If you saw my top 14 that commented below shooter's post, just know, this one is a lot different. Over the past few days I've been watching a ton of film and getting a better understanding of each player's game. While it is still way too early to be sure of anything, I do have a pretty good handle on all of these guys. As I watched games, I just took note of anything that I noticed about their game. Each player has a bunch of random stuff that I put down. It's all pretty informal since I didn't think I needed to spend a bunch of time on fancy descriptions. Hopefully you jokesters are starting to get a feel for some of next year's class. I'm always down for a debate or discussion about any prospects!
Scoot Henderson
Insane athleticism, perfect frame, great size for position, can create his own shot with ease, great handle, solid first step, high motor, can score with a variety of moves, great iso scorer, tools to be a great defender, underrated passing ability, superhuman court vision, star archetype, limitless potential
Victor Wembanyama
Elite shot blocker, insane size, plays with ease, can shoot despite size, can create own shot, great lob threat, solid athleticism for height, isn’t afraid of bigger players, good rebounder, otherworldly help defender, amazing defensive impact, gets beat off the dribble but still gets the block, does a little bit of just about everything
Dillon Mitchell
Athletic, great wing size, ideal for the modern NBA, putback king, good rebounder, finishes with flair, understands the game, good shot blocker, sticks with his man on D, good passer, doesn’t force the offense too much, great lob threat, awesome frame, has legitimate scoring potential, plays with style, aggressive, high motor
Dariq Whitehead
Great frame, athletic, active hands, confident scorer, can pull up from midrange easily, unafraid to fire from deep, can get hot shooting, high bbiq, not a great free throw shooter, complete offensive package, solid defender, great defensive tools, lacks the ability to always stick on his opponent, rhythm shooter more than anything
Baba Miller
Great touch around the rim, guard like skills, awesome size, athletic, uses length to be a disruptor on defense, shown flashes of high level playmaking, great quickness and foot speed, could possibly play all five positions, fluid athlete, potential as a shooter, can create a little bit for himself, creative offensive game, relatively unpolished, feels like a guy with giannis like potential
Kel’el Ware
Huge body, athletic, fluid, long arms, poor hands at times, can come out to the perimeter if need be, takes long strides, fast for his size, very capable shooter, has a bit of a faceup game, tends to take up space in the paint, has absolutely elite physical tools, doesn’t always play up to his talent, poor iq?, needs work but has potential to be a beastly defender, seems to have a one track mind at times, great shot blocker
Nick Smith
Great off ball defender, plays with pace, great at creating space, finishes through contact, awesome scoring package, lacks elite first step, hustles on both ends of the floor, phenomenal passing instincts, plays with confidence, gets his jumper off the dribble, doesn’t need much space to get his shot off, very capable play maker
Amari Bailey
Combo guard/wing potential, quick, good finisher, gets open drives to the basket, quick decision maker, athletic, active defender, could stand to improve as a shooter, above the rim finisher, mature game, has a star archetype
Dereck Lively
long, tall, athletic, rim runner, great defender, elite shot blocker, plays the perimeter, can defend the outside, needs to improve decision making in order to be a star, tries to hard at times to get offensive boards, doesn’t always switch from offense to defense super quickly, hts open threes, lacks elite understanding of the game, lob threat
Cason Wallace
Potentially the best guard defender in the class, does everything, great passer, fast, smooth athlete, turns steals into transition buckets, vertical athlete, sometimes relies too much on length to get steals, super active on both ends of the floor, great frame, can guard multiple positions, good finisher
Terquavion Smith
Microwave scorer, athletic, improving shooter, hustler, solid defender, needs to bulk up, can do just about everything
Cam Whitmore
Sets off ball screens, gets instant offense off of rebounds, thick frame (in a good way), drives to the rim with ease, doesn’t always stay under control, doesn’t always stay active off the ball, glass cleaner, stays down low when driving, inconsistent shooter, inconsistent shot form, improving playmaker, doesn’t overplay his opponents (on defense), explosive, great athlete, has the ability to take over games
Jordan Walsh
Fluid athlete, makes plays, good athleticism, long, finishes through traffic, plays with aggression, pesky defender, confident, tends to be careless with ball, point forward potential if he tightens handle, makes tough shots, has shooting ability, natural leader
Keyonte George
Clutch, gets buckets off drives, knows when and when not to take over the game, can be over-passive, poor processing speed/instincts?, lacks elite speed, explosive, great leaper off of one foot, finishes above the rim, great in transition
Brandon Miller
Good size, elite physical tools all around, athletic, can create his own shot off the dribble, changes speeds on a dime, tough to defend, could improve 3 point shot, versatile defender, has potential to be special on both ends of the floor
Ausar Thompson
Great at moving around screens, active hands, incredible defender, questionable shooter, played against poor competition, quick, fluid athlete, good decision maker, quick release, not especially vertical, leader, developing playmaker, great motor
Amen Thompson
Rangy defender, great all around athlete, tends to overplay on defense, great passing instincts, explosive shot blocker
Anthony Black
Combo guard, two way player, athletic, great passer, great decision maker, smart, makes his teammates better, big for pg, good at drive and kicks, has high bbiq, doesn’t have an elite scoring prowess
Jarace Walker
Muscular, big frame, hard worker, high motor, tough, hits the midrange, has shooting potential, improving iso game, big time defender, could become a dangerous playmaker, needs to improve ball handling, crafty post game
Chris Livingston
3 & D potential, sticks on his man, plays smart defense, can struggle to create, tends to be a lazy passer
Leonard Miller
Ridiculously fluid athlete, awkward shooting form, shooting potential, raw, would be a complete bet on potential, great passing instincts, athletic, good cutter, needs to bulk up in order to be a good post player
Kyle Filipowski
Big shooter, good instincts, solid defender, bigger than you would expect
Jalen Hood-Schifino
Point potential, great positional size, impressive playmaker, gets to the rack, solid finisher, good at everything, but not great at anything
Mark Mitchell
Athletic, defensive potential
Malik Reneau
Great finisher, drives to the rim, weaves through defense, good offensive instincts, good decision maker, soft touch
Elijah Fisher
Thick frame (in a good way), good athlete, high energy, two way player, strong, does a good job of reading the defense, excellent finisher, strong offensive package
Jaden Bradley
Immense defensive potential for a guard, great athlete, gets above the rim, great feel for the game, isn’t especially tall, good solid frame though
Adem Bona
Big, gets to the rim, lob threat, could improve touch around the rim, has a lot of defensive potential
JJ Starling
Natural scorer, talented ball handler, always lines up his shot (even on the run), can finish with either hand, can finish through contact, can become a very good shooter from deep, confident
Arterio Morris
Plays with confidence, lacks elite decision making, potential as a lockdown defender, athletic, rock solid frame, great ball handler, good driver, solid shooter, score first mentality
Other random things for thought:
I'm thoroughly convinced that if Dariq lands on the Magic, they will become the next version of the Celtics. Jaylen and Jayson are easily the best comps for Dariq and Paolo.
Kentucky will be an absolutely beastly defensive team next year.
Baba could be the next Giannis? It always feels weird to talk like that as an experienced scout. However, the comp isn't terribly off.
Harrison Ingram. Idk what to do with him
Also, check out my YT if you haven't already: