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Jordan Brand Classic Global Showcase Scouting Reports

Jordan Brand Classic Global Showcase Scouting Reports
Apr 18, 2017, 01:16 pm
Scouting reports on seven of the top international prospects seen at the Jordan Brand Classic Global Showcase held in Brooklyn this past weekend, including Cashius McNeilly, Addison Patterson, N'Faly Dante, Tom Digbeu, Karlo Matkovic, Killian Hayes and Theo Maledon.
Cashius McNeilly, Toronto, PG, Class of 2020, Uncommitted, 16.0
 Strengths
-A bit early in his physical development but projects to have excellent physical tools for a point guard prospect. Stands around 6' 3 with long arms, big hands and feet. May have another inch or two of growth. Very young in the face.
-Fluid athlete with impressive body control. Can shift gears smoothly. Good leaper in space. Has untapped athletic potential.
-Offers a nice blend of scoring and playmaking. Crafty ball handler. Very polished for his age. Comfortable playing out of ball screens.
-Greatly improved shooter. Soft touch from the perimeter. Gets excellent rotation. Can make set shots or elevation pull ups in mid-range spots with a hand in his face.
-Has floaters. Can finish with either hand.
-Good vision in the open floor and the half court. Score-first mentality but has a strong feel for the game. Quite advanced for his age.
-Good feet defensively. Can sit down and slide. Really effective when he turns it on. Length allows him to contest jump shooters. Plays the passing lanes. Should have the body to defend with physicality down the road.
-Plays with a level of confidence rare for his age. Very poised. Has almost no nervous movements or energy.
-High upside guard who already has a strong foundational skill set
 Weaknesses
-Projectable frame but a little thin up top at this stage. Not all that fluid through his lower body.
-Good not great athlete. More smooth than explosive. Average burst. Relies more on deception, change of pace. Can improve his ability to finish vs length in the half court.
-Has a tendency to settle for contested jumpers in the half court
-Overall effort level can improve. A bit casual in his approach.
-Streaky shooter right now. Needs time and space from three. Shoots a set shot from deep. Doesn't get much lift.
-Still learning how to best blend scoring and facilitating
-Defensive intensity can improve. Would rather reach than contain at times.
 Outlook
Although he had an up and down week and may not look physically overwhelming, McNeilly was arguably the best long-term prospect in Brooklyn. He has physical upside, a tremendous foundational skill set for his age, and a level of self-assuredness and poise that you rarely see from a 16-year-old. He still needs to develop physically and can continue to play with more vigor, but McNeilly has a chance to be a high-level NBA prospect if he progresses as expected. The Canadian guard is without a doubt worth following as he's one of the best young prospects in all of Canada right now.

 
Addison Patterson, Canada, PG/SG, Class of 2020, Uncommitted
 Strengths
-Great size for a combo guard prospect at 6' 6. Has grown two or three inches in the last year.
-Fluid athlete. Can play above the rim in space.
-Very polished offensive game. Strong blend of scoring and playmaking. Mature skill set.
-Likes to put pressure on the rim in transition.
-Comfortable in pick and roll. Can navigate a ball screen. Will pull up from three if the defense goes under, work his way into the paint for floaters or finishes with either hand.
-Low release point on his jumper but gets great rotation. Can create space with step backs. Deep range.
-Excellent passer with either hand (most chest passes are left hand dominant). Sees the floor in transition. Can pass over the top of the defense in pick and roll. Creative passer with good timing.
-Instinctual defensively. Has the size to contain penetration. Can sit down and slide when he wants to. Shows some athleticism on chase down blocks.
-Will stick his nose in and rebound. Plays fairly hard overall.
-Attitude was much more encouraging at Jordan Brand than BioSteel
-Very confident. Has some killer in him.
 Weaknesses
-Quite physically mature for his age. How much more will he develop? Strong for his age but doesn't have overly wide shoulders.
-Average athlete in terms of burst and explosiveness in a crowd. Struggled to finish vs length all week long.
-Very low release point on his jumper. Gets rotation and has touch but easy to contest. Not going to rise up in mid-range spots.
-A bit of an assist-hunter - will give it up if it will result in an assist. Flash over substance at times.
-Defensive intensity comes and goes. Doesn't always sit down like he could.
-Attitude wasn't great at BioSteel. Improving in that area but had some issues in the past.
 Outlook
Patterson proved to be one of the most polished prospects on the Jordan Brand Global roster, and was outstanding when we evaluated him at the 2017 BioSteel Futures Game. At 6'6, he has excellent size for a guard prospect, especially considering that he's at his best on the ball and really projects as a lead guard long term. He's instinctual, ambidextrous, skilled and confident, and should be able to have an immediate impact at the college level when the time comes. Because he's not an elite athlete, his long-term upside will likely revolve around what type of shooter he is long term. Overall Patterson's versatility and positional size make him an intriguing prospect to track.

