Merry Christmas, everyone!
There are guys playing around the holiday so... we'll continue to pump out some small tidbits and recaps from a couple of performance that have either been on the naughty or nice list this year. No need for fluffy intros, just video and discussion. More Jalen Suggs
The quietest 12, 7 and 7 ever came out of Suggs in the Gonzaga trouncing of Northwestern State. They led by almost 40 at the half. As such, the Zags only played Suggs 23 minutes -- resting him for a 19, 6 and 5 performance the next night when they got their second-straight win over the 1-10 Northwestern State.
What Suggs does on a nightly basis is establishing just how high his floor of production really is: hit a couple of impressive off-the-dribble jumpers (mostly from 3, as Gonzaga's offense is peak efficiency), make a couple of crisp reads out of the pick-and-roll, one impressive play in transition and prove he's a better shooter/ athlete than he gets credit for. âThis is a nightly occurrence for him now:
Because he's a slightly more explosive athlete and has more consistent shooting right now, Suggs could be seen as the guy between him and Cade with the higher floor. I wouldn't object, though I'm weary of trying to establish such floors and ceilings at this point in the year.
Suggs is a top-three pick in next year's draft and there shouldn't be much debate about it, barring a severe collapsing in his shooting splits. If this is what we get out of him in 23 minutes on cruise control, he'll be a special pro. Moses Moody, Built for the Pros
Like any shooting specialist, the utilization of their gravity, movement shooting and elite traits is highly dependent on their surroundings. In college, Moses Moody chose the right home for him: Arkansas with Eric Musselman. They let it fly, aren't shy about threes in transition and run good sets to get him on the move.
But the same utility is needed for guys like him to be great in the NBA. One thing clear watching opening night and NBA in the bubble: more and more coaches are accepting of quick threes on possessions. They're good looks and often accessible in the right situation. Case-in-point: this type of dribble handoff three. It's not really a play call or early offense, and so many teams initiate their secondary break through a guard-to-guard handoff where the 3-point line changes from flat to curved. Donte DiVincenzo nailed one against the Celtics on opening night; Josh Richardson and so many Miami Heat guys have made a killing out of this. It's an easy way to see how Moody's shooting is excellent and fits so well with the modern game:
It may seem like an incredibly simple action or shot to choose, but the lack of shyness in his sniping leads me to believe he'll get up to 7 or 8 attempts from deep per night and be perfectly comfortable. If defenders give him anything resembling space on the perimeter, he'll level back these handoffs, rise and drill.
Through eight games, Moody is averaging 16.9 points and shooting 41.7% from 3 on 4.5 attempts. He gets to the line a ton inside the arc, an attractive combo with someone who shoots as well as he does. There are other kinks to work through on the other end, but I'm high enough on the translation of his game to clearly place him in a lottery-tier of prospects. I think I like him more than Isaiah Joe, which.... is saying something. A Resurrected Cougar
Quentin Grimes was a top-ten recruit in the country. He shot the ball okay in one year at Kansas, the school he chose out of high school. Things didn't mesh there, and he transferred to Houston. He got immediate eligibility and showed the talent that allowed him to start every game as a freshman in the Big Twelve for the league's most elite program.
Now he's really turning things on. Houston is a top-five team in the country and he's their leading scorer, averaging 20 a game, 2 dimes, 7.7 rebounds and shooting 35.7% from 3 on seven attempts a night. Grimes is a solid defender and could be a 3-and-D wing. He's 6'5" and not quite a true combo guard, though a tad undersized to go head-to-head with NBA 4s. Such feedback prevented him from declaring after his freshman year. The stroke has gotten better, quicker and more consistent -- and he's a good movement shooter. There should be second-round buzz around Grimes. Nobody comes out of a Kelvin Sampson program without being a tough, NBA-quality defender, so the 3-and-D label might stick. RHJ for 3
Rutgers lost a BRUTAL game at Ohio State, facing injuries and foul trouble to their front line, controversial referee calls and someone placing a lid over their basket in the second-half. They blew a double-digit lead late and ended up losing by 12.
Still, the consistency in Ron Harper Jr. has been one of the more positive developments of the young season. Rutgers' winning is adding a spotlight on his game that deserves to be there. He's a really consistent outside shooter, taking a high volume of threes and has the physical traits to be a bruising mismatch wing. I've written about RHJ before and won't revisit everything from those pieces. We keep waiting to see if he comes back down to earth shooting-wise and... he doesn't.
I've officially moved Harper into the first-round on my mock. He's more than just a shooter and could have some high impact as an 8th or 9th man on a playoff team. The 25-35 range makes sense for him in a vacuum.
Off-Hand Finishing
It would be foolish to think that the pro disappointments of Andrew Wiggins wouldn't impact the perception of his younger brother. We can try incredibly hard not to draw any comparisons, but human nature does set in at some point.
Wiggins doesn't shoot it great -- his numbers from deep have fallen every year he's been in college and are a troublesome 7-27 (25.9%) to start the year. In trying to sift through his pro outlook, I've stumbled upon one of my favorite traits the young man has: he's a really good finisher with his off-hand. He looks comfortable driving and finishing with his left at the basket.
Wiggins isn't the only second-round prospect who has given glimpses into this type of ability.
Texas Tech guard Mac McClung, who broke my heart and transferred from alma mater Georgetown last year, has played with massive cojones in Lubbock. The 6'2" combo is similarly struggling to shoot it early on (28.6% from 3) and the lack of clarity to the Chris Beard offense isn't helping. In order for McClung to stay as a prospect, he'll need to be an elite finisher and show that athleticism which made him a household name (it's hard to believe with all the hype around him, but McClung was not a top-100 recruit). He's a better athlete and has a cleaner stroke than Wiggins, but is a little smaller and not a real point guard. There are reasons not to talk yourself into McClung. âBut when he uses his off-hand with this type of effectiveness... hard not to be intrigued:
Both guys are and might remain firmly outside my top-60. Neither are good enough defenders or playmakers off the bounce to warrant that role in the NBA. I prefer my role players to be proven shooters; it's more about who I am as a scout/ what I value than a complete knock on these guys. Someone else could find their value as tough-shot makers in the mid-range and at the rim.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorAdam Spinella, Head Boys Basketball Coach at Boys' Latin School (MD) Archives
July 2021
Categories |