Post#226 » by cupcakesnake » Wed May 4, 2022 7:30 pm
One thing Shaedon has shown that is encouraging is his deceleration. Sometimes instead or doing a step back, he'll just get his defender running to guard the drive and then just stop on a dime and have tons of separation. This is one of things that gets overlooked in the draft, as it's less obvious than full-court speed, quick first steps, or vertical explosiveness. It's one of the things that makes Doncic special.
I haven't seen him do it on the drive though. Part of that is in high school he can always just jump once he gets in the paint to get separation and doesn't need to lose his guy in other ways. Sometimes he jumps off early (off his first step), which is a bit strange in a world where everyone loves to euro step. But I think the handle is also a little suspect at this point (it's too high) so I see him not being able to attack angles decisively. His drives either get walled off completely, or he's getting easy straight-line explosive drives. He seems to rely on a ton of DHO or short moves into space on the perimeter.
Defensively he looks promising. Flexible hips, quick feet, big defensive stride length to go with his vertical explosiveness and long arms.
For a very strong-looking lower body, I'm not seeing much bully ball from him in the footage I've been able to find. I think there's enough here to say he's not the next Xavier Henry, but I'm really curious about the physical aspect of his offensive game. It's something we often don't get to see much in high school hoops though.
