Emoni Bates has had a very tumultuous career where he’s gone from the top high school recruit labeled as “the next Kevin Durant” to mid-major scorer who hasn’t inspired confidence in being able to play NBA-level basketball at all. For his entire high school career he was seen as a sure-fire offensive star because he showed the ability to shoot and create his own shot at 6’9”. He reclassified in 2021 to play for the Memphis Tigers as a seventeen-year-old and had a pretty rough year. Despite not being eligible for the draft at the time he garnered a lot of attention from scouts and didn’t really live up to expectations. He took a lot of bad shots and didn’t really give any impact outside of his scoring. It felt like coach Penny Hardaway was obligated to play him rotational minutes even though his game didn’t really fit with the role they were giving him. He likes to play the part of the primary option but because he wasn’t good enough to warrant those kinds of reps he was instead used as an inefficient off-ball shooter. The problem with his game is that he takes too many tough shots and when you combine that with the inexperience of being the youngest player in college basketball you get a guy that’s hard to justify leaving on the court. After his disastrous freshman year, he decided to move to his hometown school of Eastern Michigan which benefited him in some ways but also set him back in others. Before the season even started he ran into some trouble with the law and even though he ended up resolving the matter, it wasn’t a good look for him as a person and his decision-making when it comes to choosing the people he surrounds himself with. When he did step onto the court it was a lot of the same kind of play style that scouts saw the year prior with his strengths and weaknesses only being amplified. He was given the opportunity to basically do whatever he wanted with the ball which resulted in even more shots but the efficiency did slightly improve. He showed that he is a capable shooter that definitely has some talent when it comes to making difficult baskets but the rest of his game lacked the progression that was needed to really elevate his stock. He was a pretty horrific off-and-on-ball defender and he didn’t really put much effort into that side of the floor. He didn’t display the spatial awareness or vision to make people think he can defend in the league. Even when he did lock into a play he would be targeted and bullied down by his opponent because of his very light weight. He only came in at 179 pounds which is very concerning for any player let alone for a tall wing such as himself. Being a liability at the lower levels of college basketball probably means he’s probably unplayable right now for a team that’s trying to win any games. Until he gets better there’s just no way he can really earn any kind of non garbage minutes. His processing ability was also called into question this year because there wasn’t much shown playmaking-wise despite playing on the ball for the majority of his time on the floor. He had far more turnovers than assists this year which is never a good sign. Emoni didn’t really look to give the ball up at Eastern Michigan which may be due to the lack of real talent around him but it would have been encouraging to see him try to get his teammates involved. Even if passing wasn’t a formula to success it would have been nice for him to acknowledge his shortcomings and try to work on them, Eastern Michigan was really bad record wise so I doubt that his goal was to win games this year. At the NBA draft combine he did hold off on taking some of the shots he would usually take and he seemed to be more interested and inclined to play within a team but that could be far too little far too late. Another big question mark is his athleticism and tools. He’s never really been a bursty athlete and has had trouble getting to the rim which plays into his poor shooting splits. If he isn’t in the open floor he struggles to even get up to finish around the rim. Emoni also got close to a negative wingspan-to-height ratio and measured in with tiny hands which doesn’t give scouts a positive outlook on how high his defensive upside could be. He could end up turning his career trajectory around if he focuses on his game as a whole and lands in the right situation but as of right now, there’s not much pointing to him being an NBA player. I like his shooting and he has displayed some willingness to adapt his game but he’s going to need to put the work in if he ever wants an opportunity to even play. Guys who are all offense don’t get the chance to even prove themselves to front offices and I’m afraid that Emoni will never get the green light because of his flaws.

Put on a Sports Illustrated magazine cover at just 16-years-old, declared as the next NBA great One of the most highly touted players coming out of high school, just an extraordinary talent - Attended Memphis early, struggled to get minutes, transferred to Eastern Michigan Insane three-point threat, has unlimited range, imperfect balance and tough contest isn’t much of a problem for Bates Pure mechanics, so much potential at the next level with his shot Big time scorer for Eastern Michigan, created opportunities Got insanely hot at times, extremely cool, couldn’t find a rhythm after an electric high school career Concerning frailty in his legs With his nature of over-playing possessions, Bates averages so many turnovers and projects to be a turnover machine Over dribbles, finds himself trapped Shot selection may be his biggest issue, shoots his team out of games Will EXCEL in a C&S role at the next level, just depends on if he can adjust/humble himself down to that sort of archetype Lacks athletic separation 1v1, struggles going from the top of the key to the lane Impressive moves off the bounce, has his ball on a string Can lack focus defensively, pay less attention to said facet of the game Infinite confidence in his shot, loves to make an offensive impact Has a disappointing wingspan compared to his height Really atrocious defensive possessions, looks both careless and unpolished Lacks the athletic ability to move swifty laterally across the court, makes him a defensive liability Lacks movement off-ball, either wants the ball in his hands or sags off mentally Had some Basketball IQ/Awareness flashes at the Combine Really talented once he gets to his spots, talented as mechanical finisher and shooter Would like to see him as more of a playmaker, gets tunnel vision once he sees an offensive opportunity Have to factor in High School offensive impact when scouting Bates, college performance does not show the whole story Problems arise once he takes one too many difficult shots Excelled in a toned-done role at the Combine Very streaky in big an small settings, gets into really good rhythms, as well as shooting slumps 190lbs for a 6’10” small forward is… scary Not a talented defender by any means, lack stability, lackadaisical, focuses more so on the offensive side of the ball