Malaki Branham 6'5.5" 195 lbs

Malaki Branham used an exceptional close to his freshman season with the Buckeyes to propel himself up draft boards. Branham is a smooth scoring guard who doesn't blow you away with pace but his plus size frame and sweet shooting stroke allowed him to score extremely efficiently over smaller or bigger defenders alike. Branham creates space and gets to his spots with ease and elevates over smaller guards with a beautiful jumper off the bounce that is his bread and butter. Though, Branham doesn't have blow by speed he has broad shoulders and a big frame that allows him to ambidextrously finish. Branham says he believes he is one of the best shooters in the draft and he has a legitimate case for that throne especially if he accepts shooting more 3's in a complimentary role rather than creating difficult mid-rangers he makes look easy. He shot 50/42/83 on the year.

Strengths:

• Sizeable wing defender who can defend 2 possessions while being wired to score

• Gets to his spots on minimal dribbles and rises over smaller or taller defenders alike.

• Big guard with an old school game.

• Scores at all 3 levels.

• Last 10 games he shot 57% from the field.

• Can be an efficient scorer in NBA pretty quickly and can evolve into a complementary scoring option.

  Concerns:

• Not an explosive athlete relative to NBA players.

• May struggle to get past NBA athletes without screens which is how he then frees up his jump shooting.

• Will need to develop his handle and PNR navigation to fully fit the PNR heavy modern offenses.

• Has to shoot 3's more as the supplementary piece rather than work to score 2's like he did as the MAN in college.

Malaki Branham possesses upside as a secondary or tertiary scorer at the next level utilizing a slow but steady smooth game reliant on creating space to raise up into a silky jump-shot. Branham may run into issues driving to the rim with the speed of NBA defenders but he can mitigate those issues by putting more strength on his already impressive frame (6'5.5" 195 lbs with a 6'10" wingspan). Branham has the potential to be a borderline all-star candidate, who, if coupled with a star could thrive as a robin or maybe a tertiary option in a shot creator role while remaining serviceable on the defensive end.

Branham is a bucket. If you need some late game points, he can get the job done. His shot creation skills are excellent, and he isn’t afraid of shooting through traffic. He has that bulldog mentality, where he doesn’t back down from anybody. He plays best in post isolation. In the paint, he can post guys up, and get to the rim. When you need a turnaround jumper, he will get it for you. Regardless of whether or not that is the most effective shot, Branham almost always pulls it off. He is a great cutter, with decent athleticism. He is a great spot up dunker, if you know what I mean. Ohio State has used him mostly off the ball for one reason. He isn’t a great ball handler. If there is one thing to dislike about his game, it’s his handles. If you have ever watched him play, then you would know what I mean when I say that he is a bit jumpy with the ball. He isn’t super fluid while handling the rock. He often plays with his back to the basket, since he has a hard time getting open shots otherwise. He is kind of an old school player, but he is a great three point shooter. It may take him some time to hone in on his skills, but his shooting gives me hope. He’s a solid passer, but doesn’t do anything too flashy. This is again a sign that he may not be comfortable with the ball in his hands. His stats don’t pop off the screen at first glance, but he is a good defender. If his development goes as planned, he will be a starter in a few years.

Comparison: Frank Ntilikina +

Projected Draft Range: 15-30

Height 6'6

Weight 195 lbs

Wingspan 6'10

DOB 5/12/03 (Draft Age: 19)

Pre-Draft Team Ohio State Buckeyes

Offense

• Outstanding self creator in the second level. Big time scorer from three levels.

• Controlled attacker with technical footwork and handles. Knows how to draw in and use his defenders body against them.

• Off screens, pin downs, and pull ups Branham was efficient, but even more impressive was his scoring in the PnR. 53/89 59.6% in PnR. Outstanding near the basket and in the second level.

• While his pull up game at the second level is incredibly impressive, he needs to improve his pull up range for the league and start taking more threes.

• Tough shot taker and maker.

• Huge upside as a C&S shooter, again the footwork and technique are advanced. Little wasted movement in his offensive game.

• Connector/secondary playmaker upside. This started to come out as the season rolled on.

Defense

• Lots of work to do as a defender. Prone to blow bys.

• Was out of sorts and a step behind the offensive gameplan all too often.

• Improve defensive discipline is an easy way to fix many of the errors.

• Size and length should quiet some of the defensive qualms. Reason to believe he can handle 1-3 in time.

• Should be an adjustment period towards being a serviceable or better defender.

Swing Factors

• Defensive Ability - If he's unable to adjust to NBA skill levels and game plans as a defender his value will certainly by stifled. He needs to work hard to quiet these concerns and show that he can be an average or above average defender.

Role

• A three level scorer with the upside to be a featured offensive player.

• LOW: Branham's defense hinders him. He can't quite get to his spots as well as he did in college making him less efficient. He still acts as a scoring wing in the middle part of a bench rotation.

• HIGH: Branham's offense takes flight quickly in the league. He's seen as an emerging sharp shooter who can attack with pull ups or get all the way downhill and finish. Within a few years the game slows down for him to the point he is playmaking for others in a secondary role. His defense takes shape and he's seen as an above average defender who can competently handle most team's 1-3 assignments. Branham ascends to All Star consideration.

Also not the biggest fan of Branham. But do see the hype. Really good 3pt shooter with some off the dribble ability. Extremely good size for a guard at 6'7 and 6'10 wingspan. Probably that alone could be enough to get him into the lottery. Struggles to get to the rim a bit which is why he ends up taking a lot of midrange shots. Quite far behind in terms of playmaking for a lead guard. Below average defender but a lot of it has to do with effort. Could become a decent one due to size. Could slide to the 3 at the NBA level.

