Rank the best HS prospect from 2014-2017

[B-Ball Freak]

Top 5?

[ManualRam]

i don't think i could just 5. here would be my candidates:

2014:
okafor
mudiay
2015:
ivan rabb
2016:
josh jackson
thon maker
2017:
deandre ayton
troy brown

i'll give it a shot with this pool:

1. deandre ayton- highest potential bc of his physical tools at such a young age, but understandably raw. he could go any number of directions as a prospect. he's starting to take his game outside which isn't a development i'd like to see for a big. i'd rather he embrace his size and develop inside out. in any case, he's got the length, mobility, huge hands, quick spring without even having his man muscles yet. he's coordinated with pretty solid form and touch on his jumper.

2. josh jackson- superstar wing potential. awesome handle with breakdown ability for a wing. will be a 6'8 SG at least. can slash, is a beast in transition, run the point for stretches, make plays, create his own shot, has a quick release on his jumper, has a nose for the ball and he defends well too. he's got a thin frame though and his release point could use some tweaking.

3. emmanuel mudiay- another j.wall who's more under control at an earlier age? has massive potential on both ends. i like how he's already starting to slow his game down before he even hits college. i'm not digging his shot form and for some reason his teams have tended to underachieve with him at the helm. hopefully larry brown allows him to play through his mistakes and doesn't try to limit him to being a floor general.

4. thon maker- high potential due to his coordination at his height. he's a mismatch problem in the making if he can develop into being a knock down shooter. having said that, i think he has boom/bust potential if he remains primarily perimeter based. imo, he should be modeling his game after KG, not KD, but it looks like he's going the KD route. i don't think he can replicate durant. could be more j.bender than durant.

5. troy brown- reminds me of a young shaun livingston. long 6'6 pure PG. he's not a SG masquerading as a PG b/c he wants to play on the ball. he's a legit PG and likely isn't done growing. IQ on both ends and vision is off the charts for his age. he's a better shooter than shaun was too. good, not great athlete, but he's still just a frosh. we'll see how his athleticism looks when his man muscles come in.

6. jahlil okafor- al jeff type with a higher iq at the same stage? a little more athletic too. i think you can pencil him in as a future 20/10 player in his prime. he can manufacture his own offense and has done a better job looking to get the easy buckets via rim runs and looking for put backs. likely not a defensive anchor. still needs to develop a more reliable face up jumper so he can better take advantage of his spin moves in space.

7. ivan rabb- could flip flop with okafor due to his better defensive potential. great footwork, completely ambidextrous, developing face up jump shot. sticky hands, long with quick leaping ability. questionable frame. needs to improve his ball skills to make his face up game more potent.

[B-Ball Freak]

Nice write-up, very insightful...which NBA players would you compare them to?

I was just watching some Josh Jackson highlights, that kid is smooth.

[ManualRam]

i try not to slap comparisons on players who are freshmen and even some sophomores in HS because they're likely not done growing.

i know i said troy brown reminded me of shaun livingston in HS, but troy is the size right now (give or take an inch in height) at 14-15 y/o that shaun was when he left HS. deandre ayton's listed at 6'10, and he looks all of that, but he's likely not done growing. chances are he'll be closer to 7' by the time he's done in which case his comparison would change. it's also difficult to compare players who are as raw as ayton.

josh jackson is a sophomore, an older sophomore too, so he could be close to being done growing height-wise, but he has grown an inch or two in the past yr. maybe t-mac for jackson because of his handle, fluidity and ability to create his own shot, but josh is not nearly as long as t-mac is. his length looks pretty average by comparison. jackson's a good defender too while mac was never known for his play on that end.

thon maker's lazy comparison would be KD. i think he tries to replicate a lot of what KD did in HS, but does everything less effectively. the good thing about thon is that he's more physically advanced than KD was at that age, so if he sets his mind to it he could be more of a PF than trying to be a 7' SF. if he set forth on trying to develop more of a PFs (KG-like) game, i'd probably bump him up my list.

mudiay- more under control j.wall at the same stage.

jahlil okafor- al jeff with a higher IQ, slightly better athlete at this age.

rabb is a tough one. he could be a bosh-type, but he's more of a post scorer than a face up guy at this point, although he is developing a nice jumper. reminds a little of young jermaine o'neal because of his ambidexterity and footwork. JO was taller, but most of that extra height came from his giant cranium.

