od takeo Good take. As of right now, I'd say he's more in the mold of Giddey/Daniels than Cade/LaMelo. One guy I didn't properly evaluate before my ranks above is Sidy Cissoko from France. This guy has lottery talent. He's 6'8" 205ish, with a reported 7'2" wingspan and legitimate point-forward skills. He's a smooth athlete, natural playmaker and has the prototypical physical tools for being a defensive terror in the modern game. His J is still coming around, but he has solid form. He'll be playing on G-League Ignite next year with Scoot (and Matas Buzelis). I'd also push Jarace Walker higher than I have him currently. The IMG Academy games I watched last year had him stuck in the paint (at C) all game, but after watching some more tape, he has a better J and perimeter upside than I realized. Unfortunately UH has a smaller roster, so he'll likely not be able to display much of those skills there either, but he should help a ton as a finisher, defender and slasher nonetheless.
Yeah i'm high on Jarace Walker. At first glance he looks like an athletic undersized big, but he's developing a nice handle with good touch and vision on his passes. His high arcing jumper looks like it shouldn't be as effective as it is, but its a legit weapon at this stage. From what I've read, he's also a big talker and communicator. Might sound crazy, but I think he has some "positionless" Zion-lite upside.
Haven’t seen Cam Whitmore mocked as high as OP has him. But I can definitely see why. Two-way potential is through the roof. Once he gets downhill, it’s a wrap. Doesn’t need the ball to score, and with his transition game, he would fit right in with Green. And defensively, Whitmore/Tari/Jabari is just unfair.
Yup, he's dominated and has often looked like the best player in environments with other top players (FIBA U18, All-Star games etc). He enforces his will on games, and his strength, handle and athleticism make him pretty impossible to stop from getting to the rim, especially in transition. I also made some NBA comparisons to each of the Top-20 guys, and he might be the most difficult one to find good comps for, which tells you how unique he is. Some guys who came to mind are Miles Bridges, but Whitmore's a much more comfortable ball-handler/creator at the same age, and an extremely rich man's James Johnson, but neither of those do much justice to his upside. -- On the another note, I'm a little more skeptical about the Thompson twins. Most sites have them in the Top-10, with some even having one or both in the Top-5, but I think that's jumping the gun. They put up decent numbers against mediocre competition in a league built for mixtapes. Both have highlight worthy games (athleticism, 1-on-1 creation), but have struggled to shoot from deep, haven't shown a ton of intangibles, and are a year+ older than the incoming Freshman. For reference, Dominick Barlow, was ranked in the #30-50 range coming out of HS, just like the twins, joined the OT Elite league, put up better #s than the twins, and went undrafted this year. Not saying he was comparable as a prospect, I'm just saying he got knocked for his questionable competition, while people are glossing over the twins' putting up highlights in the same league. That's not to say they don't have some intriguing traits -- they're excellent athletes with body control, solid handle for size, and offensive upside if they keep working on their perimeter Js. Amen has more of a Guard mindset, while Ausar has more of a Wing mindset.
The two guys that I am currently wanting to add to the Rockets roster are Jarace Walker and Adem Bona. As I mentioned earlier, I think the Rockets are already maxed out at guard between KPJ, Green, Christopher, Nix, and Washington. Even if Nix and Washington bust they already have 3 guys to account for 96 backcourt minutes*. This is without even factoring EG in. Regardless, they have a rotation of guards I think. At forward I project that Eason and Smith consume the majority of the minutes once they are ready. I could see Tate sticking around as a glue guy/lockerroom presence but there are better options out there. Martin will get his wish and be moved I suspect (maybe along with EG?). So the Rockets could use a swing forward, hence Walker. I think he could be great as the focal point of the second unit along with Christopher. Adem Bona would shore up the 5 as a rim running energy big. He looks like the guy we hoped Garuba would be (or might turn out to be still?) *: I suspect that JGup with play some minutes at the 3 in 3 guard lineups on occasion.
Agreed, he looks like a modern rim runner. Mobile, athletic, with pretty good touch around the rim. UCLA isn't returning any rotation bigs, so he could play himself into a one and done season if he gets minutes. Rockets could reunite him with a Turkish teammate:
Wait, I thought that was Holmgren? Have not watched much of this guy, I like Holmgren better as a prospect, Holmgren just has more of an edge. Now that can change upon further review.
Yeah, I figure Sengun can give mgmt the low down on Bona. I think Bona could end up being a very nice back up big who could surprise with a little seasoning.
1. Victor Wembanyama, C, Metropolitans 92 (France) 2. Scoot Henderson, PG, G League Ignite 3. Nick Smith, G, Arkansas | Freshman 4. Amen Thompson, G/F, Overtime Elite 5. Dillon Mitchell, F, Texas | Freshman 6. Ausar Thompson, G/F, Overtime Elite 7. Dariq Whitehead, G/F, Duke | Freshman 8. Jarace Walker, F, Houston | Freshman 9. Cam Whitmore, F, Villanova | Freshman 10. Cason Wallace, G, Kentucky | Freshman 11. Tyrese Proctor, PG, Duke | Freshman 12. Keyonte George, G, Baylor | Freshman 13. Rayan Rupert, G/F, New Zealand Breakers (France) 14. Dereck Lively, C, Duke | Freshman 15. GG Jackson, F/C, South Carolina | Freshman 16. Anthony Black, G/F, Arkansas | Freshman 17. Kel'el Ware, C, Oregon | Freshman 18. Arthur Kaluma, F, Creighton | Sophomore 19. Colby Jones, G/F, Xavier | Junior 20. Tyrese Hunter, PG, Texas | Sophomore 21. Terrance Arceneaux, G/F, Houston | Freshman 22. Kris Murray, F, Iowa | Junior 23. Marcus Sasser, PG, Houston | Senior 24. Sidy Cissoko, G/F, G League Ignite (France) 25. Terquavion Smith, G, N.C. State | Sophomore 26. Jaime Jaquez, F, UCLA | Senior 27. Jalen Bridges, F, Baylor | Junior 28. Brandon Miller, F, Alabama | Freshman 29. Jordan Walsh, F, Arkansas | Freshman 30. Jordan Hawkins, SG, UConn | Sophomore
Cam Whitmore looks like the frontrunner for this years Kawhi comparisons. Could also be Metta World Peace. Or Stanley Johnson.
Currently I foresee the Rockets being focused on Wings with their first pick and Bigs with the Milwaukee selection. Unless they end up thinking that someone like Lively or Ware is BPA at their own lottery pick (which Im projecting between 5 and 10), then I think someone like Cam Whitmore, Jarace Walker, GG Jackson or Arthur Kaluma could be the guy as their 6th man behind Smith and, hopefully, Eason. As far as bigs go, i am currently really high on Adem Bona as a sleeper Center prospect. His connection with Sengun hopefully will provide some additional intel to the Rockets staff. I think he could be the perfect compliment to Sengun as a defender/rebounder and rim runner off the bench. Guards: KPJ, Green, Christopher & Washington Wings: Smith, Eason, '23 lottery selection, Tate Bigs: Sengun, Garuba, Bona?
2023 is going to be a very important draft for them. Having a likely lottery pick, a mid to late 1st and a high 2nd round pick is huge in a loaded, deep draft. They can start filtering out the roster. Replacing guys like Nwaba, Nix etc. It's crazy. If Stone nails another lottery pick, which he did with Green and I expect the same with Jabari, they could potentially have up to 4 All Stars in a few years. Good time to be a Rockets fan.
One of my favorite prospects this year. His energy, athleticism, and defensive mentality give him a good floor. Interested to see how he'll develop with Kyle Neptune in charge.