NBA Draft 2019 Preseason Scouting Report: Zion Williamson

We’re two weeks away from the college basketball season officially kicking off, which means it’s also time for previews, prognostacations and prospect breakdowns. Being the draft nerd that I am, this is one of my favorite times of the year with the NBA season getting going as well. I thought it would only be fitting to start my preseason scouting reports off, with argubly the most hyped prospect in years, who’s gone from a unknown kid from small town Salisbury, North Carolina to an internet sensation w/ nearly two million followers on Instagram. Zion Williamson is without a doubt the most polarizing player in the 2019 NBA Draft class and will only be under an even bigger microscope at Duke this season, alongside fellow top propsects R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish.

Name: Zion Williamson

Position: Forward

Height: 6’7″

Weight: 285 pounds

School: Duke

Class: Freshman

Strengths:

Obviously you can’t talk about Zion Williamson without mentioning his athleticism, he’s a transcendent athlete who shines in transition. His bounce at 285 pounds is something I’ve never seen, Williamson jumps like Vince Carter or Dominique Wilking but is 50+ pounds heavier. He’s a freight train in the open floor who can explode off two feet as quick as anyone, erasing shots with rundown blocks and obliterating rims with his well known dunks.

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Williamson isn’t just an athlete though as some people like to define him as, I think too often people can get caught up in the hype of his highlight dunks, but there’s much more to him as a basketball player than that. He’s a monster on the offensive glass, Williamson knows how to utilize his size well and will throw opposing players out of the way to get a rebound like they’re made out of paper. Putback dunks are a routine play for him, he’s got a good motor on the glass and rebounds outside of his zone frequently.

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He’s got great hands and catches everything around the rim from rebounds to alley-oops, Williamson can pluck the ball out of the air at it’s highest point like an NFL tight end. Williamson is a bully on the low block and I get that he’s playing against kids, but he consistently finishes through contact and double teams like it’s nothing. His low post scoring isn’t polished from a footwork standpoint and he doesn’t have any real go-to moves, but he makes up for it with his strength and touch.

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Zion isn’t an incredible scoring or playmaking talent, but he’s much more proficient in those areas than he’s given credit for. He’s got the first step quickness to get around most guards, the strength to bulldoze defenders at the rim and enough of a handle to create his own shot at times. Williamson is limited with his handling, he seems to always go to the behind the back dribble and spin moves, but it’s enough currently to create shot opportunities for himself. His passing ability out of the post is also good, he isn’t Nikola Jokic or Tim Duncan by any means, but he will make you pay for doubling him too often.

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Weaknesses:

Williamson’s explosiveness and get off, in terms of his ability to quickly leap off of two feet is as good as anybodies and helps him be productive defensively. He’s a competent shot blocker especially at only 6’7″ with a 6’10” wingspan. But the problem with Williamson is his disengagement at times on the defensive end of the floor and overall laziness, which really can show up when he’s closing out on shooters. As you’ll see in some of the clips below, often Zion looks like he’s merely going through the motions defensively and that concerns me for a player, who doesn’t really have a defined position at the next level it seems.

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There is also some real concern with Williamson’s shot at this point, it’s extremely flat and straight on lacking much arc whatsoever. His mechanics could use work from his feet up and if he can’t fix it, becoming at least a capable shooter to some degree, I’m not sure what his offensive upside looks like going into the NBA. He’s got an ok follow through on most shots, but he’s constantly off balance and again his release is so flat it often forces his shot to laser towards the rim, clanking perimeter shots frequently.

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Some scouts and analysts are also worried with Williamson’s conditoning and body at the next level, wondering if his size is almost a detriment in the long run. It could become a legitimate thing for teams to pay attention to, but isn’t something that holds any real merit in my eyes.

Conclusion:

As I said earlier, I think far too often people get lost in Zion Williamson’s social media videos and define him just as an athlete. I believe he’s far more skilled as a basketball player and does much more than just make spectacular dunks on the floor for his team. It seems people either love or hate Williamson’s upside, there is no in between as some view him as the next LeBron James and other’s think he’s an overweight one dimensional bust waiting to happen.

