future blue originals

[247]

A Look Into The Future: Jett Howard, Defense

Matt EM • December 30, 2020 • 2:26pm

I made several trips over the last two months to get a detailed look at 2022 Jett Howard. Suiting up for IMG Academy (FL) at the Border League in late October and a one-off versus Calvary Christian (FL) last weekend. This was a great opportunity to see how Diabate stacked up versus some of the best high school competition in the country.

At the Border League event in late October, IMG squared off against Bishop Gorman (NV) and Sunnyslope (AZ). Bishop Gorman featured a pair of top 50 guards in UCLA signee Will McClendon and UNLV signee Zaon Collins along with 3-star junior wing AJ Storr and sophomore big Osiris Grady (holds offer from Ole Miss). The focal points for Sunnyslope were Pepperdine signee Carson Basham and low D1 guard Oakland Fort.

Last weekend's matchup against Calvary Christian was a thriller. CC came in as one of the most talented teams in Florida with 2022 4-star offer Gregg Glenn, 4-star junior big Taylor Hendricks (father is former Michigan safety Tommy Hendricks!), low D1 2022 guard Tyler Hendricks and 5-star sophomore guard Marvel Allen.

Offense was covered extensively yesterday. You can find that HERE.

Note: this evaluation is going to be a bit less critical in relation to some of the previous content, as Jett is a junior. A year of development at this stage generally makes a drastic difference in most cases.

Perimeter Defense

Jett was extremely impressive as a perimeter defender. His combination of size/length/positional agility allows him to be disruptive and make a real impact as a versatile guy that can check a few different positions.

In terms of on-ball defense, he slides his feet well against wings, forwards and guards with average speed. He easily stays in front of 4-star wing Gregg Glenn (holds a Wolverine offer) on the first possession of the clip above. The very next possession he beats 4-star Taylor Hendricks to the spot and blocks his shot. For good measure, Howard then applies full court pressure versus sophomore 5-star guard Marvel Allen, forces him to dribble nearly 20 times and 15 seconds without gaining any advantage.

I really like what Jett brings as an off-ball defender as well. He chases shooters off screens and closes out with great effort, while still being under control. The possession at the :40 second mark above sees Howard chase around a screen before coming up with a deflection due to his combination of agility and length. The very next possession he switches before quickly closing out on UCLA signee Will McClendon, forcing him to take an off-balance fadeaway from 22 feet.

The only real limitation is the absence of elite agility to defend true PGs/quicker guards. The possession at the :50 mark sees Howard make a great rotation by switching on to top-50 guard and UNLV signee Zaon Collins after his teammate gets caught up in a series of down screens. Collins hits Jett with a sudden crossover and nearly makes him fall.

[Hit THE JUMP for the full evaluation]

[247]

A Look Into The Future: Jett Howard, Offense

Matt EM • December 29, 2020 • 9:02am

Perimeter Shooting - Catch and Shoot

Jett has long had the reputation of a knockdown shooter, so I was excited to see him in that role next to a pure PG in Jaden Bradley. While the percentage wasn't great, I came away really encouraged about Howard's ability to space the floor at the college level.

In terms of mechanics, he has great rotation on the ball, solid elevation, and one of the quickest releases I've seen from a junior in HS. The upper-body balance is good with a one-motion shot and a really effortless release. His lower body balance needs a bit of work, as he likes to step into his shot with his right leg and extend the right foot in front of the left.

As mentioned above, I'm optimistic about his shooting ability despite the 2/8 line. Five of the six misses in the clip above were directly on-line, either going halfway down before popping out or hitting back heel. Of course, there is no such thing as a good miss, but misses of that variety are literally millimeters away from being makes.

I'd like to really focus on the second possession in the clip above at the :06 mark. Jett catches the ball, jab-steps right to create space before rising up and splashing one home. That is NBA level stuff that a HS junior shouldn't be able to do. The fluidity of that particular moved coupled with the quickness in which he got the shot off is a flash of what may be coming in the future.

[Hit THE JUMP for the full evaluation]

[247]

Future Hoops Originals: Moussa Diabate, Offense

Matt EM • December 28, 2020 • 11:37am

I made several trips over the last two months to get a detailed look at 2021 signee Moussa Diabate. Suiting up for IMG Academy (FL) at the Border League in late October and a one-off versus Calvary Christian (FL) last weekend. This was a great opportunity to see how Diabate stacked up versus some of the best high school competition in the country.

Last week we examined Moussa on defense here. Highly recommended.

Face-Up Game

Given his elite athleticism, it's no surprise that facing up from the perimeter is Diabate's biggest positional advantage at this stage in his development. The first possession in the clip above provides a great visual of Moussa's first step acceleration. He rips through and blows by an opposing big in a straight line, then proceeds to throw down an emphatic dunk over a help defender.

The possession starting at the :13 second mark above is ridiculous from a 6'10 HS senior. Diabate gives his primary defender a ball-fake left to get him off-balance, leaves him in the dust and drives right, before shedding two help-defenders with a euro-step and drawing a foul. In the last 5 years I don't know that I've seen 10 bigs at the HS level with this combination of quick-twitch acceleration, ball skills, body control and fluidity. Absolutely elite stuff that is tantalizing for me as an evaluator. The 99th percentile athlete grade very much plays out on the offensive end as well.

The very next possession in the clip reinforces just how advanced Moussa's ball-skills and spatial awareness are considering his size and position. He attacks a closeout and blows-by junior 3-star wing AJ Storr (offers from Illinois, Ole Miss and Virginia Tech) before dropping a dumpoff pass in a very tight space for an easy layup. A 6'10 player at any level shouldn't be able to do that.

Finally, let's take a look at the final possession of the clip above. Diabate strings together a combination of ball-fakes/footwork/change of speed that would make Kobe Bryant proud. He starts off with a shot fake, then jabs right, hits Pepperdine signee Carson Basham with a crossover before a hesitation dribble gives him space for a running sky-hook with the left hand. That is video game level skill from a 6'10 kid.

There is no question Moussa is going to have a huge advantage on the perimeter considering the B10 is experiencing a shift back toward more traditional bigs. Diabate is going to get multiple opportunities per game to exploit this advantage, particularly in ballscreen action when he pops out (as opposed to rolling to the rim) and in Horns action from the elbow. There is simply no big currently playing in the B10 with the requisite size/length/agility to defend Moussa's combination of ball-skills and athleticism on the perimeter.

[Hit THE JUMP for the full evaluation]