NBA Comparison: RJ Hunter/Darius Miller

Strengths: Lengthy 3-and-D wing with a skill set tailor made for the modern NBA game with his great range and shooting stroke … High level shooter with good mechanics who can knock down perimeter jumpers on the move and on spot ups … Shooting numbers probably don’t completely illustrate how lethal a shooter he could become (35.5% 3P, 78.3% FT) … Efficient pick-and-pop shooter who has the strength and quickness to create space for himself in these actions … Popularly described as a student of the game with an impressive IQ and feel for the game … Possesses great size at 6-8 and with a near 7′ foot wingspan …  Moves his feet well defensively and plays with tremendous energy on both ends of the floor. It’s rare to see him slacking off or catching his breath while the game is being played … Durable and trustworthy player who started every game as a freshman and averaged over 30 minutes per game … Reclassifying players have struggled a lot more than Houstan, so his ability to look the part of a college player bodes well for his transition to the professional game … The poise and confidence he had as a younger player make him beam with maturity and promise to succeed at the next level … Fights through screens well defensively … Solid body control and athleticism …

Weaknesses: Lacks great fluidity and explosiveness as an athlete … Not much of a shot-creator and his ball-handling needs to get tighter … Nothing more than a solid role player at this point in his career although he has the potential and time to develop into more throughout his rookie contract … Didn’t create as many turnovers as you’d hope for a wing with his size and length … Slow release on his shot is part of why his efficiency wasn’t better shooting from the perimeter … Lacks great run jump athleticism and was exposed as not a very good creator off the dribble as he often gets lost trying to covert plays around the rim … Showed flashes of brilliance but his consistency and production were often underwhelming in his freshman season … Would do well to put on some pounds and some muscle as he looked thin on the floor in college, which will only become more pronounced in the NBA … Prone to forcing shots up, which hurt his efficiency numbers at Michigan … Can disappear for large stretches of games … Only averaged four rebounds per game despite great size for his position …

Outlook: Skipped the 2022 NBA Draft Combine, which generated a lot of speculation that he has a first round promise, perhaps with OKC at the 30th pick … While he struggled as a freshman at Michigan with consistency and overall effectiveness, the intrigue was there during high school as he solidified himself as one of the top 10 prospects in a very strong class … If he can recapture the shooting efficiency and get stronger and gain fluidity in his hips and movements, he could very well be a good gamble with a late first round pick … But he’s clearly a project in need of time, and is a strong candidate to not succeed with his first stop in the NBA …

Notes: Highest ranked Michigan recruit since Glenn Robinson … Canadian prospect who attended Montverde Academy in high school … Consensus top-10 recruit … Averaged 25 points in 2019 EYBL season … Led Canada to a bronze medal in 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup … Reclassified into 2021 class making him one of the younger prospects in the draft … Decided to remain in the draft just before the withdrawal deadline on June 1st …

Derek Bast 6/4/22