2011 Jordan Brand Classic EvaluationsBy: Aran_Smith

The East squad topped the West squad 113 to 109 behind 26 points and 14 boards from MVP James McAdoo. Anthony Davis won the West MVP award with 29 and 11 on 13-15 shooting. Defense was not at a premium allowing nearly everyone to shine. Here are notes on each player after attending the April 16 Jordan Classic including Friday’s practices, the International game, and speaking with scouts.

2011 Jordan Brand Classic Boxscore

East Team

Khem Birch C 6-9 210 *Pittsburgh

Had a quality showing with 15 pts on 7-10 fg, many of which came on dunks. He also had a game high 5 blocks. He made one very nice hesitation move going towards the rim and seeking contact against the game’s strongest player Johnny O’Bryant. Strength is pretty good. His jump shot needs a lot of work as the form is awkward. He scores baskets primarily using his length and athleticism. Scored on a nice baby hook. Huge wingspan makes him a shot blocking force at this level. It’s his best attribute and he recovers very quickly to block shots.

Michael Carter-Williams PG 6-5 175 *Syracuse

Long and rangy PG. Scored just 1 point in the game, and appears somewhat limited scoring the ball. Shot 0-4 in 16 minutes of action. Hit one 3 ball in the practice. His best attribute is his ball handling. He shows a legit PG handle at 6’5. Runs the break well. Shows good defensive ability with effort and balance. He still has a ways to go with his shot and all around game, but intriguing due to his body and skills. Extremely unselfish. Appears to prefer setting teammates up to scoring. Will bide his time with Scoop Jardine (Sr.) and Brandon Triche (Jr.) likely to stay in front of him on the depth chart.

Rakeem Christmas PF 6-9 229 *Syracuse

Showed some nice things during the practice but scouts feel he’s far too inconsistent. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and seems to easily get thrown off his game mentally. Needs to develop more mental toughness, but without question an elite level athlete with great length and fluidity. He knocked down one nice 8 foot J in the practice and was a presence defensively. Started off the game quickly with a number of opportunity dunks. Went to the line just once.

Mike Gbinije SF 6-6 194 *Duke

"Mr Bojangles" struggled from the floor hitting just 4-12 finishing with 10 pts but did knock down 1-2 three pointers. He’s a notch below athletically and it becomes apparent when he challenges to rim against the length and athleticism of the other players. In the game he had a nice crossover and pull up J that drew some oooohs from the crowd. Scored on a nice And 1 in second half. Solid hustle player. Received a chorus of boos from the heavy UNC crowd along with Rivers before the game when the squads were announced.

Michael Gilchrist SF 6-7 210 *Kentucky

Had a bit of an off game with just 12 pts in 28 minutes. Hit 5-8 from the floor but struggled from the line knocking down just 2-8. Scored on one pretty scoop shot after driving the lane. Squared off with Adonis Thomas for a number of possessions during the practice. Gilchrist is a supreme athlete but has an extremely unorthodox shot. Considering how athletic he is, lacks much of a first step making it difficult for him to get by opponents off the dribble. Made a nice power drive and 1 lay in on Otto Porter in the second half. Not as fluid athletically but reminds of Gerald Wallace with his toughness and willingness to do whatever it takes to help his team win. Also extremely young for his grade at 17.

PJ Hairston SG 6-4 220 *North Carolina

Struggled shooting just 1-5 from downtown but his shot is pure. Finished with just 7 pts on 3-8 fg. During Friday’s practice scouts debated whether he or Reggie Bullock would end up getting more shots and PT next year. Was listed on the program at 6-6, but scouts said they think he’s closer to 6-4. They also noted that he showed ridiculous range during the McDonald’s practices all the way out to 10 feet beyond the 3 point line. Had a monster block in the first half. Plays with confidence.

James McAdoo SF/PF 6-9 223 *North Carolina

Was awarded co-MVP along with Anthony Davis. Had a team high 26 pts and 14 boards for the East. Displayed his full arsenal of skills even knocking down two rainbow 3 pointers (2-2). Extremely talented forward with the versatility to play both forward positions. One scout told me he thinks McAdoo has the speed and athleticism to play the 3 at the NBA level. Struggled to get on track early in the game. On one sequence, attempted a 360 dunk on a breakaway and followed that up with a rebound miss. Knocked down a jumper to tie the game as the first half came to an end. Displayed his ability to take the ball off the dribble and get to the basket early in the second half. He really came on as the game progressed with 19 second half points, getting out on the break and throwing down his two handed, one foot dunks.

Quincy Miller PF 6-9 210 *Baylor

Was in uniform and moving around during the practice but still hasn’t recovered fully from his torn ACL for full contact or to play in the game.