I tend to view Zion as neither, I don’t think he’s someone who should be viewed as a franchise changing player or as a potential number one pick, but he’s also very far from a bust. He’s somewhere between a young Charles Barkley and Blake Griffin to me, even though Williamson isn’t the rebounder or scorer Barkley was or the passer Griffin has evolved into. His potential is in the middle of those two ultimately, Williamson will electrify a team immediately with his plays in transition and help rebounding from the get go, but he is by no means going to become a savior of the franchise for anyone.

Williamson seems to fit in nicely with the ever evolving positonless NBA and could be best suited to be a dynamic, athletic small ball center in today’s game. I can’t wait to see what Coach K can mold him into, especially defensively this season at Durham and seeing Zion play in front of the Cameron Crazies is going to be a sight to see all year. I’m rooting whole heartedly for Williamson as a player and think he ultimately goes in the top five selections of next June’s draft.

Mobley continues to shine for USA in FIBA U17 World Cup

The Americans continued their breeze through the competition at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Santa Fe, Argentina on Wednesday night, defeating the Dominican Republic 103-60 to advance to the Quarterfinals. Evan Mobley continues to be the standout for me, I just find my eyes always gravitating towards him when watching these games. He’s already enjoyed an incredible rise this summer up recruiting boards and has solidified his #1 overall ranking in the class of 2020 at least by ESPN as far as I’m concerned.

Mobley finished with ten points, six rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals in the victory on Wednesday. He showcased every possible skill you’d want to see from an elite prospect, effecting the game on both ends of the floor, displaying the potential to be a seven-foot Swiss army knife. I was beyond impressed with the California native’s playmaking ability at every level, Mobley showed he’s an efficient passer not only out of the high post but also can create off the dribble some.

Below you’ll see Mobley on a baseline drive draw in the second defender to come over to help and then deliver a beautiful bounce pass to the cutting Wendell Moore Jr. His handle is obviously a bit raw and needs some polish but the ability to create for others is crucial nowadays at any position really in the modern age of basketball. His efficiency as mentioned earlier as a passer out of the high post mainly, makes Mobley a dual threat as a playmaker. Mobley throw’s dart’s for entry passes and can even make some things happen in the open floor at times as well, finding teammates on the break frequently.

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Mobley showed off some off his low post scoring ability in this one as well, even given his rather thin frame currently. Even though he’s barely 200 pounds, Mobley doesn’t seem to fear contact and has the elite length to finish over or through most defenders. He does a good job of utilizing his body to shield off his man and just staying low enough to gain position and even when he can’t gain ground, Mobley still has the touch in the paint to be effective from 15+ feet as you can see on the touch he displays his right hook shot. I’m not sure about his shooting range currently, but Mobley clearly shows the touch to be a dominate scorer in the paint and as he gains strength, it should only extenuate his dominance there.

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It’s Mobley’s ability and potential on the other end of the floor though that has me the most intrigued, defensively he already impacts the game so much and has been dominate in that regard during the FIBA U17 World Cup so far. Mobley’s already an elite shot blocker and one of the best I’ve seen coming out of high school in recent memory, probably since the likes of Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel. He’s obviously got elite length sporting a seven-foot-four wingspan, but it’s his foot quickness and movement skills that make him such a tremendous weapon on the defensive end.

In the win against the Dominican Republic, Mobley showcased it all defensively from defending smaller guards or wings in ISO situations to blocking down shots in transition. He’s flashed the potential to be a stalwart on the defensive end, Mobley’s anticipation and timing is second to none as a shot blocker, he rarely mis-times his jump on a shot attempt. Mobley’s also an ambidextrous shot blocker, showing effectiveness with either hand to knock down shots only adding to his rarity as a defensive weapon.

But as I mentioned earlier, even more impressive than Mobley’s length and shot blocking ability is his movement skills as a seven-footer. He can switch onto guards or wings seamlessly and usually has quick enough feet to stay in front. But even if he gets beat off the dribble by elite speed, Mobley has his elite length in his back pocket to help him recover and still alter the shot attempt. The quick feet that Mobley shows on the closeout below and then the recovery to beat his man to the spot on the drive, is just something you don’t see from most big men even in the current day of “Unicorns” in the NBA.

On a roster filled with an abundance of talent and future NBA pros, again Evan Mobley has been the star who’s shined brightest for me. The offensive potential combined with the physical profile and defensive versatility make me giddy about Mobley’s future as to me, he looks every bit of a future number one overall pick. The Americans move on to the Quarterfinals tomorrow to take on Croatia, looking to move one step closer to their fifth straight gold medal at the event.

