Canadian class of 2020

[Hair Canada]

Canadian CLASS OF 2020

Some interesting prospects in this class. Will be 23 in 2024, so one or more of them might find a place in the national team if they do really well.

Cashius McNeilly (6’5 shooting guard). Actually, Cashius is probably more of a combo guard, but he has such a nice, clean, and effortless outside stroke that I think he’s more likely to end up at the 2. He was clearly the best player for the Canadian U16 team in the FIBA Americas, although for some reason he sat too much on the bench for my liking. Very smooth game. Glides on the court and can find openings in the defense and use them to finish with finesse. Not very explosive, but smooth and a good athlete. As I said, his best quality is the clean effortless shot, with great form, high release, and good range. If he’s able to build on that, it can take him all the way to the big league. Moved this year to play for Huntington Prep (WV), after spending the last couple of years in Thornlea Prep in Ontario. Probably a good move, as it would force him to take the extra step and face stronger competition. Perhaps his greatest vice at this point is that he tends to be a bit passive sometimes and not take charge of games even when he’s the best player on the court. Needs to be more assertive and more of a leader, but hopefully, that comes with time and experience.

Addison Patterson (6’7 combo guard). Some consider him the best talent in this class. I can certainly see why. First, he has great size for the position and excellent feel for the game. A good athlete, very shifty and skilled, with a knack for scoring, but also great court vision. Patterson is already completely ambidextrous and finishes equally well with both his right and his left, which makes him hard to contain for opponents. In terms of sheer talent, I would probably agree that he should be first in the class and one of the best prospects we have, regardless of class. It seems like the game just comes to him easily, but clearly, he has also worked hard on his skills. Has already shown that he can perform against high-level completion last year when he won the MVP at the Jordan Brand Classic, one week after taking the MVP of the Canadian BioSteel future’s game.

Despite all this, I have some serious doubts about him. First, his outside shooting really doesn’t look good at this point. He improved the form a little from last year (used to have a really low release), but still shoots it a bit awkwardly and really doesn’t hit with any consistency. But that’s something that could still be fixed with many repetitions, and he seems to be working hard on his offensive game, so there’s certainly hope there.

But what I’m really worried about with Patterson is his attitude. On offense, he makes a lot of faces when he doesn’t get calls and is quite busy with the refs. But that you can excuse with a high level of competitiveness and some immaturity. The attitude is a real problem on the other side of the court. Simply put, Patterson is one of the worse defenders I’ve seen in these levels (or in fact at any level). And it’s not due to physical limitations. He’s tall and athletic enough, although his upper body is a bit thin. This is a clear case of a serious lack of effort. Opposing players pass him effortlessly, with him just watching them or at best sending a non-comital hand (which sometimes gets him into foul trouble). And it’s not because he closes strong on three-pointers either. In fact, he sometimes seems to be a black hole as far as opponent three-point shots go. He often makes a half-assed attempt to put his hand up, which seems to only encourage opposing shooters, as they appear to considerably improve their percentage when he’s around. His lack of effort is perhaps most evident when he is the last man on the defensive line on fast breaks. In these cases, other team players just finish with an incredibly easy layup, as Patterson simply stares and doesn’t even pretend to make an effort. I still remember the first time I saw him, on nationals in summer 2016. I was amazed by this gap between his offensive potential and the lack of effort on defense. As a coach, that would drive me crazy. Unfortunately, this has not improved much in the year and a half since.

Patterson is talented enough to get his minutes at AI, and sometimes when you watch him glide gracefully on offense, making plays for himself and others and finishing with authority, you almost forget about the defense. But if he doesn’t improve dramatically on that side of the court (which, as I said, is certainly doable), I don’t see him get to the NBA, or if he does get there, due to his sheer potential, he’s not going to get many minutes. I do hope for a change of attitude though. Patterson is still very young and he is one of the more exciting potentials we’ve had in recent years.

Josh Hemings (6’9 Guard/SF). Often mentioned together with McNeilly and Patterson as one of the three best potentials in this class. Great size for the position and good skill. Can do just about everything on the court – shoot, penetrate, rebound, and even take the ball up the court a little. But right now doesn’t do any of those exceptionally well. His size, together with his young age (just turned 16), mean that he might still grow an inch or two. If that’s the case, he might be able to eventually play PF at the next level, which might be to his advantage, as he doesn’t seem particularly athletic. Plays his high school ball for American powerhouse Oak Hill Academy (where Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Rajon Rondo also played, as well as recently Nova Scotia’s Lindell Wigginton). So far hasn’t played a major role for them, but maybe this year he can take a step forward.

