Over the last several years, we've seen the glorification of small ball. The Golden State Warriors won a title with skill over size, playing guys like Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Kevin Durant at the 4 and 5. The Houston Rockets followed suit, matching defensively with the Warriors and spacing the floor with five competent wings/ shooters. PJ Tucker manned the center at 6'6".
Now, almost every team has some option they can plug in at the 4 or 5 in a smaller lineup. Some do it to match opponents, and some do it to start an advantage. As the game becomes much more fluid in terms of position and everyone, regardless of size, shoots it, there's immense value in drafting a player who can bridge the gap between big and small lineups. There are a few players in this draft class who come to mind as options for either. They might have a natural position where they are best, but have the requisite size/ strength/ speed/ skill to survive as a small-ball option in a different spot. We'll showcase each guy here, and discuss how this trait should raise their draft stock. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova
The 6'9" Villanova forward is incredibly versatile defensively. The Wildcats are comfortable switching 1 thru 5 with him. He's got long arms and a strong frame, so he guards really effectively one-on-one down low. NBA big men would have a great deal of difficulty trying to mismatch post him.
More than anything, JRE is a solid offensive hub on the perimeter. He's a great decision-maker who can make plays and passes off the bounce. He shoots it well enough to be respected from deep. He's a tough cover on offense for bigger, stiffer 5s. NBA teams who put him in a Thaddeus Young-type role a few years into his career could be pleasantly surprised with his production... he'd be an incredibly solid option. JRE's natural NBA position will be as a physical 4 who can defend. But there's untapped small-ball 5 to his game, just with the natural skills he already possesses. He's likely a couple years away from fulfilling that task, as transitioning to the NBA is hard enough without worrying about playing two distinctly different spots. I have JRE as a 14-20 guy on the big board. Role players who succeed at what they do and are career pros usually get underrated, and he is no different. The versatility to long-term be that small-ball 5 is really important to understanding why he's so high on the board. Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
At 6'6", Ron Harper Jr. is the same size as his father, former NBA champion point guard with the Chicago Bulls. They play really different brands of basketball. The senior Harper was a scoring point guard with a lethal mid-range jumper, really good size to operate in the post and underrated defensive acumen. The junior is more of a 3-and-D threat with a really, really big frame and strong body.
Even though he's only 6'6", I think Harper might have a positive role as a floor-spacing 4-man in small lineups. Several teams don't really differentiate between the 3 and 4 in terms of offensive skill, they just need someone who can guard up a bit. Harper's strength allows him to do so. It's where he's thrived at Rutgers this year. Harper has been a fringe first-round guy on my board because, to me, he's more than just a shooting 3-and-D wing. He's a multipositional defender, albeit a non-lockdown guy, but one that opens up the floor for others around him. When he guarded Aamir Simms, an NBA-caliber big at 6'8", in the closing moments of their first-round NCAA tournament game while Harper played the 5, Simms couldn't displace RHJ and turned it over. It's that physical toughness that makes Harper more resembling PJ Tucker than his father. Trendon Watford, LSU
Most NBA teams think that rim protection is vital to play the big. But we might see some hypercharged offensive teams over the next few years who throw in the towel on defense and embrace full spacing, skill and dynamic scoring. Watford would be an interesting fit with those teams (like Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans or Sacramento) because what he lacks in rim protection, he greatly makes up for in scoring, shooting and perimeter playmaking.
At 6'9" with a 7'1" wingspan, Watford is no smaller than some starting 5s in this league like Daniel Theis. But Watford is much more perimeter skilled than Theis, and doesn't fit the traditional mold of a defender at the 5. He's a real NBA player to me who can take over in stretches at LSU. Don't sleep on him. Yves Pons, Tennessee
Do-it-all defenders are coveted, and Pons has a bit of that PJ Tucker mold to him. A jaw-dropping athlete, Pons can guard anyone on the floor and fly in from the weak side for skyscraping blocks. He's a smart defender, which is his meal ticket.
At 6'6' with a chiseled frame, Pons doesn't bring much perimeter skill to the table -- which is where the Tucker comparisons begin. If he can develop a reliable catch-and-shoot game in the corners, he'll find similar value on teams that want to be positionless and have someone guard other bigs. Until then, Pons is a raw athlete with great defensive impact but really no comfortable role on offense. I like him as a mid-2nd rounder or undrafted signing type of guy.
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AuthorAdam Spinella, Head Boys Basketball Coach at Boys' Latin School (MD) Archives
July 2021
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