Mobley and Suggs lead USA past Mali for 2-0 FIBA U17 World Cup Start

While the basketball world is buzzing over LeBron James’ decision to become a Los Angeles Laker, much of the recruiting and scouting community has taken over Argentina to watch the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup. In no surprise the American team is off to a dominant start in dismantling both China and Mali by a combined score of 212-77. The game against Mali wasn’t much of one, with the US winning 97-40 but not playing the most aesthetically pleasing brand of basketball in the victory.

The execution from both teams was pretty poor, they combined for 54 turnovers and the game even got a bit chippy at times, to the point where both Jalen Suggs and Isaac Okoro had to exit to the locker room towards the end of third quarter with some sort of injuries. I liked the physicality both teams played with, it just got a bit out of hand at times with the recklessness.

Jalen Suggs and Evan Mobley were the standouts for the Americans in this one for me. As mentioned before, Suggs had to leave the game late in the third quarter after a skirmish but before was really playing well especially on the defensive end of the floor. Suggs is currently the #1 ranked player out of Minnesota by ESPN for the class of 2020 and is locked in #8 overall. He didn’t shoot or score it all that well against Mali finishing with only seven points and was careless with the rock, committing four turnovers.

But Suggs motor really shined through though, he was a pest on the defensive end and consistently was diving all over the floor for 50-50 balls. He’s got great hands and was active with them in this one, compiling four steals. Suggs deflected in bounds passes turning them into easy offense in transition and swiped the ball away while smothering his man on ball. His effort and willingness to force his man to work for position off the dribble, combined with his lateral quickness should have Suggs primed to become an elite defender.

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As minimal as his offensive contributions were from a statistical standpoint, I still felt Suggs made an impact on that end of the floor. Possibly the best play of the game was when Suggs came up with a 50-50 ball on a mad scramble and while still sitting down, threw a great behind his head pass to Jalen Green to finish of an easy dunk.

He also had a beautiful euro step in transition to finish of an and one opportunity, Suggs just did a phenomenal job of utilizing his defense and turning into offense. It was unfortunate to see him go down in third quarter, but I was impressed by Suggs and he’s got a motor you can’t teach.

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Evan Mobley on the other hand continued to try to solidify why he’s viewed as the best player in the class of 2020. The big man from Temecula is currently the #1 ranked player by ESPN for that class, enjoying an insane rise this summer after breaking his left foot as a freshman. Mobley’s thought to be the next of the “unicorn generation” mirroring similar traits of NBA All-Star’s such as Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis and newly minted number one pick Deandre Ayton.

Already a near seven-footer at only 17-years old, Mobley demonstrates a tremendous combination of elite length, movement skills and offensive potential. I think he’s definitely still raw and am still unsure about his #1 overall ranking currently, he got beat up on the glass at times against Mali and clearly needs to add strength to his frame. But in only a few plays, Mobley clearly flashed the two-way potential and skill set that has scouts and recruiters gushing over him currently.

Mobley has the movement skills of a guard and can cover a lot of space defensively. You’ll see this in one of the plays below where he comes from the three-point line to help on the baseline and then blocks the shot, pinning it against the glass. He finished with three blocks in this one and flashes the potential to be an elite rim protector, combined with his seven-foot-four wingspan and lateral quickness.

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Offensively though Mobley is only scratching the surface, his versatility on that end of the floor is already very apparent, but he’s got a ton left to fill out in his offensive weaponry which should be terrifying for everybody else. He’s shown some ability to score on the move and has the length to finish over just about anyone.

The pick and roll with Green though is a prime example of what Mobley could be offensively, he shows the movement skills to roll to the rim, then beats his man with a quick spin move and then smoothly drops the fadeaway jumper in over two defenders. I’m still not sure I’m quite ready to anoint Mobley the #1 player in the 2020 class over the likes of fellow Team USA teammates Jalen Green, Scottie Barnes and R.J. Hampton, but I’m starting to understand the hype and it’s hard to not see why he’s been such a huge riser this summer. The US team moves on to play Serbia today in the battle of undefeated Group B teams, a team who should provide the Americans with a tougher test than Mali or China.