Matthew Alexander-Moncreiff (6’6 SF). Not considered as talented as the former three, but I like him. I think he’s another cousin of Shai and Nickel, but a very different player. Much more athletic and explosive than these two, but skill level at this point is clearly not at the same level. Has a great frame for basketball. Very long, with huge strides. Great potential as an elite defender and he plays with a lot of passion and motivation, but still not there in terms of understanding the game. On offense, a real work in progress. If you asked me last year, I’d say he’s almost a lost case. Had no skills at all for an outside player. Couldn’t drive in traffic and his outside shot looked especially painful – very flat and awkward (and, not surprisingly, he almost never made it in the very few times he tried). Defenders just gave him space and he was an offensive liability.

I’m not sure what exactly he did over the summer, but this year he looks like a totally different player. Most notably, the shot looks really nice now (and he makes it with some regularity, although still doesn’t shoot much), including from the charity stripe, where he was formerly awful and now seems quite good (small sample, but still). Can’t remember seeing a player improving his shooting form so dramatically within such a short time. He’s also gaining confidence on the drive and is able to use his long steps to sometimes go around defenders and finish with a jam or lay-up. Still has a long way to go, and he will probably never be an offensive star. But I really like his character and long-term potential. If he’s a late-bloomer like Shai, I can certainly see him ending up as an NBA 3-and-D.

Luka Sakota (6’5 PG). A much more European-style player (I think he has Serbian origins). Good size for position and a good athlete, but not explosive and doesn’t finish above the rim. Also not very long. But very cerebral and knows how to play the angles and finish nicely around the basket with both hands. Excellent outside shot with a quick release. Also a real PG with court vision and passing. Long-term potential doesn’t look as high as the others, mainly because of the more limited physical tools, but he might surprise because he seems to be very good mentally.

Others worth mentioning in this class:
• Shemar Rathan-Mayes. PG. Xavier’s brother. Similar level of talent (perhaps even quicker), but he’s only around 5’11, so unless he still has a growth spurt in him, will probably not get that far.
• Coleman Stucke. 6’7 SF. Great shooter and a good overall scorer. Reminds me a bit of Brezdaikis, but at this point, he’s less athletic and a bit less talented.
• Keeshawn Barthelemy. An athletic guard (6’3) from Montreal who can play above the rim. Good perimeter shooter, but release is low. The athleticism should get him to the NCAA, but probably not talented enough to go beyond.

BIGS:
Both this class and the class of 2019 seem quite weak in terms of bigs. No one with clear NBA potential as far as I can see. That’s the area where the difference from the Americans in the finals game of the U16 FIBA Americas was especially glaring and quite painful to watch (although there was also a significant difference in guards and wings, both in terms of size and athleticism and in terms of talent level).


Other classes:

2017-18:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1643672
2019:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1644140
2021:
viewtopic.php?t=1644845
2022:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1645274
2023 + :
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1645754

 

[mojo13]

The lack of bigs had me thinking of Jaden Bediako. Or maybe I think he is the 2019 class right?
Worth any mention here? What do you see in his potential?

Or maybe the better prospect is his little brother Charles I think was 14 or 15 playing (and contributing) on the u17 FIBA Americas team last summer.

[Hair Canada]

The lack of bigs had me thinking of Jaden Bediako. Or maybe I think he is the 2019 class right?
Worth any mention here? What do you see in his potential?

Or maybe the better prospect is his little brother Charles I think was 14 or 15 playing (and contributing) on the u17 FIBA Americas team last summer.

As I wrote elsewhere, Jaden is indeed probably the best big from the class of 2019. He is only 6'9 or 6'10, but has a really big body, and a very long wingspan (I think around 7'4). He's also made huge strides over the last two years and can now dominate lesser opponents both defensively (often finishes games with 5 blocks or more) and offensively, with a nice hook shot and much better finish around the basket. All that said, he is an old-style big -- slow, without much of an outside shot and even with the improvement in mobility, he is still unable to really keep up with quicker players. He might improve some more, but I don't see him ever getting to a level where he'll be able to consistently defend NBA players or get his offense against quicker and much more athletic players who will also be as strong as he is.

Charles is indeed a better prospect, mainly because he has better mobility, but also because he'll end up taller and more athletic than Jaden. He was 15 playing with the U16 team this summer. opened up in games, but really didn't have too much influence on the game. I'll write more about him when I give my thoughts on the 2021 class.

[Hair Canada]

As for Addison Patterson, I'm wondering if I'm a bit hard with him given his young age. Watched him again yesterday. The outside shooting is still really weak. But the defensive effort seems to be improving somewhat (just one game but still). Hopefully, he continues in this way, because his talent is really unique and on offense at least, he's a fun player to watch. He's a real PG in my mind and his hight and great vision let him make really fantastic passes, especially to bigs.