NBA Comparison: Jean Montero

Strengths: Mintz is a 6’4 180 guard with a developing frame, solid height and adequate levels of athleticism for a backcourt player…Is most comfortable with the ball in his hands and is a pretty skilled player off the dribble, where he can hurt defenses scoring or distributing on the move (18.8 PPG & 4.4 APG as a Soph; career 17.5 PPG & 4.5 APG) … Likes to utilize ball screens and generally makes good reads in these situations; attacks decisively if he sees daylight and can hit cutters when help defenders hedge on him too aggressively … Has good ball-handling skills and showed a knack for getting to the paint and finishing at the college level; instinctive, plays at his own pace and does a nice job of switching up rhythm to keep defenders off-balanced to better collapse the paint (career 44 FG%)…Likes shooting in the mid-range area and flashes enough natural shot-making ability and touch using pull-ups, runners and floaters that there offers some optimism in him expanding his range consistently to the 3-point line … Makes good use of ball fakes to get defenders in the air … Consistently got to the foul line at Syracuse, and his aggressive nature shows here with one of the highest FT rates in all of college hoops (8.3 FTA/G in ‘23-24, career 7 FTA/G on a solid 76 FT%) … Gambles for steals and likes to create open court scoring opportunities after turnovers (career 2 SPG) … May have untapped playmaking potential if surrounded with more scoring talent around him …

Weaknesses: Nothing special athletically; more shifty than anything and lacks explosive leaping ability & a second gear in terms of speed … Also needs to add strength, which shows up more so when watching him on the defensive end … Is better the closer he is to the rim but he settles for a high amount of contested shots in the mid-range that tend to bail out defenders; had his fair share of inconsistency hitting these shots which in some ways bogged his efficiency in college and will prove even more difficult against pros … Underwhelming 3-point shooting during his college career is concerning; came back to college this year knowing he had to show improved shooting from deep and actually regressed as a Soph. (28 3FG% in ‘23-24, career 29 3FG%) … Showed some flashes hitting 3s with his feet set at times, but they were more sporadic than anything (24 made 3s in 32 games as a Soph.)…Not a natural playmaker for others; doesn’t read the defense in the way of a true floor general and uses the threat of his scoring to pass and not the other way around (career 1.7:1 A:TO) … Can struggle to separate from players when he doesn’t have the help of a screen … Was a very high usage player in college, and it’s difficult to see that translating to the NBA with a suspect shooting profile … Not the most devoted defensive player on a possession-by-possession basis; can be taken out of plays at times when navigating ball screens and also was prone to losing track of shooters when off the ball … Doesnt have the tools to recover consistently if he whiffs going for steals

Overall: Judah Mintz was a 4-star recruit in the 2022 Class from the DC area who played his last HS season at Oak Hill Academy and was a Pitt commit before signing to play for Jim Boeheim at Syracuse at the end of his Sr. season…He immediately became a starter and was an impact player in the ACC as a Fr., putting up 16 PPG & 4 APG with nearly 2 SPG on 44 FG%…He showed a strong ability to get to the paint and create for himself and his teammates, lived at the charity stripe, as well as showing playmaking acumen on defense by forcing numerous turnovers..After testing the waters for the 2023 Draft, and receiving some late 1st and early 2nd round grades along with recommendations to improve his deep-ball shooting numbers, he decided to return to Cuse for his Soph. season to bolster his stock more firmly in Rd 1…He had another All-ACC caliber season, finishing 2nd in the conference in scoring average, steals and leading the league FTs made by nearly 40…He showed that his strengths from his Fr. season still remain, but his shooting numbers still weren’t up to par, regressing to a degree that has seen his perceived draft stock suffer so much that Mintz didn’t even receive an invite to the NBA Combine this year…He is clearly a talented and clever player with the ball in his hands with some of the most intriguing shot-creation and pick and roll skills in this class, but there are still questions about his shot and his upside as a ball-dominant guard who could negatively impact floor spacing…There are enough skills and production to take a flyer on Mintz, who will be 21 years old as a rookie, but his value will likely be directly tied to his ability to improve his shooting while also showing some development playing off the ball as a 6’4 guard

Notes: Measured 6′ 3.00” barefoot, 8′ 2.00” standing reach, 176.4 lbs and a 6′ 3.50” wingspan and a 28.5 inch standing vertical and a 37′ inch max vertical at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine … Measured 6′ 3.00” barefoot, 8′ 2.00” standing reach, 6′ 3.50” wingspan, 28.5 vertical at the 2024 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament …

Jorrye Nixon 6/18/24