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USA wins Gold, blasts Canada in FIBA U18 Americas Final

The Americans took home their fifth consecutive gold medal at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship, defeating Canada 113-74 in the finals of the tournament last Saturday. Canada got out to an early 12-7 lead, but the US rallied off a 22-8 run to finish the first quarter and really never looked back. It was a balanced effort from the Americans having seven players finish with double digit scoring outings, led by the stand out performances from Cole Anthony, Quentin Grimes and Matthew Hurt.

I highlighted Cole Anthony in the team’s opening win over the Dominican Republic, but I thought this was arguably his best game of the tournament. He led the team in scoring with 18 points and even though he didn’t shoot it particularly, I thought he was relentless with attacking the lane and finishing consistently at the rim.

Anthony displayed it all from smooth footwork in the lane, strength to finish through contact, his ambidexterity, body control and quick crossover in this one. He’s got good size at 6’3″, 180 pounds and knows how to utilize it at the rim to finish, even if he has subpar length. Anthony’s first step quickness is good and he has utilized it greatly to create off the bounce during this tournament for the US, with his crossover being his primary weapon of choice. He also does a phenomenal job creating great spin on the ball, if he gets it to the glass rarely does he not finish, regardless of the difficulty of the lay-up.

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I’m not sure he’ll ever be the shooter or as stout as Deron Williams was, but Anthony reminds me of the 3 time all-star. Both bigger guards who are powerful athletes with sudden quickness and strength to bull through defenders at the rim. I was so impressed throughout the tournament with Anthony and his leadership of this group, he was hands down the best shot creator on the team. I’m excited to see how his recruiting plays out over the next year, he already has offers from Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Georgetown, Oregon, St. Johns and Wake Forest.

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Quentin Grimes had a slow start to the Americas Championship, but really turned it on in medal play and showed out here in the win over Canada. The Kansas commit finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists to not only help the US clinch the gold medal, but also earn MVP honors for the tournament. Honestly, I wasn’t overly impressed with Grimes throughout the tournament and felt Matthew Hurt was probably the best player of the tournament for me. Still I really admired Grimes consistently making plays on both ends of the floor, even when his shot wasn’t falling early on and showing other facets of his game.

I really like Grimes’ versatility offensively, he’s already got a NBA body and can score or play-make off the dribble. He makes his fair share of defensive mistakes, but usually gives consistent effort on that end and should continue to improve under Bill Self at Kansas in that regard. Grimes’ ability as a ball-handler in high pick and rolls, who can shoot or get to the rim is already sound and he really can shoot it off the dribble.

I’m not sure I’d want Grimes to be my primary ball handler or playmaker, but it’s something he can do at times and something I expect Self to take advantage of at Kansas next season. Especially with the losses of guards Malik Newman, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Devonte’ Graham, Self’s gonna need someone to take some of that work load off of fellow freshman guard Devon Dotson.

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I really buy-in on Grimes’ potential already and would expect him to be a riser on boards for the 2019 draft. Kansas is many prognosticators favorite to win the national championship next season, not only because they’re returning players like Udoka Azubuike, Lagerald Vick and Silvio De Sousa to go along with transfers Dedric and K.J. Lawson but also because of this stellar recruiting class coming in headlined by Grimes. I’d expect him to really flourish in Lawrence next season, given the small glimpse of improvement we got to see from him under Self during this tournament. Plus he had one of the best dunks of the entire 2018 U18 Americas Championship below, how can you not appreciate that tomahawk?

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Big’s Highlight Team USA’s Quarter-Final Win over Ecuador

The U18 american team started their quest for yet another gold medal in FIBA play, dominating Ecuador 132-55 during the quarter-finals of the FIBA U18 Americas Championship. The defense and length of the US team dictated a majority of the game, forcing multiple shot clock violations for Ecuador and never allowing them to find a rhythm offensively. The front court dominated for the american’s, getting stand out performances from big men Matthew Hurt, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

Cole Anthony has garnered much of the headlines for this group and has seemingly become the leader for Bill Self’s roster, but Matthew Hurt for me has been Team USA’s best player so far through the tournament. Hurt once again showed off his offensive repertoire and versatility against Ecuador, scoring 19 points and knocking down four three point shots.

