1. Lamelo Ball, PG, Illawarra
Strengths:
Very tall for a PG (6-7), can see over the defense, can shoot over defense even with low release
Fantastic vision and basketball IQ, 7 APG and only 2.42 TPG in NBL, amazing passer, can pass with both hands standing still or on the move
Very good floater from all over the court, soft touch around the rim
Limitless range, only shot .250 3P% on 6.7 3PA and .723 FT% is average but is a threat from anywhere in the half court
Has the size, lateral quickness, and instincts to be good on ball defender if he stays engaged, gets in passing lanes, 1.67 SPG in NBL
Great ball-handler, has the ball on a string, uses creative dribble moves to get in the lane
Very good rebounder for PG, averaged 7.6 RPG
Weaknesses:
Not overly athletic, not very strong, doesn’t finish through contact, settles for too many floaters
Unconventional shooting form, two-handed release with inconsistent footwork, problems seem fixable, ugly percentages could be a result of poor shot selection
Focus and discipline on defense need to get better to be a high-end defender
Plays fast, can be careless at times, decision making needs to improve
2. Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia
Strengths:
Gifted scorer from all levels, good ball-handler, gets to the basket and can score using thick frame
Good looking jumper, only shot .294 from 3 but .772 FT% and soft touch indicates his shot can translate to the NBA, good shooter off the dribble
Willing passer, can pass on the move with both hands, played some PG at Georgia
Can guard 1-3, moves feet well on the perimeter, long arms, can get in the passing lanes
Good rebounder, uses size to box out
Weaknesses:
Poor shot selection/decision-making, can settle for tough jump shots, maybe because he was asked to carry them offensively
Only shot .294 from 3
Inconsistent effort defensively (getting around screens, offball movement)
3. James Wiseman, C, Memphis
Strengths:
Great athletic profile, huge at 7-1 with long arms (7-6 wingspan), athletic finisher, massive lob threat, fantastic rebounder, especially offensively
Good touch, decent free throw shooter at .704, has a turnaround and midrange jumper in his arsenal, soft touch around the rim, could potentially develop a three-point shot
Runs the floor extremely well, great finisher in space
Great rim protector (3 BPG in limited college play), mobile enough to switch on defense
Can take some defenders off the dribble, draws a lot of fouls near the basket
Weaknesses:
Played only 69 total minutes in college
Fundamentals and discipline lacking defensively, tries to block every shot, effort isn't always there defensively
Needs to use his strength more on both ends, settles for too many mid range and turnaround jumpers, plays too much on the perimeter
Lacks feel/passing right now, only 1 assist in 69 minutes at Memphis
Needs to improve screen-setting
4. Killian Hayes, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm
Strengths:
Great facilitator, good timing/patience in pick and roll, accurate passer, makes tough one-handed passes, can make them cross court out of pick and roll
Good shooter off the dribble, good in pick and roll, effectively uses a step back jumper, .876 FT% indicates he could be a good 3PT shooter in the NBA
Great finisher, especially in transition, good floater, sometime uses it too often
Smooth ball-handler, can get by defenders
Shows potential to be very good defender who can defend 1-3, gets in ball-handlers’ space, uses length to get steals and deflections
Good positional rebounder
Weaknesses:
Needs to improve his right hand, spins and crosses over back to left hand often, a lot of turnovers because he can't use his right hand effectively, tries too many floaters when going to the right because he's not confident finishing with his right hand
4.7 turnovers per 36 min, too many turnovers for PG
Picks up dribble too often under pressure, especially going to this right
Defensive intensity comes and goes, sometimes he's putting intense pressure on the ball and sometimes he has mental lapses
5. Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C, USC
Strengths:
Great pick and roll scorer, good hands, catches ball in traffic, athletic lob-threat, can finish with both hands, runs the floor well, athletic finisher in transition
Great post scorer, can face up and back down, very good spin move and soft touch on hook shots
Uses length and athleticism to block a lot of shots, great rim protector, good pick and roll defender, can switch out onto smaller wings, very versatile defender who averaged 2.7 BPG and 1.2 SPG at USC
Soft touch, .720 FT%, can stretch the floor a little but jumper needs work if he’s going to extend to NBA three
Good offensive rebounder, could improve defensive reboundin
Weaknesses:
Has improved as a shooter but needs to improve more to be effective scorer, would improve face up game, not sure if he will be able to develop a three point shot
Can improve passing, finding shooters, had more TOs than assists
Not very vocal on defense
Could have trouble defending bigger centers in the post, undersized center at only 6-9, gives up position too easily
