jalen washington

With Hunter Dickinson likely gone after next season and Moussa Diabatte having one-and-done potential, Michigan is absolutely taking a true center in the 2022 class. The Wolverines are firmly in the mix for several elite bigs and continue to keep tabs on a few prospects should the Plan As not work out.

Hampton, Virginia was my destination over the weekend at the Southern Jamfest. It was another opportunity to evaluate a few of those Plan As and gather intel on where Michigan stands.

Lively Ascending To The Top

Dereck Lively was the best player on the court in a game full of premier talent with Team Final (5* Jalen Duren, 5* Emoni Bates, 4*Justice Williams and more) taking on Team Loaded (4* Tyler Nickel, 4* Jayden Epps, 4* Alphonzo Billups and more) in the semifinals of the Southern Jamfest on Sunday.

The 7-footer had the full arsenal on display in a performance that had the gym buzzing. Elite finishing as a vertical lob threat, rim protection, agility, vision and perimeter shotmaking ability beyond the arch. He finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists in 15 minutes of game action as Team Final blew-out Team Loaded in large part due to Lively's dominance. 

While I already bumped Dereck to 5-star status in my database a few weeks back after his outing in Scranton, the real question now is whether he's a top-10 overall prospect or merely in the top 15-20 range.

In my detailed report on Lively earlier this month from the KYDA Invitational, I suggested he had some potential as a shooter based on his mechanics and comfort taking shots beyond the arch. He cashed in on that promise this weekend by knocking down a corner three with so much confidence that he started making his way down the court before the ball could go through the net at the :20 second mark in the clip above

That same evaluation from Scranton talked-up his passing ability and that played out again in Hampton. The pass Lively makes at roughly the :31 second mark above isn't something you see often from a 7-footer. Justice Williams leads him a bit too much with the hit-ahead and Dereck has to walk a tight-rope just to stay in-bounds before jumping in the air and dropping a precision dime across his body to Justice Williams in stride for an easy layup. That level of spatial awareness, body control and passing execution bodes very well for his projection as a passer in college.  

Lively already had the look of an All-American level defender that provides high-level finishing via lobs and dumpoffs. If he's just an adequate shooter in tandem with his passing ability, the potential here is off-the-charts. Mainstreams ranking him in the 40s is far too low. At worst, this is a top-20 prospect that will flirt with top-10 overall for me. His development this Spring has been so impressive that I'm actually pondering whether Dereck's long term ceiling is higher than Jalen Duren. In any event, Lively has clearly surpassed Donovan Clingan on my personal board for 2022 bigs.

In speaking with Dereck and his family in the last month, I have discovered something significant. Lively's mother is the Director of Marketing with the Athletics Department at Penn State. And while that is obviously going to keep PSU in the thick of things, I don't think its a foregone conclusion that he ends up in State College given the circumstances. PSU has a new head coach in Micah Shrewsberry that may be working from behind and the Nittany Lions don't necessarily have the best track record in terms of program success or getting bigs to the NBA. Dereck is working on setting up visits and I do expect Michigan to lock-in an official at this point. 

[Hit THE JUMP for the latest on Duren, Clingan and Washington]

Scranton, Pennsylvania was my destination over the weekend at the KYDA Invitational. The field was absolutely loaded, with several shoe-sponsored clubs taking the court featuring several Michigan offers/targets. 

In the second of three updates this week, we'll touch on the bigs today. Wings can be found here. 

Time to Recalibrate The Pecking Order?

Dereck Lively was absolutely dominant over the weekend for Team Final while playing against elite competition in NY Rens (Nike EYBL) and Team Thrill (Under Armour). The lengthy 7-footer was an absolute terror as a vertical lob-threat that finished with authority and protected the rim at a very high level. Those traits alone put him in elite territory, but the flashes I witnessed in other areas compelled me to bump him to 5-star status in my database. 

