Texas Legends Prospect Report

Daryl Macon (Two-way w/ DAL)

Age: 23

Height: 6’3”

Position: Combo Guard

Stats:

 

Strengths

• Good size for a PG at 6’3”
• Not elite, but good first step
• Advanced handle: hanging crossovers, hesitation moves, etc.
• Speed in the open floor to finish in transition
• Changes speeds well
• Can get up vertically in space
• Touch on shots around the rim
• Understands how to run PnR: snake dribbles, puts his man in jail, manipulates the defensive big
• Very versatile jumper: stepbacks, pullups, off crossovers
• Gets to the line
• Great vision, sees the whole floor
• Shows he can compete at times defensively, will pressure up although sometimes to his detriment

FIBA U18 European Championship Scouting Reports

Note: Players are in order of how I value them as NBA prospects. I acknowledge that I haven’t seen these guys in any other settings, so this is my evaluation of them based solely on this tournament.

 

Filip Petrusev

• Very quick decision maker, played very effectively out of the short roll with some nice assists
• Threw a ton of very accurate high low passes for layups
• Saw the whole floor and hit the opposite corner of post when doubles came
• Strong player, forced a ton of fouls and got deep position with his seals for post ups on the inside
• Overpowered opponents in the post, very physical, sought out contact
• Very good throwing high low passes to his fellow big man
• Fluid athlete who gets up well off two feet in traffic, had some nice dunks in traffic
• Showed some touch from the midrange
• Good footwork in the post
• Not a 3pt shooter at all yet, completely ignored from out there
• Very quick reactions on defense, instincts
• Active on the offensive glass, great motor
• Okay switching on the perimeter, beat a couple times but didn’t look out of place, mobile
• Offered some rim protection, not big enough to be a great drop big in PnR regularly
• Had good recovery speed when he did hedge
• Rim protection wasn’t great but he provided some resistance, out of position a couple times but tried to help, bothered some shots

Takeaway: The best player at this event. Think he’s got great potential, especially if he can develop a 3pt shot (which I think is possible). A good athlete, great feel for the game, plays really hard. Should be a good help defender and has potential to be adequate switching on the perimeter.

Malik Pope Scouting Report

 

Written by Ben Dull (@SplitThePost)

 

Will an NBA team look beyond the lofty one-and-done expectations and high school injury history, take a hard look at the tape, and come away convinced that Malik Pope has a future as a core rotation player at the highest level?

 

Even if his name is not called during Thursday’s draft, the prevailing opinion of the San Diego State alum tells us that he will get a shot at NBA Summer League with a team. The coverage of Pope as a pro prospect since his sophomore season at SDSU has been quite sparse. Let’s start with his (perceived) injury history.

 

He suffered a broken left leg twice in his final years as a rising prep star. As a freshman at SDSU, he was not cleared to practice until December. Pope missed five non-conference games that season, then played in every game through the end of his sophomore season. He missed nine games his junior season with a nagging knee injury, but did not miss another game due to injury after returning to the floor in January of 2017. (Pope was suspended for one game this past season after his name appeared on a list alleging that he received a $1,400 loan. Pope was cleared after an internal investigation, which “found no evidence that Malik received any impermissible benefits or violated any NCAA rules.”)

 

Aside from the knee injury his junior year, Pope was a reliable presence throughout his SDSU career. As devastating as his high school injuries were, the scale ought to tip more in Pope’s favor to give him more credit for coming back from that to have a very successful college career, where he developed his game and body, and flashed the same NBA potential many saw in him 5-6 years ago.

 

With that out of the way, let’s get right to it. The goal of this scouting report is simple: give people a chance to catch up on his overall body of work then offer some thoughts on a reasonable outcome for Pope as an NBA player.

2018 Final Big Board

Tier 1

1. Luka Doncic

Tier 2

2. Jaren Jackson Jr.
3. DeAndre Ayton

Tier 3

4. Michael Porter Jr.
5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
6. Trae Young
7. Mo Bamba

Tier 4

8. Mikal Bridges
9. Zhaire Smith
10. Robert Williams
11. Wendell Carter Jr.
12. Marvin Bagley

Tier 5

13. Collin Sexton
14. Landry Shamet
15. Miles Bridges
16. Kevin Huerter
17. Chandler Hutchinson

Tier 6

18. Khyri Thomas
19. Aaron Holiday
20. Elie Okobo
21. De’Anthony Melton
22. Kevin Knox
23. Kenrich Williams
24. Jacob Evans
25. Josh Okogie
26. Jalen Brunson
27. Lonnie Walker
28. Melvin Frazier
29. Mo Wagner
30. Jerome Robinson
31. Grayson Allen
32. Dzanan Musa

Tier 7

33. Donte DiVincenzo
34. Keita Bates Diop
35. Bruce Brown
36. Arnoldas Kulboka
37. Troy Brown
38. Daryl Macon
39. Gary Clark
40. Alize Johnson
41. Isaac Bonga
42. Jarred Vanderbilt
43. Shake Milton
44. Mitchell Robinson
45. Omari Spellman
46. Kevin Hervey
47. Rawle Alkins
48. Vince Edwards
49. Rodions Kurucs
50. Gary Trent Jr.