[Marcus]

rabb is a tough one. he could be a bosh-type, but he's more of a post scorer than a face up guy at this point, although he is developing a nice jumper. reminds a little of young jermaine o'neal because of his ambidexterity and footwork. JO was taller, but most of that extra height came from his giant cranium.

didn't think about the JO comparison with Rabb but i can see how it works.

[MCDubbin]

Seventh Woods?

[Marcus]

Seventh Woods?

not a better prospect than Josh Jackson and even if Jackson reclasses i think Dennis Smith Jr is even better than Woods at that same position.

[Cammo101]

Seventh Woods?

The most overrated high school prospect out there right now.

[B-Ball Freak]

What position does DeAndre Ayton project as? who does the kid play like?

[ManualRam]

What position does DeAndre Ayton project as? who does the kid play like?

he's a 6'10 athletic freshman with a very long wingspan. he'll likely grow more so i'm guessing he projects to be a center.
he plays like a raw, athletic big with supreme tools. his game doesn't have an identity yet.

[Marcus]

i don't think i could just 5. here would be my candidates:

2014:
okafor
mudiay
2015:
ivan rabb
2016:
josh jackson
thon maker
2017:
deandre ayton
troy brown

i'll give it a shot with this pool:

1. deandre ayton- highest potential bc of his physical tools at such a young age, but understandably raw. he could go any number of directions as a prospect. he's starting to take his game outside which isn't a development i'd like to see for a big. i'd rather he embrace his size and develop inside out. in any case, he's got the length, mobility, huge hands, quick spring without even having his man muscles yet. he's coordinated with pretty solid form and touch on his jumper.

2. josh jackson- superstar wing potential. awesome handle with breakdown ability for a wing. will be a 6'8 SG at least. can slash, is a beast in transition, run the point for stretches, make plays, create his own shot, has a quick release on his jumper, has a nose for the ball and he defends well too. he's got a thin frame though and his release point could use some tweaking.

3. emmanuel mudiay- another j.wall who's more under control at an earlier age? has massive potential on both ends. i like how he's already starting to slow his game down before he even hits college. i'm not digging his shot form and for some reason his teams have tended to underachieve with him at the helm. hopefully larry brown allows him to play through his mistakes and doesn't try to limit him to being a floor general.

4. thon maker- high potential due to his coordination at his height. he's a mismatch problem in the making if he can develop into being a knock down shooter. having said that, i think he has boom/bust potential if he remains primarily perimeter based. imo, he should be modeling his game after KG, not KD, but it looks like he's going the KD route. i don't think he can replicate durant. could be more j.bender than durant.

5. troy brown- reminds me of a young shaun livingston. long 6'6 pure PG. he's not a SG masquerading as a PG b/c he wants to play on the ball. he's a legit PG and likely isn't done growing. IQ on both ends and vision is off the charts for his age. he's a better shooter than shaun was too. good, not great athlete, but he's still just a frosh. we'll see how his athleticism looks when his man muscles come in.

6. jahlil okafor- al jeff type with a higher iq at the same stage? a little more athletic too. i think you can pencil him in as a future 20/10 player in his prime. he can manufacture his own offense and has done a better job looking to get the easy buckets via rim runs and looking for put backs. likely not a defensive anchor. still needs to develop a more reliable face up jumper so he can better take advantage of his spin moves in space.

7. ivan rabb- could flip flop with okafor due to his better defensive potential. great footwork, completely ambidextrous, developing face up jump shot. sticky hands, long with quick leaping ability. questionable frame. needs to improve his ball skills to make his face up game more potent.

No Jaylen Brown on this list and i know how much you love that kid so im assuming this list would be different if done again.

http://www.nbadraft.net/elite-talent-nb ... rospects-1

do you agree with the list in the link posted?

im just starting to dig into DeAndre Ayton and see what the hype is about. Do u you think Ayton still ranks as a better 4 prospect than Rabb, Simmons, and Giles?

