Young Center Prospects to Consider
Posted: Thu Feb 8, 2024 2:00 pm
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dms269 wrote:You are giving the FO way too much credit in thinking they have actually thought this out and have a plan.
The RingerYves Missi | Baylor
7'0" | 235 lb | Center | 22 years old | Freshman
Highflier who can punish the rim on offense and protect the paint on defense.
Shades of: Jalen Duren
PLUSES
- Built to thrive in any defensive scheme. With a strong frame, vertical pop, and long arms, he offers rim protection whether he’s dropping in the pick-and-roll or sliding over as a help defender. He’s also alert and quick, making him a threat to disrupt on the perimeter. He can rack up deflections and steals, or switch screens to defend multiple positions.
- He has the hands and coordination to catch tough passes, absorb contact, and finish. He also has the athleticism to fly up for lobs. He’s an advanced screener for his age, too, and he always rolls hard.
- Relentless rebounder posting a prolific offensive rebounding percentage for a potential first-round prospect. On defense, he consistently boxes out despite having the inherent athleticism to sky over defenders.
MINUSES
- Learning the rule of verticality is the next step in his development. He will need to tone down his fouling in the NBA. He bites at pump fakes, and in general is too eager to go for blocks around the rim.
- Hackable free throw shooter who also lacks touch away from the hoop.
- Not much of a passer. He needs to do a better job of seeking kickout opportunities after offensive boards rather than forcing it back up. He isn’t asked to do much playmaking on the perimeter for a reason.
- Questionable conditioning. He plays just a hair over 20 minutes per game. He’ll need to prove his full-throttle style of play can translate with a more significant workload.
The RingerDaron Holmes II | Dayton
6'9" | 221 lb | Center | 21 years old | Junior
Throwback big who can block shots and finish lobs, with the benefit of modern switchability.
Shades of: Jalen Smith
PLUSES
- He’s just figuring out how to play in his body. He was listed at 6-foot-8 as a high school senior, then sprouted to 6-foot-10 at Dayton. He is now around 230 pounds, with a long wingspan and explosive leaping ability.
- Shot blocking is his best defensive skill. He’s agile in small spaces and perceptive; he keeps his head on a swivel and hustles for second and third efforts on possessions. He also can step out as a disruptive perimeter defender who slides his feet with his arms spread wide.
- Intelligent player who embraces his role as a screener, cutter, and rim runner. He always boxes out. After defensive stops he’ll instantly sprint up the floor and have his hands up to catch passes. And if he doesn't receive the ball, he doesn't mope.
- His 3-point percentage is way up. He shot 26.9 percent over his first two seasons, but he’s at 43.6 percent this year on quadruple the attempts per game. His form looks a tad quicker and smoother than the elongated release he used in previous years.
- Excellent pick-and-roll finisher who sets strong screens at the proper angles and has great timing on his rolls to the rim. He also has soft hands that allow him to catch tough passes and the athleticism to finish powerful dunks.
- Dayton uses him in the middle against zone defenses, which displays his ability to serve as a short-roll playmaker, dishing passes. He is mostly a straight-line driver, but he shows potential when attacking from the elbows to get to the basket.
- Though he lacks advanced footwork in the post, he’s good enough to beat mismatches at the next level. He could punish a switching defense by sealing off a smaller defender under the rim.
MINUSES
- Limited experience playing against top competition. NBA offenses will be a major adjustment for him in terms of speed, especially since he frequently gets pulled out into switches at the college level. He’s effective at getting stops at that level, but the pros are a different monster.
- Cutting down on turnovers should be a priority. He telegraphs too many passes and he’ll sometimes dribble himself into trouble. He’s a bit robotic, pounding the ball with his right hand in a way that could get him stripped by NBA defenders.
- Is his shooting improvement for real? This season he’s shooting an outlier number from 3, but his free throw percentage isn’t notably improved and is still below 70 percent.
The RingerKel'el Ware | Indiana | Sophomore
7'0" | 210 lb | Center | 20 years old
A vertical interior presence with floor-spacing upside, but he has underwhelmed in college.
