basketball recruiting

After attacking the portal with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind, Dusty May landed his second HS commitment when Lorenzo Cason signed with the Wolverines a few weeks back. 

GURU RANKINGS

On3 is the most bullish on Cason, slotting him just outside their top 150 prospects. 247 places Lorenzo just outside the top 250, and Rivals/ESPN have him firmly in "who-dat" territory. There is relative consensus in terms of size, as all services agree on 190 pounds at 6'2-6'3.

I have no basis for ranking any individual in the 2024 class, as I haven't seen enough of those prospects to have an informed opinion. But from a holistic perspective across years, I'd likely split the difference between On3 and 247. After evaluating multiple full games, I lean toward a Mid-Major/Mid-Major Plus grade. 

SCOUTING

Though I have sifted through full-game film, I have not evaluated Lorenzo Cason live. As someone that has scouted professionally for years, multiple live viewings always generate the most informed evals, so caveats apply and my word is certainly not gospel here. With that out of the way, let's get into it.

Playmaking/shot-creation for others is Cason's best facet in my opinion. He consistently identifies defensive coverages and takes advantage of the associated vulnerabilities. That is rare for a HS guard. 

In the clip below, Windermere Prep is consistently pre-rotating their weakside guard to take away the roll-man. Lorenzo sniffs that out with ease and repeatedly exploits the pre-rotation by finding the weakside teammate that has been vacated by the defense.  

And he manipulates drop coverage to optimize passing windows to create easy looks for teammates. In the clip below, Cason puts the opposing guard in jail (IE on his hip/backside) and dribbles right twice to force the opposing big to commit to him............and that allows the screener/roll-man a free walk to the rim for an uncontested layup.  

[After THE JUMP: projectable pull-up game with questionable athleticism]

Michigan landed its floor general over the weekend when former Auburn guard Rhodney "Tre" Donaldson announced his transfer to Michigan on Sunday.  

I'm relatively familiar with Donaldson, having scouted him extensively at the HS level and watching multiple games of the Auburn Tigers over the last two seasons. Tre is much different than the typical point guards that have played in Ann Arbor and I think he'll become a fan favorite, in part, because of his propensity for highlight reel plays in the open court. 

SCOUTING (Offense)

Tre's most enticing skill is the ability to hit pull-ups from distance. In a B10 conference that has a plethora of relatively slow-footed bigs that like to play drop coverage, this is a real weapon to counter that approach. 

When you have off-the-dribble (OTD) shotmaking that extends beyond the arc, it puts opposing coaches in real conflict. Show high with your big and risk a numbers disadvantage on the backend or take your chances giving up a triple. 

Donaldson is a tough shotmaker in general, and the pull-up prowess isn't limited to those occasions when opposing guards go under screens/opposing bigs play drop coverage. He routinely hits contested midrange pull-ups as seen below.

Tre decelerates + maintains balance pretty well, and he's able to square up and get real elevation on his jumper. While he's not an elite OTD shooter, Donaldson did check-in at 51st percentile nationally on pull-up jumpers..........but on really high volume at 86th percentile in attempts. Given that volume and what I see on film in terms of body control/balance, the pull-up shooting should translate well in my opinion. 

For me, playmaking for others is the most undervalued facet of Tre's game. He's not necessarily the typical ballscreen shot-creator for teammates that we're accustomed to (in part because of the Auburn offensive structure), but the pass placement/execution is really impressive.

Donaldson routinely fits precision passes in tight-windows. The ball placement isn't where teammates are currently at, but rather where they need to be in order to finish the play. 

And while we don't see a ton of Tre hitting roll-men in PnR, the efficiency in the ballscreen game is absolutely there. Donaldson generated .99ppp in PnR possessions including passes, good for 78th percentile in the country with 89th percentile volume on such possessions. Additionally, the 28.3 assist rate this season also lends credence to the playmaking prowess.

[After THE JUMP: great finisher and above 40% from three? Sign me up.]

Dusty May continued his portal invasion on Saturday, when Yale transfer Danny Wolf pledged to the Wolverines. 

Much like Rubin Jones, Yale is scant on legit competition, so I reviewed full game film against their very best opponents in Kansas, Auburn and San Diego State. 

SCOUTING (Offense)

The most projectable facet of Wolf's game is undoubtedly playmaking. He's a superb passer for a big and has the look of an offensive engine in a Delay-centric offense as the trigger-man. A 21.8 assist rate versus top-50 opponents (Torvik) is bonkers considering the talent he is surrounded with. 

With respect to Hunter Dickinson, Danny may very well be the most naturally talented passer/playmaking big (distinct from productive) that has come through Ann Arbor in quite some time. Hunter was phenomenal passing from the post and the top of the key, but he simply wasn't capable of dropping dimes from a live dribble like we see below:

That is legit guard-esque playmaking that isn't just good for the position, it's just downright excellence. 

The playmaking from the post/passing out of doubles is lethal as well. Wolf's processing time is very fast. He literally finds teammates at the precise moment the opposition commits to a legit double rather than simple stunts. That optimizes passing windows and totally manipulates the defense as we see below:  

Danny's ability to excel as a trigger man in structured offense pops-off too. Yale is running Zoom action below (guard entry pass to Wolf at the slot>then corner screen for other guard>DHO to guard receiving the screen). #3 for Yale isn't coming off the screen clean enough for Wolf's liking, so he waits to read the defense. Look at the placement + touch on that pass. In football terms, he's throwing the receiver open. 

[After THE JUMP: the full scouting report]