His form is beautiful, sporting textbook mechanics with a high and quick release, he’s been virtually automatic from beyond the arc, shooting 69.2 percent from downtown in tournament play. While it’s far from a perfect comparison and possibly even a very basic one, Hurt’s shooting ability reminds me of Dirk Nowitzki even if there is clear differences with their form. Hurt can shoot it from anywhere seamlessly, you’ll see him hit a elbow jumper off the dribble, showing tremendous fluidity and consistency already as a shooter.

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Hurt’s play-making ability was on full display in this game, he made plays out of the post and in transition. He’s got the habit of initiating fast breaks consistently, a trait that is valued enormously at the next level for big men. Not many center’s or forward in today’s modern NBA can start, let alone make positive plays out of fast breaks. You’ll see below one of the best plays of the game and passes Hurt’s made this tournament, was a late full court pass to Mark Watts for the easy lay-up in transition.

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From the post Hurt was as effective with his passing, mainly picking apart the Ecuador defense from the high post. Hurt had no problem firing passes out of double teams in timely fashion and had a nice chemistry going with Trayce Jackson-Davis, connecting multiple times with the Indiana big man. Hurt has blown me away as much as any player on this roster and looks every part of a future top ten, possibly even top five selection.

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As great as Hurt was, the best player in the win over Ecuador was probably forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. The currently ranked 24th player in ESPN’s Top 60 players of the class of 2019, had a personal dunking contest and dominated the offensive glass against the Ecuadorian team. Jackson-Davis finished with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four assists, two steals and a block, oh he also didn’t miss a shot going 10-of-10 from the field. He finished with five offensive rebounds and I’m pretty sure he scored on them all, turning each one into a highlight putback dunk. Jackson-Davis has a nose for the ball, good hands, good motor and does a really nice job of rebounding outside of his area.

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Jackson-Davis showed off much more than just his athleticism and offensive rebounding though, his passing from the post was also phenomenal. Like Hurt, Jackson-Davis did most of his damage out of the high post against the Ecuadorian team. But he also made some great passes off second chances caused by his offensive rebounding, displaying some phenomenal ball placement on these passes to Kamaka Hepa.

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I was lastly really impressed by Jackson-Davis’ length and athleticism obviously, but it’s his potential as a shot blocker that excites me. His timing is pretty poor currently as a shot blocker, he missed way too many lay-up attempts in this game that should be freebies for him in terms of blocks. But he does have the motor and athleticism to protect the rim and has no problem defending in transition, possessing good speed for a big man and easily be able to run the floor.

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It was nice to see a player who’s averaging the second least minutes per game on the team at 13.5, have such a breakout performance. I hope to see Coach Self play Jackson-Davis more in this evening’s semi-final match-up against Argentina and see him hopefully build some confidence from this outing.

The last performance I wanted to touch on was Jeremiah Robinson-Earl’s, who’s versatility shined offensively in this one. Robinson-Earl is currently ranked 34th in the top 60 players of ESPN’s class of 2019 and I’d only imagine that ranking to rise with more performances like this. He can do it all really offensively and did such against Ecuador, knocking down jump shots, making passes out of the post and some fancy plays in transition.

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Robinson-Earl’s performance might be overlooked or was quieter than Hurt’s or Jackson-Davis’ but he was still as effective to me. The play below where he reads the defender, jumps the passing lane, gets the steal and finishes the break off with a fancy behind the back dribble was one of my favorite plays of the game. He’s rated as the number one player coming out of Kansas for the class of 2019 and I’d be shocked if Bill Self doesn’t do all he can to nab him, after coaching and seeing him play at this level firsthand.

The US team will now move on to play a talented Argentina team in the semi-finals, led by guard Marco Giordano Gnass and center Francisco Caffaro. For the American’s that have won every game in the tournament by an average of 60.5 points per game, expect a much tougher outing tonight from the Argentinians.

 

Anthony and Hurt shine in USA’s opening game for the FIBA U18 Americas

The FIBA U18 Americas Championship kicked off yesterday from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada where the US team opened up group play with a 105-73 win over the Dominican Republic. As per usual, the roster is filtered with some of the nation’s best high school prospects from the class of 2018 and 2019, many of whom could be future pro’s. This current crop of players who will be under Kansas coach Bill Self’s watchful eye, is headlined by point guard Cole Anthony and big man Matthew Hurt, both of whom stood out in the team’s opening win.