Let's start with his perimeter defense. Dereck's agility was definitely eye-popping stuff given his size. He gets low in his stance in a way that few college bigs can. More importantly, he slides his feet extremely well on an island. As you can see in the clip below, Lively was able to beat 5-star Jarace Walker to the spot and also did the same to 5-star Kyle Filipowski before forcing a steal. The possession starting at the :12 mark below sees Lively switch on to a guard, force him to tightrope the baseline and then make a lightning quick rotation to alter a shot at the rim after he forces the guard to give up the ball. If he's a viable switch-option in tandem with his rim protection, that is downright scary for the opposition. 

Dereck may be the most disruptive defender I've viewed in the 2022 class. The length and defensive instincts are off the charts. His helpside rotations are great, and because he's in good position he alters a ton of shots at the rim without fouling, even when he doesn't come up with blocks. Lively anticipates entry passes at a high level and comes up with deflections as well. His length covers such a large radius that passes in his area have to be nearly perfect to be successful. Even on the perimeter, he digs at ballhandlers and forces TOs with his rotations. The clip below lays all this out in detail. 

On the other end of the court, I was very impressed with his ability as a passer. Dereck makes entry passes with accuracy and touch. It bodes well for the two-big lineups that Juwan Howard utilizes. He also displayed good spatial awareness with kickouts when the opposition doubled him in the post. 

4-star Donovan Clingan (more on him below) has seemingly been at the top of the board for all bigs exclusive of Jalen Duren. However, the weekend performance has me convinced Lively should be on even ground, if not higher, in the Center pecking order. Whatever gap there is between the two in terms of preferred offensive aesthetics (distinct from production), the gap is just as wide on the defensive end. Dereck has potential to be a game-changing defender at the college level and reminds me of former UK standout Willie Cauley-Stein from a physical perspective. 

I spoke with Dereck over the weekend and he confirmed to me that Michigan is among the schools making him a priority. He's currently mulling over visits and I'd expect the Wolverines to receive one as things stand right now. 

[Hit THE JUMP for a new offer + updates on Duren, Clingan and Washington]

It was a loaded weekend on the AAU scene, with several high-level events going on at various locations. While I was in Louisville for the Grassroots Showcase, several noteworthy prospects took the court around the country and the relevant news came in abundance.

In the first of three updates this week, my first piece is dedicated to the bigs. 

The Big Fish

2022 five-star Jalen Duren is down to eleven options. pic.twitter.com/wbTfyvIpe3

— Tipton Edits (@TiptonEdits) April 25, 2021

Michigan made the cut for top-overall prospect Jalen Duren. Some on the board considered my Duren is #1 take a bit spicy a few months back, but after a showdown with Michigan State commit Emoni Bates at the Midwest Mania event it seems the consensus is just that. Of course, you can make the call yourself:

I'm not going into any detailed analysis with respect to Jalen's skillset/athleticism. You don't need me to tell you that he's an instant-impact college star that will make a huge impact on both ends of the court the day he steps on the court. The real question is whether he chooses the college route.

I did some digging over the weekend and should he pursue college, it seems Miami is now the favorite after hiring Duren's former HS and current AAU coach, DJ Irving. I'm told a potential reclass to 2021 is being considering and UCLA is the program running in second place. 

Assistant coach Phil Martelli has deep ties to Philadelphia, so Michigan is going to put up its best fight until Jalen says no. But ultimately, it appears Duren either goes pro or ends up a Hurricane. 

What About Duren's Teammate?

It seems the forgotten center of the 2022 offers is top-50 prospect Dereck Lively. The Philadelphia native suits up for Nike-sponsored Team Final with Jalen Duren on the EYBL circuit and as mentioned above, Phil Martelli definitely has connections here.

Yesterday, Lively mentioned Michigan among the schools pushing the hardest right now. The Wolverines have been in consistent contact over the last year here and appear to be in a functional top six.

While Duren may be the clear priority for reasons that need not be explained, Lively is a great backup plan as a rim protecting 7-footer that flashes the ability to hit shots beyond the arch. 

[Hit THE JUMP for one that probably isn't happening and one that may be next in line]