Best fits: Chicago, Minnesota, Cleveland

Player analysis

Malaki Branham was a late bloomer for Ohio State last year, he started off completely unknown in the early parts of his freshman season but as time went on he began to shine. Branham was a high level shooter and creator that ramped up his play going into the end of the year and ended up winning BIG 10 freshman of the year, his offense was key in Ohio taking a jump this past year and he often found himself shooting the last shot of the game. Branham has a clutch creator aspect to him that is great for high pressure shot making that is needed in order to succeed on the biggest stage such as the NBA playoffs. Malaki fits the combo guard archetype extremely well which boosts his draft stock over other college prospects with similar production, many teams with existing lead guards will be very interested in him. In workouts teams reported that he was hesitant to shoot from three and preferred shots in the midrange despite shooting well when he did in college and workouts. It's most likely a small mental hump but hopefully he can get over this soon because it’s limiting him from using his best skills. His defense is solid and he has a nice handle with ability to get better at both, if he can work on his game outside of perimeter scoring he could be a reliable starter that can add a lot to any teams backcourt in many different team constructions.

Projections

Draft range: [ 10 - 22 ]

Comp: [ Kevin Huerter ]

Strengths: Shooting and Defender Weaknesses: Creation

High Side Comp: Jaylen Brown/Malik Beasley Low Side Comp: Malik Monk/Caris LeVert

Ideal Fit: Tertiary Scorer and Defender

Draft Range: 12-30

Result: 20- SAS Athleticism: 6/10 Size: 4/5 Defense: 7/10 Strength: 3/5 Quickness: 6/10 Creation: 2/5 Jumpshot: 8/10 Finishing: 2/5 NBA Ready: 3/5 Ball Handling: 5/10 Passing: 5/10 Intangibles: 3/5 Potential: 7/10 TOTAL: 61= Mid/Late First

Pros:

• Elite shotmaking potential: probably the best midrange scorer in the class, gets to his spots in a creative way and can respond to various coverages, very efficient coming out of the P&R, able to stop on a dime and elevate where the defender can reach him, has shown he can make tough shots and can adapt the arch on his shot when the defender's hand is in his face, flashes of pull up scoring from 3 point range

• Puts a ton of pressure on the rim, finishing with stellar percentages as a freshman in a physical league like the Big Ten, while he isn't overly quick he can get to the rim with ease out of the P&R, in part because Ohio State worked with the bigs to put him in the best situation, not the most explosive athlete but can handle a lot of contact and has touch around the rim

• FT and 3 point percentages point to him being a great off the ball player in the NBA, open 3s are close to automatic, fluid release, very effective in the corner

Cons:

• Bad defender in college: length and size show potential, but that has to be matched by the effort, got blown by too many times, must improve screen navigation and lateral movement, looks disoriented when the attacker gets past him and struggle to get back in the play

• The potential is definitely there, but the pull up 3 hasn't come around this year, he shot it inefficiently on low volume because he settled far too often for midrange jumpers, needs to work on extending his range

• Didn't show much playmaking this year, apart from some flashes at the end when he got more confident, should be an area of improvement to free up space around him and score more easily in the midrange

Malaki had a strange but rewarding year: he wasn't thought of as a one and done at Ohio State and started the season slow to get acclimated to the college game. At the midway point he started clicking, dropped a few 20 point games and never looked back. The ability for a freshman to carry the offense alongside EJ Liddell in a tough Big Ten can't be overstated. He became aggressive and attacked the rim against some of the best, most physical bigs in the nation. As a pro his shot making is very appealing and can contribute on offense already in his rookie year, especially as an off ball shooter. I believe the pull up 3 will come with time, considering how good he is in the midrange. He'll need to improve a lot on the defensive end: I don't want to give him a pass for this year because good defensive habits should be developed already at a young age but I think that with his great tools he will become at least average on that end. That said, the offensive potential is so good that his upside screams All Star, 50/40/90 shooter who can develop some secondary playmaking in the P&R.

Pros

• great mid range scorer

• efficient ball handler

• great scorer in the pick and roll (mid ranges, floaters)

• very effective finishing at the rim

• secondary playmaker upside

• great entry passer

Cons

• lateral quickness isn't great along the perimeter

• poor navigation of screens on and off ball

• lacks quick first step

For about half of the college season, I had not heard of Malaki Branham. As I began watching him play, my first observation was how tight his handle is. For someone that I view as a catch-and-shoot artist, he has a great handle that tires out the defenders. He has a good mid-range shot, is a great finisher and cutter, and he is also a downhill player (on his dominant hand) that plays with poise. His 42% three-point percentage and his 83% free throw percentage provides a lot of promise that he will be an efficient shooter in the His 7-foot wingspan should also give him a good ceiling as a defender. While he has three-level scoring potential, he is not very good scorer off the dribble. Branham needs a lot of space in order to take a comfortable jump shot. That may be the case for many players, but Branham is an over-thinker, in terms of his shooting form, and he attempts to make his shot look pretty, which is why a lot of his contested jump shots seem awkward. He is not very good with his left hand and his burst (on either side) is slower than I would like from a wing. Branham needs to hone in on playing to his strengths (spot-up shooting and around the basket finishing) and he will be a great role player for any team.

Player Comparison: Gordon Hayward/Khris Middleton