Anthony the highest rated player out of New York, top point guard and sixth ranked player in ESPN’s top 60 players of the class of 2019, balled out against the Dominican team and led the way for the US with 18 points. He showcased all the makings of an elite scoring guard, scoring at every level and consistently attacking off the bounce. Anthony had two specific drives in the fourth quarter where he showcased great footwork in the lane, body control, the ability to finish through contact and finish with either hand.

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His shooting was also on full display, nothing really came off the dribble for Anthony but he had a couple of nice catch and shoot situations where he converted three’s successfully. Now mechanically speaking I think Anthony’s shot is relatively sound, but there’s some clear flaws in his form. Anthony has a snappy, quick release that’s relatively low, but high enough and seemed to have no issue getting his shot off when he wanted against the Dominican team. But he seems to always put his guide hand, which would be his right hand, on top of the ball instead of on the side and this seems to mess with the trajectory of his shot somewhat.

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Outside of his scoring, Anthony’s athleticism impressed me more than anything, he’s got some serious bounce. Maybe my favorite play of the game from Anthony was in the fourth quarter, where he come over to help from the weak side defensively and sprung to block Joel Soriano’s shot. It was a very validating performance from Cole Anthony to start the tournament, proving why he’s got people buzzing this summer.

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As impressive as Anthony was, I thought the best player on the US team was Matthew Hurt. Hurt who’s the top rated player out of Minnesota and currently slotted one spot ahead of Anthony, ranking fifth in ESPN’s top 60 players of the class of 2019 balled out in the first quarter. He finished with 12 points, ten of which I believe came in the opening frame of the game and showcased great versatility on both ends of the floor.

Hurt’s got a beautiful shooting stroke, sporting a high release, staying square to the rim and displaying textbook form overall. His release is very fluid and quick, showing an effortless ability to get his shot off. I’m not sure he offers much off the dribble, but Hurt can extend the defense in high pick and rolls, looking the part of your prototypical stretch forward.

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Hurt’s motor and fundamentals rebounding seem to be great, he controlled the offensive glass against the Dominican team and big man Alanzo Frink. Even given his fairly thin and wiry frame, Hurt does a good job boxing out, battling for position and securing boards with two hands, his presence was definitely felt in this one on the glass.

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Hurt really has feel for initiating fast break opportunities off rebounds, he got the US team out and running time and time again, converting easy opportunities in transition. You’ll see this in one of the plays below, Hurt does a great job after boxing out Frink for the defensive rebound of pushing the ball up the floor and finding a trailing Cole Anthony for the open wing three. Having a big that can run the floor effectively, but also initiate the break and make plays out of it, is invaluable in today’s modern game.

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Hurt’s impact was definitely felt offensively, but on the other end of the floor he might’ve been just as impressive. Yes at times especially early on in this game, Hurt’s lack of strength definitely got exposed and Alanzo Frink took full advantage of that. But Hurt’s movement skills, quickness and foot speed seem to be excellent for his size, he had no problem switching onto guards in pick and rolls. He’s good at shuffling his feet and again has the foot speed it seems to stay in front of most guards, with the length to protect the rim when needed and add value defensively there as well.

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Matthew Hurt seems to deserve every bit of his top five ranking in the class of 2019 and I’m excited to see his growth throughout this tournament and as his body fills out in the next couple of years. He has all the makings of an elite, athletic, skilled big and should easily be on your draft radar for the next couple of years. Anthony and Hurt were the clear stand outs for team USA in the opening game, but to end this article I wanted to quickly highlight the defensive performance from guard Tyrese Maxey.

Maxey who’s ranked as the fifteenth best prospect in ESPN’s top 60 of the class of 2019 and has committed to Kentucky, was an absolute menace on the defensive end in this one. His motor is always going and he can do it all, whether it be on or off ball due to his great quickness and awareness. You’ll see Maxey display this in the first play below, he does a great job off ball of pushing his man all the way to half court to catch the pass, then he does a fantastic job on ball keeping a low stance and showcasing quick hips, finishing the play off with a brilliant contest.

https://gfycat.com/VioletNarrowBlackbird

Maxey is effective, but still very raw offensively and John Calipari’s guidance should help improve that aspect of his game. But defensively he seems to be a very special prospect and one that could be an elite defender soon for Big Blue Nation.