Edwards started the season as a top prospect and that never made sense to me. He’s shown almost no creation upside or advantage creation outside of a bit of attacking closeouts. Edwards’ best and worst case scenario is an athletic play finisher and versatile defender. How good he can be in that role is the true question. He’s a decent off ball player but his shooting splits are terrible. His form doesn’t look bad but the numbers are too horrible for me to look over.

On defense, he’s solid and he’s actually a pretty good help side rim protector, but he’s not elite or anything, and with bringing almost nothing to the table outside of attacking closeouts and maybe above average finishing on offense, he needs to be better on defense for me to be convinced that he should get a real role in the NBA. At best, he figures out his jumper and gets better on defense, making him a really good play finisher and a starter on a really good team. At worst he pretty much never gets playing time because he’s a play finisher that can’t shoot, and that’s not a guy I want to take first round.

Older freshman who can do a bit of a lot without doing anything actually well. Doesn't do the role player things well enough, in particular. Had a good shooting stretch at the end of the season, but was a disappointment for a good Kentucky team with other freshmen who popped tf off.

Shades of Ziaire Williams

Poste(s) : SF

Âge : 20 ans

Taille : 2m03

Stats : 8.8pts, 3.4reb, 0.9ast, 0.9stl, 0.2blk

Adresse : 48%fg, 36%3pt, 77%ft

Edwards est avant tout un finisseur athlétique au cercle. Toujours en mouvement sans ballon, il cherche en permanence à se libérer pour des actions près du cercle, notamment très actif dans le jeu en transition. Malheureusement, ses statistiques au tir, que ce soit en catch-and-shoot ou off-the-dribble, restent en deçà des attentes à sa sortie du lycée. Annoncé comme un potentiel 1st pick avant cette saison NCAA, Edwards a la particularité d'être assez "vieux" pour un freshman (il aura déjà 21 ans en décembre prochain).

Strengths:

Good defender

Athletic

Good Finisher

Good Size

Weaknesses:

Inconsistent handle

Jumper hasn’t been good

Player Comparisons: Dejounte Murray

STRENGTHS:

• Finished the year on a very efficient note; averaged 11/3/1 with one steal on 56/47/84 shooting splits in the last 11 games of the season, which was much more efficient than his 44/29/71

• Can navigate through traffic on his attacks to the basket solidly and will make the right basketball play when he is in the pain

• Showed flashes before college of being a lengthy defender who used his hands well to keep his opponent off balance

• A pretty solid cutter who has a knack for rewarding his teammates with good passes in the pocket; could play as a useful connecting piece on a team

• Shot mechanics are compact and fluid; has the hypothetical upside of a 3&D wing

WEAKNESSES:

• Confidence in himself and his play fluctuated throughout the season; some games he'll be aggressive in getting his own shot, some games he is completely passive

• His attacks to the basket are very basic, which is fine, but it never looked like he had a plan A when he began getting to the rim; those plans developed over the course of the season

• The defense I mentioned did not translate a whole lot in college; was not a bad defender but did not show flashes of an elite perimeter defender in his season at Kentucky

• Shot was never consistent enough, as shown in the efficiency talked about in the strengths section

Player Comparison: Shades of Peyton Watson and Amir Coffey

Projected draft range:

Projected NBA rookie role:

Projected NBA position:

Projected Rookie Statline:

Strengths:

Weakness:

Shades of/comp:

Best outcome:

mid outcome:

worst outcome:

Pro Comparison: Malik Monk

• Off-Ball Mover

++Strengths:++

1. Athletic finisher at the rim with a quick first step and good body control

2. Selfless passer who rewards active teammates (More of a connective offense piece than a leader)

3. Active off-ball player who's always looking for an opportunity to cut to the rim

4. Active rebounder for a wing who loves to crash the offensive boards

5. High effort defender who jumps in passing lanes and thrives when switching

6. With his length, frame, and approach he could develop into an elite on-ball defender

++Weaknesses:++

1. Doesn't get to the rim often in the half court

2. Too often navigates into traffic and doesn't often dribble with his off hand

3. Sub 70% from the free throw line

4. Not a knockdown 3 point shooter (Off the dribble or catch)