35, Tied with Kristaps Porzingis and Jaden Ivey)

Among Vegas-favorite candidates for Defensive Player of the Year, Jaren ranks highest in Defensive EPM along with leading the league in in BLK+STL and BLK%.

Only Nic Claxton ranks slightly higher in Cerebro’s Defensive Statistical Impact metric, while Joel Embiid, Draymond Green, and Giannis Antetokoumnpo rate higher in Basketball Reference’s Defensive Box Plus Minus stat.

When counting fouls as negative plays against the turnover-forcing positive possessions, Nic Claxton, Brook Lopez, and Kawhi Leonard rank higher than Jaren, though Jackson has progressed t the 11th-best BLK+STL/Foul rate in the league.

#10. The Soon-to-Be DPOY?

The son of a former NBA player, Jaren Jackson grew up in the world of basketball.

Jaren’s understanding of the game, reactionary awareness, profound footwork, soft touch and special jump shot at his height and length provided a sizable foundation to develop skills on both ends of the floor.

Hard work off the court, endless effort on the hardwood, and a lifetime of learning the intricacies of the game have allowed Triple J to grow from a prospect with realistic potential to proven superstar player.

Finding a star as talented and coachable as JJJ is about as rare a sight as seeing a horse with a horn on its head dribbling a basketball.

A strong defensive anchor, an offensive engine, a franchise cornerstone.

An elite and versatile defender, shooter, and scorer.

Jaren Jackson Jr. is the true unicorn.

Data via Dunks and Threes, Synergy Sports, Cerebro Sports, NBA Stats, Basketball Reference, PBP Stats. Follow @BeyondTheRK on Twitter, Substack, YouTube for NBA film scouting and basketball data science.

The post The Actualization of Jaren Jackson Jr., Versatile Franchise Cornerstone appeared first on Swish Theory.