[ManualRam]

i don't think i could just 5. here would be my candidates:

2014:
okafor
mudiay
2015:
ivan rabb
2016:
josh jackson
thon maker
2017:
deandre ayton
troy brown

i'll give it a shot with this pool:

1. deandre ayton- highest potential bc of his physical tools at such a young age, but understandably raw. he could go any number of directions as a prospect. he's starting to take his game outside which isn't a development i'd like to see for a big. i'd rather he embrace his size and develop inside out. in any case, he's got the length, mobility, huge hands, quick spring without even having his man muscles yet. he's coordinated with pretty solid form and touch on his jumper.

2. josh jackson- superstar wing potential. awesome handle with breakdown ability for a wing. will be a 6'8 SG at least. can slash, is a beast in transition, run the point for stretches, make plays, create his own shot, has a quick release on his jumper, has a nose for the ball and he defends well too. he's got a thin frame though and his release point could use some tweaking.

3. emmanuel mudiay- another j.wall who's more under control at an earlier age? has massive potential on both ends. i like how he's already starting to slow his game down before he even hits college. i'm not digging his shot form and for some reason his teams have tended to underachieve with him at the helm. hopefully larry brown allows him to play through his mistakes and doesn't try to limit him to being a floor general.

4. thon maker- high potential due to his coordination at his height. he's a mismatch problem in the making if he can develop into being a knock down shooter. having said that, i think he has boom/bust potential if he remains primarily perimeter based. imo, he should be modeling his game after KG, not KD, but it looks like he's going the KD route. i don't think he can replicate durant. could be more j.bender than durant.

5. troy brown- reminds me of a young shaun livingston. long 6'6 pure PG. he's not a SG masquerading as a PG b/c he wants to play on the ball. he's a legit PG and likely isn't done growing. IQ on both ends and vision is off the charts for his age. he's a better shooter than shaun was too. good, not great athlete, but he's still just a frosh. we'll see how his athleticism looks when his man muscles come in.

6. jahlil okafor- al jeff type with a higher iq at the same stage? a little more athletic too. i think you can pencil him in as a future 20/10 player in his prime. he can manufacture his own offense and has done a better job looking to get the easy buckets via rim runs and looking for put backs. likely not a defensive anchor. still needs to develop a more reliable face up jumper so he can better take advantage of his spin moves in space.

7. ivan rabb- could flip flop with okafor due to his better defensive potential. great footwork, completely ambidextrous, developing face up jump shot. sticky hands, long with quick leaping ability. questionable frame. needs to improve his ball skills to make his face up game more potent.

No Jaylen Brown on this list and i know how much you love that kid so im assuming this list would be different if done again.

http://www.nbadraft.net/elite-talent-nb ... rospects-1

do you agree with the list in the link posted?

im just starting to dig into DeAndre Ayton and see what the hype is about. Do u you think Ayton still ranks as a better 4 prospect than Rabb, Simmons, and Giles?

i like jaylen, but i probably still wouldn't have him on that list. maybe after rabb.

and no, i don't agree with that list. tatum wouldn't be anywhere near mine. giles has the potential to be up there, but i'd like to see how he looks a yr from now. that was a pretty serious knee injury with multiple ligament tears. diallo's a great energy, activity guy but he wouldn't make my top 10 either. i think troy brown is truly special and if there's one prospect who warrants the penny comparison, it's him.

some of those comparisons are downright terrible too.

as for ayton, his potential is through the roof. he has no identity yet, but his tools are phenomenal and he's already showing skill in space, although i'd like to see him develop more inside out.

[Marcus]

some of those comparisons are downright terrible too.

i think all of them are terrible. I typically ignore them from that site.

I checked some Troy Brown out, kid does look legit. He's on the radar.

edit: nice sig btw.

[76ciology]

Hey Manual Ram,

Any superstar potential guard or swingman in the draft for the next two years? I'm looking at next year and can only see Mudiay as the only guy that fits my description.

[Marcus]

not sure if he'll agree or not but Jaylen Brown has a good shot in the 17 draft to pan out. But I think the next superstar wing will more than likely be Josh Jackson in the 18 draft class.

It'll be more about the bigs over the next few years. Not necessarily superstars but arguably the best prospects over the next couple years will be bigs.

[ManualRam]

Hey Manual Ram,

Any superstar potential guard or swingman in the draft for the next two years? I'm looking at next year and can only see Mudiay as the only guy that fits my description.

i'm pretty particular when projecting superstars. i like to see shot-making, shot-creating, ability to slash, physical attributes that would allow them to impose themselves, creativity, IQ and potential to stay on the ball. there aren't many players at all who check all those boxes.

