Three games is all James Wiseman got during this college career at the University of Memphis. The NCAA ruled him ineligible early in the season in a complex and unfair situation where head coach Penny Hardaway allegedly acted improperly in getting Wiseman’s family to move to Memphis. The young center’s college career ended, and he…
In a 2020 draft class that’s weak on wings, the guard position fills the void with plenty of names worth knowing. You can find all different types: Those who shoot, are defense-first, are pure passers and those who are supreme athletes. Position and taste will dictate who goes where, not necessarily a clear hierarchy of…
6’9″ and 220 pounds with jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism. 39 percent 3-point shooting, 1.06 points per possession on post-ups and 4.4 ppg in transition. The anchor of the nation’s most efficient offense and a National Player of the Year candidate for a team that went 29-2. Obi Toppin checks a lot of boxes. He’s a prototypical inside-outside…
With fans (hopefully) tucked away safely at home and sporting activity taking a back seat on the global agenda, it’s easy to think that all NBA activity has seized as well. But in tracking all the latest news and behind-the-scenes action, we see that’s actually not the case. Per The Athletic’s Sam Amick, there is…
From a managerial perspective, a weak draft class means it’s likely the perfect time to swing for the fences. If the likelihood of hitting is lower, why not swing harder to see if you knock something out of the park? If that’s a common perception shared around the league, teams will begin to covet the…
Bias props up frequently in the NBA prospect evaluation process. I’m told it shows up in many other forms of decision-making throughout life as well… Those who are making key decisions are informed by their past experiences and anecdotal knowledge. Their job is to understand how what they see, informed by a grasp of how…
In baseball, the term “five-tool player” gets thrown around to describe those who can hit, hit for power, run the bases, field well and throw well. In essence, they possess all the tools to be effective in every facet of the game. In basketball, I’ve been developing a similarly versatile nomenclature for those skill sets…
Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan presented at an online coaches clinic on April 1 about his offensive philosophy. There he was asked this question by a viewer, “What is the most difficult transition for a player going from college to the NBA?” Donovan’s answer was a brilliant way to frame the pre-draft process.…
This draft class is heavy on ball-dominant guards and bigs. Naturally, lead guards will be compared with previous lead guards as teams go through their pre-draft process, and the bigs will be compared with bigs. Within the post players and rim protectors category, there are a few ways to look at them as prospects. From…
At this point, the consensus has been formed: This 2020 NBA Draft class may end up being historically weak. It’s hard not to talk about this as a major storyline entering draft season, as the pessimism around truly elite prospects will color the entire process. There’s a certain ceiling that is understood to accompany NBA…