Shades of: Myles Turner
PLUSES
- A dunk contest–worthy athlete with phenomenal size and length. He’s an eager shot blocker with excellent timing, and he has good mobility and makes quick second leaps.
- Good hands catching tough passes around the rim with the coordination to pivot toward the basket and finish from difficult angles.
- Shoots an easy ball from 3. He hops into his shot and cleanly transitions into his high, un-blockable release. His percentages need to catch up, but his touch is a positive indicator. He shoots a high percentage on hook shots, floaters, and layups.
- His combination of skills gives him great pick-and-roll potential. His high school team ran plays off the opening tip in which a player would screen for him as he’d sprint toward the basket to catch a lob.
MINUSES
- Effort and focus have wavered going back to high school. He’ll disappear for an entire half. His desire to box out and play with physicality is a notable concern, and he’s been bullied by players of a comparable size to him.
- When catching the ball around the rim, he sometimes brings it down to load up before elevating instead of just launching.
- Sloppy decision-maker who doesn’t handle pressure well when posting up. He telegraphs passes and often dribbles into trouble.
- His size suggests he could have value as a screener, except he’s not good at setting picks. He makes little contact. And since he’s lean, NBA defenses will often switch against him, but he lacks the moves on the post to take advantage.
Jamaaliver wrote:The RingerKel'el Ware | Indiana | Sophomore
7'0" | 210 lb | Center | 20 years old
A vertical interior presence with floor-spacing upside, but he has underwhelmed in college.
Shades of: Myles Turner
PLUSES
- A dunk contest–worthy athlete with phenomenal size and length. He’s an eager shot blocker with excellent timing, and he has good mobility and makes quick second leaps.
- Good hands catching tough passes around the rim with the coordination to pivot toward the basket and finish from difficult angles.
- Shoots an easy ball from 3. He hops into his shot and cleanly transitions into his high, un-blockable release. His percentages need to catch up, but his touch is a positive indicator. He shoots a high percentage on hook shots, floaters, and layups.
- His combination of skills gives him great pick-and-roll potential. His high school team ran plays off the opening tip in which a player would screen for him as he’d sprint toward the basket to catch a lob.
MINUSES
- Effort and focus have wavered going back to high school. He’ll disappear for an entire half. His desire to box out and play with physicality is a notable concern, and he’s been bullied by players of a comparable size to him.
- When catching the ball around the rim, he sometimes brings it down to load up before elevating instead of just launching.
- Sloppy decision-maker who doesn’t handle pressure well when posting up. He telegraphs passes and often dribbles into trouble.
- His size suggests he could have value as a screener, except he’s not good at setting picks. He makes little contact. And since he’s lean, NBA defenses will often switch against him, but he lacks the moves on the post to take advantage.
King Ken wrote:Injury prone
225, less than 230 which will only lead to more injuries.
motor and effort
The idea of Ware is a lot better than the reality of Ware...effort and focus are why Cam Reddish and Mo Bamba are on vet mins.
They were plenty talented as well.
The AthleticSam Vecenie wrote:DaRon Holmes II| 6-10 big | 21 years old | Dayton
The Nuggets have tended to draft older under general manager Calvin Booth, and the team has a significant need on the interior behind Nikola Jokić. Zeke Nnaji hasn’t been good enough. Holmes would give them a chance at a high-level producer who has a very real case as an All-American this season. Since Dec. 9, Holmes is averaging 22.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks while shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from 3 on over three attempts from distance per game. That is about as well-rounded a skill set as you can find when it comes to translating to an NBA backup big man role.
He passes well out of short rolls, can pick-and-pop or can catch lobs above the rim in ball-screen situations. He’s a tremendous weakside rim protector and has gotten better on the glass to where he might be able to handle ending possessions in the NBA despite being a bit undersized, depending on who else is on the court with him. He’s carrying Dayton back to the NCAA Tournament this year and should be considered a likely top-40 pick at this stage.
tbhawksfan1 wrote:Despite his huge numbers Tankathon has [Edey] at #35 in their mock. Ware #19, Missi #15, Clingan #13 and Filipowski #11
Definitely want a center with one of our picks, just not sure which one. I think that Edey will go in the first though