Aleksej Pokusevski Scouting Report

December 21, 2020 Dustin Barnes 0

The Thunder gave up a lot — Ricky Rubio and two 2020 first-round picks — to move up to the 17th spot in the draft and select Pokusevski, but it was a reasonable move given that he was the youngest prospect in the class and has so much upside.  A very skinny 7-foot power forward, Pokusevski won’t turn 19 until the day after Christmas.  In [ . . . ]

Jalen Smith

Jalen Smith Scouting Report

December 18, 2020 R. C. Harris 0

The trade to acquire Chris Paul gives Phoenix an impressive starting lineup, and the only player sent to Oklahoma City who provided major contributions to their undefeated run in the “Bubble” was Ricky Rubio. Going into the draft, the Suns appeared weakest at power forward; specifically, they had a need for a player who could bolster the club’s interior defense. Following the draft, the club [ . . . ]

Malachi Flynn

Malachi Flynn Scouting Report

November 18, 2020 Nick Andre 0

Point guards have been a very interesting topic in this year’s NBA Draft class. Many of them are high-octane, explosive talents; while many of them are great floor generals who can read defenses to set their teammates in the best positions.  Malachi Flynn is a point guard who can impact the game on so many levels. He was the driving force for San Diego State [ . . . ]

RJ Hampton

R.J. Hampton Scouting Report

November 17, 2020 Dustin Barnes 0

Hampton has been gaining momentum during the pre-draft process due to positive reports from workouts, and an impressive cast of current and former NBA players who have been helping him train.  The 19-year-old took a fairly unusual route to the draft, choosing the Australian NBL over college, and he was limited to 17 games due to injury.  Considering his youth and the level of competition, [ . . . ]

Obi Toppin

Obi Toppin Scouting Report

November 17, 2020 Dustin Barnes 0

Toppin had a fine freshman campaign, but he truly burst onto the national scene this year, as he helped Dayton (29-2) rise to No. 3 in the AP and the Coaches Poll.  His sophomore season featured numerous highlight-reel dunks and other impressive plays, and to some degree, he brought back memories of Blake Griffin at Oklahoma for me.  Like Griffin, Toppin won numerous awards as [ . . . ]

James Wiseman

James Wiseman Scouting Report

November 11, 2020 Nick Andre 0

The world has seemed to have forgotten how elite of a center James Wiseman is. During his brief time at Memphis, the top-ranked recruit of the 2019 class showed that he was a dominant player, who was bigger, stronger and more physical than everyone else. Wiseman is anticipated to be a lottery pick in this year’s draft, projected to go as high as No. 1. [ . . . ]

Deni Avdija

Deni Avdija Scouting Report

November 10, 2020 Dustin Barnes 0

Avdija is one of the more versatile players in the 2020 draft class — he can do a little bit of everything, and he is a proven winner, helping Maccabi Tel Aviv win a championship in Israeli BSL this summer.  He has size, is solidly built, and is a competitive athlete, with lots of skill and a high basketball IQ.  He can play at either [ . . . ]

Killian Hayes

Killian Hayes Scouting Report

November 6, 2020 R. C. Harris 0

Hayes has been playing at a high-level of professional basketball since 2017.  He made his debut in the French Jeep Elite League at the age of 17.  Now 19, he is coming off a solid season with ratiopharm Ulm, which competed in both the German BBL and EuroCup.  Hayes was a full-time starter, seeing action in a total of 33 games and playing 24.8 minutes [ . . . ]