This is part two of their conversation with Neema, the first part can be found in Episode 5 covering the prospects on the Houston Rockets.

The post Ep. 6: Scoot Henderson and the G-League Ignite with @findingneema23 appeared first on Swish Theory.

The post Leonard Miller appeared first on Swish Theory.

The youngest of the 5 G League Ignite 2023 draft class, Sidy Cissoko comes from a heralded overseas career. He’s been an integral member of the France U18 team for their last two major tournaments. He also grew up in the Baskonia basketball system in Spain, before playing in the Spanish second league for Juaristi ISB. Now, Cissoko has shown to improve on his overseas performance with G League Ignite, a team that has amplified his strengths and improved on his weaknesses.

Offense

Sidy muscle up dunk

Playing in a similar role to 2022 top 10 pick Dyson Daniels, Sidy has been the secondary initiator on the court for Team Ignite so far this season. Sidy started off the season hot from 3, but has since regressed, shooting 32.6% from 3. However, he’s made his money getting to the rim, shooting 60%. His added strength since going to Ignite has made him a force going downhill and with his athleticism and quickness, he’s able to muscle through bigger wings and forwards.

Regularly when watching Ignite games, you will hear the commentator’s call Cissoko “the best passer on the team.” Even with probable top 2 pick Scoot Henderson on the team, this may be true. Cissoko has had some incredible passes this season, threading gaps and finding teammates early. He’s able to regularly make skip passes and is a great outlet pass threat. His handle is a bit weak, often high and loose. Sidy is apparently recently grown to 6’8″, so this could be attributed to the growth spurt, although it was loose before the growth spurt too. Sidy projects to be a connector and secondary initiator in an offense, with the ability to occasionally get his own shot.

Defense

Sidy was a subpar defender for the majority of his playing career, but has found a new turn during his time with G League Ignite. He’s become a great waller on drives and has really improved his defensive rotations. Cissoko is currently averaging 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per 70 possessions, an improvement from his numbers overseas.

Sidy’s on-ball defense has shown great improvement as well and has become way more patient and less handsy. He’s done a great job of guarding in space. He uses his strength well defensively to wall off drivers and not give space when backed down. His balance and core strength have really improved since the beginning of the season.

Sidy’s combination of strength, quickness and size as well as his improved feel defensively has made him from a defensive dud to a plus defender. His long wingspan helps him get into passing lanes and with his ability to handle the ball, makes him a transition threat. Sidy can guard multiple positions, and adds a lot of versatility with his ability to bang down low and cover the outside. His improvement as a defender in one year gives a lot of hope for future development on this end.

Overall

Sidy Cissoko is a very creative wing who can add versatility to an NBA offense. His shooting improvements give hope for a player who can attack a defense in multiple ways, as he is also one of the best passers in the class. With his defensive improvements and physical tools Cissoko gives hope to be a positive NBA level defender. With a developmental team that will focus on his shooting and helping continue his progress on both ends, Cissoko could become a creative starting level player at the next level.

The post Sidy Cissoko appeared first on Swish Theory.

Newly added G League Ignite prospect Mojave King is one of the more experienced young prospects to enter the GLI ranks. The 6’5″ swingman is built like a rugby player, with a broad and stocky frame that helps him bounce off contact. Coming from the NBA Academy in Australia alongside former top 10 picks Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels, Mojave King was once a standout prospect in Australia. However, after two years in the NBL, in improper roles and on teams looking to compete more than develop, King saw his stock slip. Now, with G League Ignite, he looks to rebuild his stock and prove his place at the next level.

Offense

In the last two seasons, King has been forced to play into many different roles. With the Cairns Taipans, King was playing in a more fitting scoring guard role. Early in his career, the Taipans would often park him in the corners or have him be on the floor for spacing. On the Adelaide 36ers, King was often forced into a more uncomfortable Point Guard role off the bench, running the 36ers bench unit from time to time. Although having a significantly better handle than most Australian prospect, King is at best an average passer for a guard, normally making just basic reads.

Where he excels on offense is using his strength and deceleration going downhill, or finding space in motions. King’s shotmaking ability is also captivating, as his form has improved in the last 3 years. Being able to score off the dribble and off the catch and shoot make King a great offensive option. If he’s able to get to the rim at a higher rate, King could unlock a new level offensively.

Now on G League Ignite, Mojave gets to play in a role that will suit him at the next level. Mojave will be able to play more in a “play finisher” role, scoring off cuts, off movements and getting his bucket in hustle moments. A great offensive rebounder, King already showed his ability to impact the game through extra possessions and hustle plays. Despite not shooting great to start his G League season, Mojave showed a willingness to find open spaces and get shots off. This will surely translate to more points as the season continues.

