Rising Sophomores to Watch

[EvanZ]

Been going through the rising sophomores and these are the guys that seem the most legit. I'm sure a few others will rise up, and not all of the ones I'm showing here will hit, but I think most of these guys will be on the radar by the end of the season. I've covered about 50 or 60 of these guys in my YouTube series (the last few uploads linked below). Who are some other guys you're looking at?

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

[clyde21]

missing Jordan Hawkins, and probably the Zaga guards Sallis/Hickman, otherwise solid list.

looking forward to seeing if Taran Armstrong improved his shot too.

[azcatz11]

missing Jordan Hawkins, and probably the Zaga guards Sallis/Hickman, otherwise solid list.

looking forward to seeing if Taran Armstrong improved his shot too.

Do you think Taran Armstrong can be a first round pick next season?

[EvanZ]

Taran really has to show he can shoot. The flags going against him are he's old for his class (will be 21 in January), he's not a very good athlete (4 dunks last year), not a great finisher (47% on layups) and he's playing against **** competition. I'd say he's pushing uphill to be a second round pick. The passing is great, no question. I just think it's hard to make it on that alone. Giddey kinda did that, but he's 6'8" and he's super young (younger than Taran).

[EvanZ]

AJ Clayton is the super sleeper of the group. He turned 18 in February, so wasn't even eligible for the Draft. He's younger than Emoni and most of the Freshmen class. 6'8" 225 and a legit athlete that can shoot.

[clyde21]

missing Jordan Hawkins, and probably the Zaga guards Sallis/Hickman, otherwise solid list.

looking forward to seeing if Taran Armstrong improved his shot too.

Do you think Taran Armstrong can be a first round pick next season?

it's gonna boil down to shooting for him, if he can get to > 35% on 3s on higher volume and >75% from the line I can see it. his playmaking and vision is special. needs to be able to shoot tho or else he'll handicap any offense he's PGing in the NBA if it doesn't improve and I think that'll limit how high he'll get drafted.

teams gave Giddey a pass b/c he was a legit 6-8 and was super young but Taran won't get that same pass.

[GSWFan1994]

I don't know about any of these players because I haven't started studying the next draft yet.

But thanks for posting this, Evan. Look forward to seeing your work, much appreciated.

[DOT]

I mostly just watch my Huskies during the season and go back afterwards to watch film of other guys, so I'd say Jordan Hawkins is someone to watch, he's expected to take the same leap James Bouknight did his 2nd year

He's gonna have to earn his minutes though, cause we got two seniors out of the transfer portal in Nahiem Alleyne and Tristen Newton who have 149 starts between them. And they both kind of do what Hawkins is supposed to do, Newton is an on-ball scorer and playmaker, Alleyne is a 3pt shooter, so it's on Hawkins to beat them out

Also, I'm keeping an eye on Andre Jackson, who's a junior. Pretty pedestrian stats but he's a 6-6 wing who can handle the ball a bit, has good vision, plays good defense and is really athletic, so he has a lot of potential, especially if his 3pt shooting keeps improving. He shot 36% last year, but on only 61 attempts

Hawkins is really the only sophomore to watch, we do have Rahsool Diggins (52) and Samson Johnson (47) who were both RSCI top 100 players, but they didn't really play last year and I find it pretty likely they get buried on the bench again. Diggins especially, as noted we have a lot of talent at guard, but Samson might see some burn, especially if his shooting comes around. If not, he can't play next to Sanogo and would have to fight Donovan Clingan for backup minutes at the 5, when Clingan is a pretty hyped up freshman himself.

[SeattleJazzFan]

thanks for this op. always wondering which guys i should be watching once the season starts.

[TheSuzerain]

Teafale Lenard

[EvanZ]

Teafale Lenard

He’s on there.

[clyde21]

gonna take this opp to add Adama Bal to this list

[EMG518]

I get Donovan Mitchell vibes from Tyrese Hunter.

[baldur]

checking tankathon's mock draft, there are only 3 sophomores in the first round. interesting being only one year older makes you become actually underrated.

[SeattleJazzFan]

checking tankathon's mock draft, there are only 3 sophomores in the first round. interesting being only one year older makes you become actually underrated.

but if you produce - like Jaden Ivey and Keegan Murray did last year, you'll climb to the point you are no longer underrated. but you have to produce. as a frosh, you have a much longer leash for sure.

[Hal14]

I get Donovan Mitchell vibes from Tyrese Hunter.

A little bit, yeah - in terms of the body type (6'0" or 6'1" guy with a strong, solid frame) and the burst, the athleticism (hunter not quite the leaper than mitchell is tho) and the way they glide around the court, ability to change direction and change speeds really smoothly..

But offensively, Hunter is really more of a traditional floor general, table setter type of PG, whereas Mitchell is a scorer, an alpha scorer who can flat out put the ball in the basket in so many ways, with a little play making mixed in..

[Hal14]

checking tankathon's mock draft, there are only 3 sophomores in the first round. interesting being only one year older makes you become actually underrated.

well, being a year older is part of it. the bigger reason for it, is because there was a ton of freshmen drafted in 2022. so for the most part, if you were any good, you got drafted already instead of returning for your sophomore season..

[clyde21]

missing Jordan Hawkins, and probably the Zaga guards Sallis/Hickman, otherwise solid list.

looking forward to seeing if Taran Armstrong improved his shot too.

Do you think Taran Armstrong can be a first round pick next season?

it's gonna boil down to shooting for him, if he can get to > 35% on 3s on higher volume and >75% from the line I can see it. his playmaking and vision is special. needs to be able to shoot tho or else he'll handicap any offense he's PGing in the NBA if it doesn't improve and I think that'll limit how high he'll get drafted.

teams gave Giddey a pass b/c he was a legit 6-8 and was super young but Taran won't get that same pass.

19/7/4 for Taran to start the year, hit both of his 3s too

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[azcatz11]

Do you think Taran Armstrong can be a first round pick next season?

it's gonna boil down to shooting for him, if he can get to > 35% on 3s on higher volume and >75% from the line I can see it. his playmaking and vision is special. needs to be able to shoot tho or else he'll handicap any offense he's PGing in the NBA if it doesn't improve and I think that'll limit how high he'll get drafted.

teams gave Giddey a pass b/c he was a legit 6-8 and was super young but Taran won't get that same pass.

19/7/4 for Taran to start the year, hit both of his 3s too

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I love his game! I kind of get Kyle Anderson vibes but I don’t think he’s as good as Kyle was. Is that a decent comp?

[EvanZ]

Taran Armstrong had a great start last season as well. He's played 2 games against **** teams. Let's slow down a bit.