-mudiay's a possibility but he's gotta shore up that outside jumper and decision making. the jumper is his biggest hurdle and it doesn't appear as though he's made too much progress in that area.
-hezonja's a longshot. he's got great tools with perimeter shot-making potential, shows some creativity and PnR potential as well but he lacks 1 on 1 breakdown ability.
-jaylen brown is a possibility for the '16 draft class. he's got very good physical tools, strong body, explosive at the rim with an outside game that's improved leaps and bounds. needs to tighten up his handle and learn to play lower though. love his temperament. i think he has the drive to improve every yr.
-malik newman has all the scoring potential in the world, so if being a big time scorer is a enough for you to consider a player a superstar then he's another candidate. he can score at all 3 levels and is a good athlete, but he's undersized for a 2 and hasn't made many strides as a PG. he'll probably still end up on the ball though.
-'17 draft class there's josh jackson. to me he checks nearly all the boxes i look for. description's in my earlier post.
-same class there's dennis smith jr who could be the next superstar point. he's quick, shifty, superb overall athlete, strong build, can play to contact, creative passer, plays with great pace.

[EricAnderson]

I've heard people say this past weekend they think rabbs a solid but not elite prospect

[ManualRam]

I've heard people say this past weekend they think rabbs a solid but not elite prospect

i heard he had a lackluster showing vs cheick diallo but that's about it. diallo's a tough matchup because he's a balls-to-the-wall player with the best motor in HS.
saw some rankings that still had rabb as a top 5 performer in the camp.

rabb needs to get stronger, but he has all the tools and a budding skill set. athletic, long arms, quick leaper, good footwork, face up and back to the basket potential, vice grip hands, 2 way potential, ambidexterity around the cup, left handed shot-blocker and soft touch from mid. he just needs to be at least around 220-225 by the time he hits a college campus.

[EricAnderson]

I've heard people say this past weekend they think rabbs a solid but not elite prospect

i heard he had a lackluster showing vs cheick diallo but that's about it. diallo's a tough matchup because he's a balls-to-the-wall player with the best motor in HS.
saw some rankings that still had rabb as a top 5 performer in the camp.

rabb needs to get stronger, but he has all the tools and a budding skill set. athletic, long arms, quick leaper, good footwork, face up and back to the basket potential, vice grip hands, 2 way potential, ambidexterity around the cup, left handed shot-blocker and soft touch from mid. he just needs to be at least around 220-225 by the time he hits a college campus.

Do u think he's going to zona?

And what's your take on stone? I saw one person kill him for doing nothing in a game this weekend but he also got praise later on as a beast when he turns it on..I guess those type of events at times can be rough for big men The way the games are played

[ManualRam]

I've heard people say this past weekend they think rabbs a solid but not elite prospect

i heard he had a lackluster showing vs cheick diallo but that's about it. diallo's a tough matchup because he's a balls-to-the-wall player with the best motor in HS.
saw some rankings that still had rabb as a top 5 performer in the camp.

rabb needs to get stronger, but he has all the tools and a budding skill set. athletic, long arms, quick leaper, good footwork, face up and back to the basket potential, vice grip hands, 2 way potential, ambidexterity around the cup, left handed shot-blocker and soft touch from mid. he just needs to be at least around 220-225 by the time he hits a college campus.

Do u think he's going to zona?

And what's your take on stone? I saw one person kill him for doing nothing in a game this weekend but he also got praise later on as a beast when he turns it on..I guess those type of events at times can be rough for big men The way the games are played

idk know where he's going. zona's been the favorite but there are other schools gaining ground, like unc. we'll see how their scandal impacts their near term recruiting.

i just heard that the diamond stone/elijah thomas matchup didn't produce anything of note and was pretty much a zero for both guys. stone's a good prospect. somewhat similar to jah okafor, but is a little smaller, not as imposing physically with his back to the basket. has basic footwork but not quite the dancing bear spins and pivots that jah has. where stone is probably better at offensively is the face up jumper. i think he has better touch on jumpshots than jah. he's not a sloppy big defensively either. plays with good effort on that end.