Walton1one wrote:Here is one on Johni Broome:
https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/who-is-johni-broome-the-prospect?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=536361&post_id=157419101&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1f5gb9&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=emailBut sometimes…guys are weird. Johni Broome is one of those guys. Auburn’s graduate big man is arguably the best player in all of college basketball. There is no doubt that he is an exceptionally talented and productive player. But his production, paired with his age and body type, is definitely a little funky. Broome stands 6’9” with a 7’0” wingspan, and he’s listed at 240 pounds. He’s a little bit stubby for an NBA center, and he’s not super bouncy. But for a four, he’s not a lights-out shooter, nor is he laterally explosive. He doesn’t fit neatly into one box, nor does an easy player comp come to mind. Yet, when going across the statistical board, his BPM, rebound rates, assist numbers, and incredible shot-blocking resume make him appear like a surefire long-term NBA player.Between this season and last, Broome has made 33.1% of his threes on 5.2 attempts per 100 possessions.
On paper, that may not sound like anything to write home about. But for a big man prospect, he grades out really well in terms of three-point shooting volume and pretty well in terms of efficiency. In particular, Broome thrives when left alone. During these past two years, he’s made 40.9% of his unguarded catch-and-shoot threes, per Synergy. Far more often than not, defenses end up closing out on Broome. This year, 63.3% of his catch-and-shoot triples have been classified as “guarded” attempts. Given his overall percentage, Broome will need to get better at shooting over contests in order to maximize his value.But for Broome, being good enough at making the open ones may be all he needs in order to find a place in a rotation, given the well-rounded nature of his skill set. Lastly, I think that it’s worth noting that we’ve only really seen him take threes for the past two seasons. If his career efficiency was what it is and he’d always been shooting, I’d be more concerned. Instead, what we’ve seen is a steady upward trajectory in terms of both shot confidence and difficulty.Broome is an efficient dive man who shoots 70.6% on his twos as a roller. He’s also comfortable in the dunker spot and acting as a cutter, making 68.8% of his shots on those play types, per Synergy. What makes Broome special, though, is that he is an absolute force on the offensive glass.His 15.2 ORB% is truly an elite figure. It’s even better when you consider the fact that he often shares the floor with another great offensive rebounder in Dylan Cardwell. For context, Broome’s ORB% tops the marks that glass cleaners like Jalen Duren, Walker Kessler, and Daniel Gafford posted during their pre-draft seasons. Per Synergy, putbacks are Broome’s second most common play type this season. His tenaciousness, feel, and timing enable him to consistently generate second-chance opportunities for his team and easy looks for himself.
For a team that is not a well shooting team (like POR) another glass cleaner would not be a bad thingWhen scouting, I always ask myself about the scalability of a prospect’s strength. Given Broome’s lack of traditional big man size, I wondered about how this might translate to the next level. But we’ve seen it work! Above, you’ll see Nets big man Day’Ron Sharpe and Kevon Looney feasting on the offensive glass. These two aren’t always the biggest dudes on the floor. But similar to Broome, their intellect and want-to enable them to punch above their weight on the offensive glass. These two have consistently provided value to their teams due in large part to their ability to add efficient, low-maintenance scoring possessions to the stat sheet.His biggest room for growth from a scoring standpoint comes from tying those two skills together. Right now, he’s sort of an “either/or” proposition. He’s not much of a threat in the gray area between the two when he has to go from the perimeter to the basket. His driving game has a few issues. The first is that when he’s faced up, he has a lumbering first step. He’s not going to be dusting his fellow NBA big men. Broome’s slow downhill speed doesn’t allow him to slam the door shut on defenders who close out hard on him. Additionally, it gives defenses ample time to recover, and there’s not much polish to his handle. He doesn’t have counters or go-to moves to beat the help that comes his way. Instead, he often settles for difficult looks with a deeper takeoff point than desirable. If Broome can maximize his speed off the line and add in a few dribble moves to get cleaner angles at the rim, it would really round out his scoring arsenal in a meaningful way.Johni Broome is a phenomenal playmaking prospect for a big man—like, really phenomenal in a way that we’ve yet to truly reckon with. There were always shades of upside in this department....He’s one of the highest usage players his size in the country, ranking fourth overall among players 6’9” and above per BartTorvik, with a seismic 30.8 USG%. Along with that, he’s posting an outstanding 23.5 AST% and a microscopic 7.3 TOV%....His combination of floor mapping, vision, and poise allow him to make deliveries that few his size can while also making him a shockingly low-mistake player.Most 6’9” big men without ideal length and athleticism tend to be more skill-oriented. These “tweeners” tend to get into muddy waters when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. And to be fair, Broome does have some shortcomings here. His lack of bounce can hinder him as a rim protector. A few players, such as Collin Murray-Boyles, have managed to overpower him en route to clean looks at the basket. Broome’s lateral agility is solid, but he doesn’t have great recovery tools when he’s beaten. Still, in spite of all of this, Broome has been a tremendously impactful defender for Auburn over the past few years.Broome has a 9.3 BLK% on the year, an excellent number for a big man prospect. Again, I must also remind you that he’s posting that figure while spending a significant amount of time at the four-spot. In drop coverage, Broome uses his hands and feet well to dictate angles that make it difficult for the offense to create advantages. He thrives as a shot blocker deep when teams do manage to get deep in the paint. Broome uses his chest well to stay vertical, and he has the outstanding hand-eye coordination needed to pin-point blocks while avoiding foul troubles (only 3.9 fouls per 100 possessions!). Off the ball, his rim rotation instincts are strong, enabling him to get into position better than most of his peers. Even when he doesn’t nab a block, his ability to stay big and play physically hampers his opponents and their efforts to get clean looks inside. Per Synergy, opponents are shooting a brutal 37.0% at the rim in the halfcourt against Broome. He’s a serious glass eater on this side of the ball, too, posting a 26.8 DRB% on the year.He’s a solid shooter for a big man, but not an elite one. He thrives on the offensive glass, but he’s a little bit undersized. He’s a great shot blocker, but he’s not toolsy. He is undoubtedly a stellar, high-feel playmaker....Defensively, his blend of timing and toughness has proven itself again and again. I came to the conclusion that while Johni Broome can’t be put neatly into one box, his exceptional production and the NBA functionality of his key traits cannot be ignored. So, who is Johni Broome? Johni Broome is a damn good basketball player, and those guys tend to stick around the NBA for a long time. He’s a Top 20 prospect.
I REALLY like Broome as a late 1st / early 2nd pickup.
I think he's going to have a LONG NBA career.
