JOSON SANON : GUNNER IN SUNSET LAND

article by Jaspaire

At the start of the season, it was easy to tell that Arizona State wouldn’t be the scariest, team in college basketball.

It would be underestimate the NCAA. With the arrival of two 5-star prospects in Jayden Quaintance and Joson Sanon, Arizona State has surprised many at the start of the season.

But one player, Joson Sanon, with his amazing shooting display seems to be underappreciated because how great he has been this season.

Let's look at why he is so ‘special’ let’s break down his shooting.

SHOOTING PANOPLY

First of all, let’s take a look at his (ridiculous) shot charts.

In terms of volume, Sanon has taken almost as many midrange shots this season as he has floaters/runners in the free-throw area. He is also extremely effective from distance, where 75% of his 3-pointers are assisted (not created by himself).

On the Others 2PTS, on the site: https://www.barttorvik.com/# , the volume of 2-point shots has risen sharply because of the lack of samples due to the small number of games played.

We can also see that his 3-point percentage is very flattering: 52%, but above all that in terms of volume he is in competition with big volume shooters such as Will Riley or John Mobley Jr.

"I wanted to win a championship, lead a team, be a primary scorer, and really lock in defensively. I'm physically strong enough for college. The next step is learning how to think the game better and adding to what I already do."

STATIONARY SHOOTER

Sanon possesses most of the attributes but even better is that he has acquired them in the recurring situations: the Catch and Shoot, the standing shoot, or the stationary shoot.

He's quick off the mark and has total confidence in his jumpshot (a mechanic that doesn't change when a closeout is near), as you can see in the clips above; Joson often has his hands at hip level to get into his shooting motion as quickly as possible.

He's also good at taking small steps to make a small ‘hop’ that gives him the power to transfer from his legs to his upper body.

The parabola is good and we also note his coach's quotes to Damon Allred about Sanon’s shooting :

This shows the level of confidence Sanon has in “predicting” hards closeouts when he has the hot hand. He already knows he's going to be defended differently from the others, and that's almost already the case in the NCAA. But in the modern NBA, unidimensional system shooters or shooters who are very efficient on catch-and-shoot, need to have a new arsenal in their offensive bag to be even more efficient and attract even more gravity; the notion of shooting on the move, or after-movement.

SHOOTING IN MOVEMENT

Joson Sanon isn't the best at creating separation (his handle is still pretty weak and he doesn’t have a dazzling first step), but he and his coach understand that.

That's why Sanon is often seen as an off-ball player who only needs the ball to shoot from distance.

Through curls, Zoom Action, or simple handoffs, Joson arrives with the necessary separation (generated by the screen) to trigger his shot. It's easy, you may say, but what you need to look at closely is how easily and, above all, how quickly he unleashes his shot, even though he's theoretically in motion.

His deceleration and good footwork enable him to stop instantly without repositioning himself and to rise for an open pull-up. As you can see, Sanon's projection is pretty straightforward. He's a very effective shooter on catch-and-shoot, but he also has good screen navigation/understanding of systems to acquire open shots.

But what if I told you that Sanon didn't have just that in his bag ?

OTD JUMPERS

Despite a handle that doesn't allow him to blow by his opponents or offer enough separation to release his shot with ease, Sanon has developed a pretty incredible ability with his shot.

He's good at getting up his shots very quickly off the dribble, but above all his release is quite high (for his size) and he often shoots slightly off-balance towards the back, a bit like a fadeaway.

Josh Christopher also had this great quality on mid-range pull-ups, but he lost much power on those 3-pointers. He has this famous habit of shooting when he drives to the left, with a side step, changing rhythm as he drives toward the paint.

His gesture remains pure even when the defender leaves him little space to trigger his shooting motion and place his feet, proof of confidence and shotmaking ability.

AT THE RIM

While Joson Sanon excels in the long-distance and intermediary zones, it's rather complicated when he gets close to the paint.

Once again, its handle doesn't allow it to create real drive or separation zones.

The only separation he creates is through the threat of his shot off the dribble, and with hesis or rhythm changes, he can sometimes open up a path to the basket.

But when it comes to finishing after contact, he explodes too easily as soon as he's in the air during the bump.He needs to build up his upper body for better body control and to be able to handle contact more easily. His touch is pretty good when you see in what position he manages to finish but he should develop a touch to have more variety and be a real threat.

DEFENSE

Sanon can't be said to be a great defender, so much so that he is carried forward by his offense. Indeed, he has often shown a reluctance to put in the effort on defense.

This season, there are some interesting sequences with a multitude of runs.

That said, he still has difficulty navigating between screens, and his lack of upper-body power is likely to be a real problem for his NBA transition, at the risk of becoming a player who will often be chased for positive missmatches.That said, his athletic profile, especially his verticality, makes him an interesting prospect for a guard of his size.