Defense

Defensively, Mojave is a bit tougher to read. In his early NBL games, he often had tunnel vision, either exclusively watching his man or the ball. This slowly started to get better as he would become more involved on the defensive end. However, he still had these single-focus tendencies. However, he excels at navigating screens, sticking to his man and using his body to throw offensive players off balance. King often gets around screens without taking any contact. His strong frame lets him guard larger players if he ever is forced to switch. His large frame lets him wall off drivers and keep them from getting all the way to the rim.

King is also great in the 50/50 moments. Often diving onto loose balls or boxing out strong to prevent the other team from gaining possession., King makes winning plays consistently to help his team. Not a perfect defender by any means, King’s stocky yet slippery nature and high motor could be key to him being an impactful defender at the next level.

Conclusion

Coming to a coaching staff who just dealt with another scoring wing turned play finisher in MarJon Beauchamp may be beneficial for Mojave. As a “Swiss Army Knife” kind of player, Mojave can help his team in a multitude of ways. The former NBA Academy standout looks to prove his place in the league now with a GLI team that will suit his play style.

The post Mojave King appeared first on Swish Theory.

G League Ignite point guard Scoot Henderson is in his second year with the GLI program. In year one, Scoot began the season with a broken rib. This forced him to miss the first few games of the season, but he quickly took the league by storm. In his second game in the G League as a 17 year old, Henderson scored 31 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists against the Santa Cruz Warriors. With 5 other prospects on the roster, Henderson did not get a ton of opportunity in his first year on team Ignite. But in just 25 minutes a game, he managed to average 14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Now in year 2, as the only prospect in Ignite history to play for two years, Scoot has been handed the keys to the offense. In his first preseason game against Metropolitans-92 and #1 ranked prospect Victor Wembanyama, Henderson scored 28 points and 9 assists, and dominated on both ends of the floor. Henderson looked impressive in year 2, although has been hindered by injuries throughout the year, 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists, a jump from last year, but still not what many expected. Still, even with the injuries, Scoot is a once-in-a-while type point guard that teams won’t be able to pass up on.

Offense:

Scoot Henderson falls under our “Guard Initiator” archetype, exemplifying all the traits of what make a premier initiator. One of his strongest skills is his ability to get to the rim. Henderson improved his rim finishing this year, from 55% to 60%, with 2/3rds of his attempts unassisted. Henderson is arguably one of the more athletic guards in recent draft history. This gives him an advantage getting to the rim. His core control allows him to take hits midair, and his ability to contort lets him finish around longer defenders. He has the ability to decelerate and lose a defender, power through them or simply jump right over them. Regularly beating the first line of defense, Henderson is one of the best at getting to the rim in this class.

His ability to get to the rim also makes him a “Drive & Kick” threat. Last season, team Ignite struggled from beyond, being in the bottom of the league in 3 point percentage and attempts. This season however, the team is built to show Scoot’s strengths. One of them is the gravity he provides getting to the rim. Now, he is able to capitalize on a collapsing defense, kicking the ball out to elite shooters like Cameron Young, Aubrey Dawkins and John Jenkins.

Scoot also proved to be a great off-ball player, especially when playing off of big man Eric Mika. His ability to play off bigs, or other guards makes him a more intriguing pure point prospect. Henderson is great at cutting to the basket and finding spaces in the defense where he can use his quickness to create an open look. With an improved jumper, Scoot could become one of the best point guards in the NBA in his generation.

Defense:

On defense, Henderson files under the “Primary POA” defender, often guarding the other teams lead initiator. Henderson’s strengths lie in his “High Motor” and “Active Hands”. Often digging into the ball handler, Henderson excels at poking the ball away and getting out on the fastbreak. When off-ball, Henderson is disruptive as a help defender. He often is able to poke the ball loose from post players, or jump passing lanes and deflecting it away. Henderson averaged 3.5 deflections per game his first season, a number that would rank 2nd among Point Guards in the NBA. His defensive energy and ability to read the opposing offense make him a tough matchup for any initiator. This, combined with his breakneck speed and incredible athleticism, are why he is such a threat in transition. While his defense has regressed from his first year with GLI, he still was one of the best defenders on the team, and had some flashes of greatness on this end.

Conclusion:

Scoot Henderson is unanimously a top 2 prospect in this draft class per our draft board, and will need to do unspeakable things to surpass Victor Wembanyama, but his placement as the #2 is (relatively) secure. In any other draft, Henderson would easily be the top player in the class. His offensive prowess and defensive energy make him a unique PG prospect that many teams would jump to have.

The post Scoot Henderson appeared first on Swish Theory.