6. Devin Vassell, SG/SF, FSU
Strengths:
Elite shooter off the catch and dribble, .415 3P% and .738 FT%, height and length with good elevation allows him to shoot over defense, moves well without the ball and positions his body well to catch and shoot
Athletic finisher in transition and half court, good lob threat, good touch on floaters
Attacks closeouts well, doesn’t get into the lane often but has good pull-up
Shows potential as a ball-handler and passer, only 1 TO/36 min
Great on-ball defender, can guard 1-3 and 4 if he gets a little stronger, great awareness defensively, great help defender, contests shots well, length to get into passing lanes (1.4 SPG) and block shots (1.0 BPG)
High floor prospect who can contribute immediately
Weaknesses:
Can improve as a passer, only 2 Assists/36 min, lack of ball handling skills caps upside offensively
Only 194 lbs, avoids contact at the rim because of size, didn’t get to the line a lot, gets bumped off his path on drives, putting on weight will also help him guard bigs
Hard time beating defenders off the dribble without screen or after closeout
Short on a lot of jumpers especially falling away on mid-range
7. Obi Toppin, PF, Dayton
Strengths:
Extremely athletic, great finisher around the rim, dunks everything, great scoring out of the pick and roll and pick and pop
Runs the floor well, gets into quick post-ups, great transition finisher, lob threat in transition and in half-court
Career .417 3P%, has sound mechanics
Has pretty good vision, can make one-handed passes with both hands
Good on straight-line drives
Has decent post game, can shot over both shoulders
Shows potential as a rim protector
Weaknesses:
Poor defensively, doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend on the perimeter, not strong enough to guard bigs in the post, doesn't read pick and rolls well
Not a great rebounder, averaged only 7.5 RPG at Dayton
Struggles to shoot and pass on the move, mechanics less consistent off the dribble, stiff ball-handler who struggles to get around defenders
Just turned 22
8. Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State
Strengths:
Great passer with great vision, 6.5 APG last season, plays within the offense, doesn’t force passes, 2.33 AST/TO, really good passing and finishing in transition, makes great lead passes, very good timing and patience in pick and roll, can score and pass as ball-handler
.419 3P% and .822 FT%, mechanics a little bit slow off catch and shoot, improving on pull-ups but still needs to improve here
Good ball-handler, uses effective crossovers to get by defenders, good flooter and touch around the rim
Good positional rebounder
Moves well without the ball
BBIQ shows in defensive positioning and off-ball defense, good awareness, long arms, gets into the passing lanes to get steals and deflection
Weaknesses:
Slow release on jumper, could be hard to get shots off
Not very strong, shies away from contact, low FT rate in college
Good straight line driver but not a go-to scorer in the half court, lacks athleticism and burst
Needs to be more disciplined defensively, bites on too many pump fakes, gets blown by a little too often, could improve footwork and lateral quickness
9. Isaac Okoro, SF, Auburn
Strengths:
Great size for an NBA wing (6-6, 225), gets to the rim and uses strength to finish through contact, can drive right and left and finish with both hands, got to the line a lot but needs to improve FT%
Shows some passing and ball-handling ability, good feel for the game, can be both ball-handler and screener in pick and roll
Potential to be elite defensively in NBA, size and quickness to guard 1-4, gets beat on the dribble a little too often but recovers nicely to contest shots, averaged 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG, good at getting around screens, very active off the ball
Can post up smaller wings/guards
Weaknesses:
Only .286 3P% and .674 FT%, form is pretty good but percentages are concerning
Not a go-to scorer, only 14.7 points per 40 minutes
Decent on straight line drive but not very creative with the ball
Hesitates taking open jumpers
10. Deni Avdija, SF/PF, Maccabi Tel Aviv
Strengths:
Great vision/playmaking at 6-8, good timing and reads as pick and roll ball-handler, patient with the ball
Moves well without the ball, gets into good position in the post, solid back to the basket post game, can pass out of the post
Good looking, but inconsistent, jumper
Good touch around the rim, pretty good finisher, can attack closeouts and get to the rim
Good rebounder, can grab and go, good leading the break as well as finishing in transition
Shows potential to defend multiple positions, good rotations on defense, has pretty good lateral quickness, moves his feet well, very good verticality at the rim
Weaknesses:
Inconsistent shooter, only .52 FT%
Struggles to create his own shot, doesn't have a ton of burst to get by defenders
Can defend on the perimeter but lacks lateral quickness to defend quicker players, doesn't have the length to be a great rim protector
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