 
N'Faly Dante, Mali, Center, Class of 2020, Sunrise Academy, 15.4 Strengths
-Tremendous combination of size, length and reach. Big hands
-Frame is filling out impressively, has made major strides with it over the past year at Sunrise Academy
-Very good athlete. Fluid and mobile. Gets up and down the court well. Quick off his feet. Plays above the rim with ease
-Outstanding finisher off two feet. Has some memorable dunks over the course of the week, both cutting off the ball, running the floor, and following up misses on the offensive glass. Barely needs to jump to dunk
-Excellent timing as a rim-protector/shot-blocker. Put a lid on the rim and showed impressive potential as a defensive anchor
-Presence on the offensive glass
-Raw, but not clueless offensively. Shows some ability to score inside the post if he can get deep position. Has a hook shot. Even shows some potential making free throws and mid-range jumpers
-Competitive and physical. Knows his role and embraces it. Has a good on-court demeanor.
 Weaknesses
-Still at an early stage of his development, as all 15-year old 7-footers are. Has made impressive strides in the last year, but still has a long ways to go
-Lacks a degree of coordination offensively. Needs to improve his awareness and balance. Like many guys his age, still figuring out the nuances of the game. Demonstrates his rawness in stretches, struggling to catch the ball or air-balling close-range shots.
-Feel for the game is a work in progress. Passing ability can continue to improve
-Not all that comfortable leaving the paint defensively. Will need to learn how to get out on the pick and roll, bend his knees, and cover ground. Should be able to do it in time with good coaching.
 Outlook We first saw N'Faly Dante at the U17 World Championship in Zaragoza last summer, where he was playing up as a skinny 14-year old and the youngest player at the tournament. He's spent the past season at Sunrise Academy in Kansas, where he seems to have made significant strides with his body, skill-level and basketball IQ. He was impressive throughout the week of practices, scrimmages and the actual game, demonstrating quite a bit of upside on both ends of the floor that will be very interesting to monitor over the next few years. Dante is years away from being a finished product, but left a strong impression and could develop into a significant prospect if he continues to work on his body and skill-set and keeps improving at the samerate.

