JASPAIRE DECEMBER BIG BOARD
article by Jaspaire
In this short article I've decided to publish my Big Board but above all, to explain why certain players are on this ranking and also some of my choices.
ADOU THIERO
I've been one of Adou Thiero's biggest fans for a while now. Even when he arrived on the backcourt with Cason Wallace.
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After several promising seasons with Kentucky, the forward decided to transfer to test his stock last year. He has followed Calipari for year 1 of Coach CAL at Arkansas.
This season, he has emerged as the team's real go-to guy. There is a lot more aggressiveness with a much greater volume of drives and therefore more rim pressure. Looks like he's finally realised that he can use his body to beat the forwards who are defending against him.
And above all, a lot less hesitation when making read & decisions, whether in C&S or when attacking a closeout. Adou Thiero is no longer just an XXL athlete, he has become a real basketball player who uses his size and verticality with ease. Defensively, he is as effective as ever at disrupting the attack, jumping into passing lanes but also blocking shots when it comes to coming to the help in the paint.
Thiero's development is one to watch, his learning of basketball as a playmaker when he was in HS, then his arrival on the backcourt with Cason Wallace, and finally his repositioning as a forward once he has finished growing (we hope) and putting on muscle.
In the mold of a Keldon Johnson or an OG Anunoby, there's no doubt that the player will find a place in the NBA without being a superstar.
JOSON SANON
The freshman is surely the prospect who flies under the radar the most. His ability to catch and shoot, hunt his hots spots, and his footwork to set up his feet and enter his shooting motion are exceptional in terms of technique.
Without necessarily dribbling a lot, the Arizona State freshman knows how to impact the court with good off-ball moves. His ability to navigate between screens (Zoom Action, Iverson Cut) is quite impressive for such a young player. His floater is an interesting weapon when it comes to attacking a bad closeout.
It's easy to project the player into an NBA line-up where he'll first be able to play on the bench as an off-ball shooter (the same role as Quickley when he arrived from Kentucky to New York) and there's no doubt that with his ability to shoot, he'll find several teams looking for this type of profile.
There are still a few doubts about his handle, and his defensive mindset, but Sanon is a prospect who deserves to be mentioned at the top of the list.
JEREMIAH FEARS
He is coming off an impressive campaign, whether at the 2024 Nike Peach Jam or with the USA at the FIBA U18 finals. He is coming off an impressive campaign, whether at the 2024 Nike Peach Jam or with the USA at the FIBA U18 finals. It's a small sample size in College BasketBall but Fears looks like a vet when he has the ball on top of the key.
There are still questions about his turnovers and passing quality but the player plays with quite remarkable ball-in-hand control. Very adept at working his way through traffic and into defensive gaps, he always manages to find a way through without having a crazy first step. The duo with Moore has already made us forget the Oweh / McCollum tandem of last year. The freshman is showing confidence and has already become a very important player for Oklahoma, who are surprising more teams than expected.
He reminds me a bit of SGA (to a lesser extent) or Bub Carrington, of course, in terms of the way he handles angles and drives.
There are doubts about his rim pressure and whether he can maintain his role as the primary creator, but Fears also displays some interesting qualities when he's on the ball.
CHAD BAKER-MAZARA
Auburn is currently the best team in all of college basketball and CBM is a big reason why.
Johni Broome is taking all the limelight by being the frontrunner in the National Player Of the Year race, but Auburn's squad seems to be well constructed between young talent (Howard, Petittford) and experienced players (JP Pegues, Miles Kelly).
Chad Baker-Mazara is an unorthodox 2m(6’7) senior wing. His dribbling, decision making, and shooting are pretty funky.
This season, he seems to have found consistency in his shooting by being a big threat on the Catch and Shoot, a hugely important role as he and Kelly are the players who provide spacing for the Auburn Tigers.
Very comfortable defending on the perimeter thanks to his lateral quickness and his size, CBM is very useful for jumping into passing lanes and disrupting the rhythm of the opposing offense. Without having an elite quality, CBM shows that he is useful in many aspects of Auburn's game with his ability to stretch the court, make the extra pass or entry pass for Broome(an underrated quality in the NBA), and even better, give all of his body and energy for the team to win: a quality that is increasingly sought after in the NBA.
MAXIME RAYNAUD
Since winning the French U2O team title, Stanford's interior has been better and better.
More than just a dominant post player, Raynaud has proved that his shooting is a real threat, particularly on Pick & Pop.
Used as an offensive hub and a second creator on short rolls with the European champion team, Raynaud showed flashes of passing and selflessness, whether in the middle zone or in the post when he takes up position.
This season it seems to have taken on muscle since he no longer hesitates to initiate the bump/contact for box out or look for free throws. One of Raynaud's biggest flaws was his lack of hardness in the paint, particularly when it came to taking a position in the post. This season he seems to have become more aggressive and his footwork is still as fluid.
Questions remain about its engine and its ability to defend the Pick & Roll, especially at the high level that prevents it from climbing so high in the ranking. His lack of stocks prevents him from defending the painting and being a rather deterrent interior.
He is certainly a very flexible athlete for a 2m16 (7'1) player.
JAMIR WAKTINS
Jamir Waktins is a player we've already talked about on the podcast in last year's episode of our sleepers with Yaxel Lenderborg in particular.
Even more so today as the leader of Florida State, the 23-year-old senior is constantly improving to become a complete basketball player.
A sort of slow but athletic player, Watkins looks a little heavy (probably due to a handle that still needs work) but he excels at finishing in the paint at 2m01.
Quite explosive when it comes to finishing in contact, he is very good at drawing fouls and rim pressure.
NATE CALMESE
Excellent in his Freshman season with Lamar, Calmese had tried to blossom in a more prominent role with Washington.
After playing just 16 games and playing just 10 minutes, the junior decided to transfer to Washington State.
In a team that had just lost several players at the end of a cycle, he burst onto the scene with Cedric Coward.
In a role akin to Craig Porter Jr at the Cavs, Calmese could find playing time in an NBA team if the context is right.
Honorables Mentions :
Keshawn Murphy from Mississippi State is a player I'd like to keep an eye on as his mobility and agility for his size make him an interesting small ball 5. Let's hope he doesn't get injured but his ability to protect the rim by coming to rim with good rotations, shooting on short roll, or in pick-and-pop situations is very interesting.
Kobe Sanders is quite an interesting prospect. His ability to have the ball so much and to create/initiate for others at his size makes him a real asset.There are still doubts about his 3-point volume and his lack of explosiveness, as well as his usefulness off-ball, but he could prove to be a good role player for a tall winger who can get the ball in his hands. It's easy to project yourself with this type of player when you see the Thunder's project with a multitude of wingers in this role.
Guillermo Diaz Graham is progressing well and is surely one of the reasons for Pittsburgh's good season.Capable of protecting the rim with his long arms and shooting from long range to stretch the court, the Spanish prospect is still struggling to find a place in the box to get rebounds and impose his physique (102 kg / 224.8 pounds).