Austin Rivers SG 6-4 198 *Duke

Struggled shooting just 4-15 from the floor. Regardless, he’s a player that you can’t leave open on the perimeter. He had 16 points, went 7-9 from the line, had 4 assists and 4 steals but also 4 turnovers. He’s developing a bit of a prima donna reputation. Scouts mentioned that they only see him pass as a last option and while they consider him a big talent, his cockiness seems to rub some people the wrong way. Just as he’s done in all of the other All Star games, every time he touched the ball during the practice and game, he looked to isolate and drive to the basket. He actually played well during the Friday practice scoring on a number of his attempts during practice and getting a few steals. Made one spectacular 360 lay in off a McAdoo feed. A ballhawk. Just like his Dad, very good at anticipating steals. He’s competitive and has a big time motor. But he’s so focused on attacking the rim that at times he becomes a bit of a ball hog. A very good athlete but not an elite jumper as he missed one alley oop slam.

Shannon Scott PG 6-2 170 *Ohio State

DNP

Marquis Teague PG 6-2 178 *Kentucky

He’s so talented athletically that it’s easy for a player like him to fall into the habit of just relying solely on his physical attributes against lesser players and not develop his skill level. But you can see that he has been developing both his shooting and point guard abilities. Had 14 pts (7-13 fg) and 7 assists. Very impressive in this game showing a more complete all around game than he had previously. Went head up against Kabongo and it was elite speed on speed. Neither could do much to contain the other as both have unreal first steps and can get basically anywhere they want on the floor. Teague is stronger and more explosive but shows a little less natural ability to set up teammates. Found Christmas early for a dunk with a nice dish, Had an excellent pull up jumper in the game. It was an obvious pro UNC, anti Duke crowd, and fans could be heard yelling "pass the ball" when he would get it. Has an excellent handle being able to control the ball well with defenders around him. Also showed off his passing ability in this game, something that will hopefully set him apart from his brother Jeff. Shows tremendous body control, being able to start or stop and shift his momentum on a dime.

West Team

Bradley Beal SG 6-4 195 * Florida

Didn’t perform as well in the game as he had in the other showcase games or in practice. Couldn’t convert on any of his 3 attempts. Finished with a strong statline 7-17 fg, 15 pts and 8 rebounds. Possibly the most polished player in the entire class, everything seems to come extremely easy for Beal and he plays with a perma-grin on his face. Broke out for a number of dunks off steals and also displayed his smooth outside jumper. Also showed off his excellent passing ability, setting up teammates for allyoops during Friday’s practice. Exhibits tremendous body control and the ability to gather his footing and explode to the rim while going towards the basket.

Jabari Brown SG 6-4 200 *Oregon

Shot 2-6 from downtown finishing with 14 points. Aggressive attacking the basket going to the line 8 times and knocking down 6. Also had a dunk where he soared well over the rim for a 2 handed flush. Scouts were intrigued by his body and ability to lock down opponents. Showed his good vision as he made an excellent pass in the game to a cutting Wroten. Looks about 6-3 1/2 but has a very strong frame and understands how to use his strength to his advantage. Displays a nice, compact form on his jumpshot. Brown along with Wroten were somehow inexplicably left off the McDonald’s roster. (2 of 30 McDonald’s committee voters being West of the Mississippi probably had something to do with that).

Kentavious Caldwell SG 6-5 190 *Georgia

Exhibited some solid hustle and toughness during the practice. Not incredibly fluid, but displays an excellent jumpshot and solid athleticism. Broke free for a breakaway dunk in the first half showing solid speed in the open floor and good bounce.

Anthony Davis PF 6-10 209 *Kentucky

Looked very impressive scoring 29 points and pulling down 11 boards. Was near perfect from the floor hitting 13-15 shots. Many of those came close to the rim with multiple lay ins and dunks. He was also very impressive in the practice scrimmage blocking everything in sight. It got a little ridiculous as scouts began laughing at how players would continue to take it inside at him only to be rejected. He had close to 10 blocks in a short span of time in friday’s scrimmage session. Very good touch and finishing ability around the basket. Very fluid. Fast in the open floor, but not ultra quick. His length makes it hard for him to blow by opponents off a standstill. Always has a t-shirt on. Would be interesting to see just how skinny his shoulders look. Knocked down a nice baseline jumpshot and followed that up with an ally oop dunk. Without a doubt has the most upside of any kid in the class.