              
Tom Digbeu, France/Spain, Shooting Guard, Class of 2021, FC Barcelona, 15.5 Strengths
-Fluid athlete. Quick off his feet. At a very early stage of development physically, but shows impressive flashes
-Big feet, immature frame. Likely he's still growing
-Shows potential as a perimeter shooter. Ball comes out of his hand smoothly. Shows good touch. Has made shots consistently in the youth categories. Has a good foundation to build on
-Finishes with either hand around the basket. Has touch on his floaters
-Good feel for the game. Makes extra pass and plays the right way.
-Does a lot of little things by virtue of his instincts and anticipation skills. Rotates for blocks. Gets in the passing lanes. Crashes the glass. -Appears to be competitive. Will fight in the post with stronger players. Chase-down blocks.
-Has great bloodlines. Father, Alain Digbeu, was a NBA draft pick, a French national team standout, and a longtime Euroleague player. Now an NBA scout with the Atlanta Hawks.
 Weaknesses
-Lack of strength affects him on both ends of the floor. Gets knocked off his path easily offensively. Struggles to finish in traffic. Can get overpowered defensively by stronger wings.
-Has some things to iron out as a shooter. Low release point on his jumper. Brings the ball up from his hip. Jumps sideways. Some bad misses at times
-Ball-handling skills are a work in progress in the half-court. Struggles with ball pressure. Has a ways to go as a shot-creator.
 Outlook The left-handed Digbeu was fairly quiet throughout the week, but dropped plenty of glimpses of his potential throughout. He looked to be at an earlier stage of physical development than many of the players in attendance, and may be due for another growth spurt that would take him to an entirely different level as a prospect. Either way, Digbeu demonstrates a number of interesting characteristics scouts look for in young players, and is already doing some impressive things at the youth categories in Europe in different tournaments we track.

              
Karlo Matkovic, Croatia, PF/C, Cedevita Zagreb, 16.0 Strengths
-Strong physical profile for his age. Long arms. Big hands. Frame that will fill out nicely in time.
-Very good athlete who blocks shots and plays above the rim
-Shows potential as a mid-range shooter. Soft touch facing the basket
-Instinctive defensively. Gets in the passing lanes. Shows timing rotating from the weakside
-Active on the offensive glass
-Looks to have significant upside to continue to improve
 Weaknesses
-Frame has a long ways to go. Gets pushed around inside by stronger players. Commits a lot of fouls
-Forces some difficult passes at times. Lacks experience and polish like most young big men his age
-Not a consistent shooter yet. Will need to expand his range
 Outlook Matkovic was very quiet in the practices leading up to official game, but impressed in a major way once the lights came on. It's not quite clear what he is at the moment, as that will depend on how much he grows, matures physically and how his skill-level and feel for the game (especially on the perimeter) evolves, but he looks to be on a strong track as a prospect and is absolutely worth monitoring long-term.

 
Killian Hayes, France, PG/SG, Cholet, 15.7 Strengths
-Strong physical profile. Looks around 6'4, possibly 6'5, with a strong, mature frame
-Speedy in the open court. Covers ground defensively. Can play above the rim. Rotates for blocks
-Aggressive attacking in the open floor. Not afraid to take the ball right into the teeth of the defense. Draws contact and gets to the free throw line
-Impressive defender both on and off the ball. Puts pressure on the ball. Slides his feet. Puts a lot of pride in his work on this end of the floor. Shows the potential to guard any of the backcourt positions. Crashes the defensive glass
-Can make an open 3-pointer, especially spotting up. Ball comes out decently
-Unselfish. Willing facilitator. Had seven assists in the game
-Has good bloodlines. Father, Deron Hayes, is American, played college basketball and professionally in France.
 Weaknesses
-Still figuring out his skill-level in the half-court. Not a high-level shot-creator when the game slows down. Needs to improve his ball-handling skills, off-hand, and overall feel. Can get a bit turnover prone at times trying to force the issue
-Has a very low release point on his spot-up jumper, with some side-spin. Shot just 1-6 for 3 in the game. Pull-up jumper needs work.
 Outlook Lefty combo guard who showed nice versatility throughout the week, playing and guarding all three backcourt positions. Not clear yet what his position is long-term or what he does at the highest levels, outside of his excellent defense. Shows really nice potential in many aspects though. Tough and aggressive. Already playing up in the French Espoirs league at 15-years old, despite being five to seven years younger than many of the players there. Second youngest player to see minutes in that competition this season.

 Theo Maledon, France, PG/SG, France, INSEP Academy, 15.8
 
Maledon had a strong showing at the JBC, with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, making 3-8 3-pointers. We've written about him extensively on the site, as recently as three months ago, so make sure to check out his DraftExpress profile for measurements, scouting reports, and an interview we conducted at the ANGT.

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