Troy Brown Scouting Report

Background

Height: 6’7”

Wingspan: 6’10”

Weight: 208 lbs

Age: 19

Position: SG/SF

Team: Oregon

 

Stats

 

Overview

Troy Brown is a wing I’m down on compared to consensus. He has good feel for the game on both ends, but not much else. He’s a very poor shooter off the bounce and on catch and shot opportunities. He also lacks the athleticism to beat his man off the dribble and finish at the rim. Defensively he makes some nice anticipatory reads, but he’ll gamble and compromise the defense more than you’d like to see. He has solid size for a wing, but also lacks the strength and lateral speed to be a big plus on the defensive end. He’s projected to go somewhere in the late teens/early 20s right now. I wouldn’t draft him in the 1^st round and probably not till the middle of the 2^nd round at least.

 

Miles Bridges Scouting Report

Background

Height: 6’7”

Wingspan: 6’10”

Weight: 220 lbs

Age: 20

Position: SF/PF

Team: Michigan State

 

Stats

 

Background

Miles Bridges is an athletic combo forward with diverse shooting versatility and passing skills. I question his ability to make plays off the bounce at the NBA level due to his lack of handle, but he may be able to do enough to get by. Defensively he slides decently but his limited length and his off ball defensive struggles have me concerned about his value on that end as well. He makes sense to take in the 12-18 range to me.

 

Jaren Jackson Jr. Scouting Report

Background

Height: 6’11”

Wingspan: 7’5”

Weight: 236 lbs

Age: 19

Position: PF/C

Team: Michigan State

 

Stats

 

Overview

Jaren Jackson Jr. is a two-way big that can offer tremendous value in the modern NBA. He’s the best rim protector in this class in my opinion and can stretch to 3pt range on the opposite end. He possesses the agility to get out on the perimeter to defend and enough basic dribble skills to attack a closeout. He’s not the most athletic player and he’s not the best finisher inside or passer, but his potential is sky high. I have him at 2^nd overall on my big board in the same tier with DeAndre Ayton.

 

Wendell Carter Jr. Scouting Report

Background

Height: 6’10”

Wingspan: 7’4.5”

Weight: 251 lbs

Age: 19

Position: C

Team: Duke

 

Stats

 

Overview

Wendell Carter is a slightly undersized center with extremely high basketball IQ. Defensively he gets the most out of his frame protecting the rim and rotating to cover up for his teammates mistakes. Offensively he’s a great passer for a big man and has some shooting potential. His weaknesses are he’s not quite ideal center size and has limited athleticism. He doesn’t play above the rim or move great on the perimeter. Wendell is currently projected to go 6^th in ESPN’s latest mock draft. I have him as a fringe top 10 player in this draft. He’s a safe bet to contribute but has limited upside.

 

Marvin Bagley III Scouting Report

Background

Height: 6’11”

Wingspan: 7’0”

Weight: 234 lbs

Age: 19

Position: PF/C

Team: Duke

 

Stats

 

Overview

Marvin Bagley is an athletic 4/5 tweener with coordination, size, and speed. He was wildly productive in college and has a quick vertical that allows him to finish inside very efficiently and grab rebounds with ease. He also has some potential with his shooting and ball handling skills. Defensively he’s a bit of a mess. His offensive game makes him more of a center, but his defensive game doesn’t provide enough rim protection or awareness to be the backline of a good defense. He’s projected to go 2^nd overall in the latest ESPN mock draft, which in my opinion would be a mistake. I think he should go more in the 9-12 range.

 

DeAndre Ayton Scouting Report

Background

Height: 7’1”

Wingspan: 7’5”

Weight: 250 lbs

Age: 20

Position: C

Team: Arizona

 

Stats

 

Overview

DeAndre Ayton is a physical freak with all the abilities you’d want from a modern-day NBA center. He has great mobility/athleticism to go with good size. He’s an elite rebounder that can guard out on the perimeter. Offensively his shooting touch and finishing ability are rare for a player his size. He needs to work on feeling the game better and being a more impactful defender at the rim, but he has all the tools to be a franchise cornerstone. The question is if he will put those tools together. He’s certainly deserving of a top 3 pick and is reportedly locked in to go number 1 overall.