Myck Kabongo PG 6-2 170 *Texas

Plays with a real exuberance, and a bounce to his step. Charismatic kid. Played just 15 minutes finishing with 4 pts on 1-3 shooting. Also contributed 1 ast and 5 boards. Cut from the same mold as Rajon Rondo with his supreme quickness. Incredibly difficult to stay in front of and attacks the rim and dishes very well. A little too flashy and will need to tone it down some, but then again this was an All Star setting.

Johnny O'Bryant PF 6-10 245 *LSU

Had solid productivity with 10 points in 18 minutes of action. Not your traditional bigman, showing the versatility to handle and pass the ball. Needs to tone his body some as it would improve his foot speed. Looked awkward attempting one 3 pointer in the first half.

Sir Dominic Pointer SF 6-6 195 *St. John’s

High level athlete. A great defender, strong body quick hands, quick feet. 5 pts, 6 boards and 3 steals. Shot just 2-8 from the floor in 15 minutes. Willing to do the dirty work. Didn’t show much aggressiveness in creating offense, more focused on playing team ball. Should be an excellent recruit for St. John’s. Was a surprise addition to the team, and his lack of PT makes it difficult to fully assess his game.

Otto Porter SF 6-8 200 *Georgetown

Got limited time and had limited production with no points on 0-3 shooting in 10 minutes. Needs to put a lot of weight on. Has good length and solid athleticism but failed to do much during Friday’s practice or the game.

Adonis Thomas SF 6-7 210 *Memphis

Really struggled. Had another poor showing shooting the ball, as he had in the Hoop Summit. Made just 1-10 fg for 4 pts. Has a habit of not following through and when he misses, and his shot is almost always short instead of to the left or right. Made one very nice strip of Austin Rivers on the break. Shows Jason Richardson like freakishness but needs to develop better consistency on his jumpshot.

Kyle Wiltjer PF 6-9 221 *Kentucky

Shot wasn’t falling as he hit just 3-9 from the floor finishing. Knocked down a sky hook late in the first half. A bit of a surprise starter who matched up with McAdoo at times and looked outclassed athletically. Dropped a nice dime to Anthony Davis for an And 1. He’s somewhere between Ryan Anderson and Nick Fazekas. He needs to be a 4 for the NBA level due to his lack of foot speed, and has a ways to go in adding strength and toughness. By all accounts a bright kid. Should be able to have an instant impact but likely a 3-4 year college player. His decision to attend Kentucky is a little bit curious as he might have had better luck being a bigger fish in a smaller pond. Does not appear to be a one and done type and could get caught up in a numbers game at Kentucky.

Tony Wroten PG 6-5 206 *Washington

Had one of the most impressive showings of anyone. Posted a near triple double with double digits in (16) points (7-15 fg) and (10) assists. When his shot is falling, he’s deadly. Has an edge to him. Has legitimate point guard skills, which is impressive considering his size and athleticism. Can really see the floor and pass it. Very quick off the dribble, elite start/stop, blew by Gbinje for an And 1 on one sequence. Can get a little out of control at times and developed a reputation for being a bit of a loose cannon, but has really matured over the past year. Made a nice pass to Beal cutting to the basket and then had a great behind the back pass to Beal (again) for a dunk off an overthrown outlet. Has a strong belief in his abilities as he has stated he he feels that he is the best player in the entire class.

International Game

Andrew Wiggins 6-6 185 SG Canada 1995

One of the most talented 16 year olds that you will find. Scouts hung around after the practice on Friday to catch him. They commented that he’s talented enough to play in the main game despite being 3 years younger. It’s possible that Wiggins has more long term potential than anyone in the event. Shows an excellent outside shot and prototypical length and athleticism for the NBA wing. Could have another 2-3 inches of growth left in him considering his age. Good feel for the game. Calm, competitive demeanor. Comfortable handling the ball and excellent body control. Had a nice two handed dunk on the break over a defender as he took the ball nearly coast to coast. Finished with MVP of the game (21 pts, 10 reb, 9-16 fg, 0-2 3p, 3-4 ft) leading his White squad to victory 70-63. A freshman last year at Vaughan Secondary. Both parents went to Florida State and he mentioned he could see himself ending up there.

Mario Hezonja 6-6 194 SG KK Zagreb Croatia 1995

Finished with 15 points and stood out (along with Wiggins) being a legitimate NBA prospect. He really struggled with 8 turnovers and shot just 6-19 from the field. 2-7 from 3 point. He did show some nice vision finding teammates off of drives (4 assists). Looks comfortable handling the ball although needs to cut down on the turnovers. He displayed his above average athleticism going up for a two handed baseline drive and dunk late in the game. His numbers were bad, but scouts liked him saying he and Wiggins were the only two players that stood out from an NBA stand point.

East Team

West Team