Canadian class of 2021: Athletic forwards

[Hair Canada]

Canadian CLASS OF 2021


At this age (around 15-16), I think there’s no point in doing any rankings or talking with any confidence about who will do better. There’s a good chance that some of the players below will not even end up as serious professional players and others who are not on the list could step up in the coming few years. Still, I find that it can be nice to follow and try guessing who might have the potential for a bright future. In a couple of years, we’ll be able to see if any of this actually materializes.

So here are a few players that stood out for me when watching the games of the U16 national team, the provincial championship, and the high school games. The 3 that stick out as having next-level potential are all tall wings, with somewhat of a similar game and potential, although they also have varying strengths. At this point, none of them is a “proven commodity”, such as what RJ Barrett already was at this age, so this is really based on physicals and some flashes of the potential.

Cordell Charles (6’7 SF). Great size. Has grown considerably (3-4 inches) over the last year and will likely end up at around 6’8 or 6’9 with a good and solid frame. A long and fluid athlete, with fairly good ball handling skills. Can penetrate and finish with a jam, a drop shot, or with some angles (mainly with his right). Also has really nice form on his outside shot (only catch-and-shoot at this point) and hits it with some regularity. Still looks a bit awkward. Often runs into defenders in traffic and gets the charge or loses the ball. It’s also a bit hard for him to finish creatively around the basket at this point. In addition, he is still a bit passive defensively, not really using his length, but it seems more a matter of maturity and feel for the game than lack of motivation/effort. Overall, I think he has really great potential, perhaps the highest in this class.

Muon Reath (6’7 SF). An Ottawa product of Sudanese decent. Fantastic defensive potential. REALLY long and seems to have great instincts on the defensive end. Once he finishes growing (hopefully at around 6’9), his frame fills in, and he learns to use his tools even better, I think he would be able to play as either a 3-and-D stopper or a small ball stretch four at the next levels. Offensively, he’s still raw, but making good progress and already looking much better than last year. Has good form on his three ball shot – a high and fairly quick release. Still doesn’t make them with consistency. Can also straight-line drive and finish with a slam, but here too there’s still a lot of work on the finishing-touch and the assertiveness, as he often shies away from contact. Plays with Canada Topflight Academy, the NPA champions and the best team on that league. This year he’s on the starting lineup and certainly justifies his minutes with his defensive contribution.

George Lefevre (6’8 SF/PF). An intriguing prospect from Montreal. The one that I’ve seen the least, as he wasn’t playing in Canada over the last year. A dynamic wing, with good mobility and size. Can penetrate and shoot a bit from the perimeter. Not so sure how development has been as of late, so I’ll leave it at that, but he’s clearly someone to watch in the coming years.

In no particular order, some others who I’ve seen and believe have interesting potential, but who are probably not NBA material:

Charles Bediako (6’10 center) is an interesting player, probably the best prospect in this group. Tall and long. Can end up at around 6’11 or 7 feet with a wingspan of around 7’4 (not sure about these figures). Right now he’s REALLY raw. Still weak and the athleticism hasn’t quite caught up. Played with the U16 team this summer and opened at the center. More of a sad testimony to the lack of quality bigs on the 2020 Canadian class than anything, as he was clearly not ready. Seeing him next to American bigs like James Wiseman And Vernon Carey Jr. was a bit painful, as he was not even in the same dialing zone, but these two may actually be future NBA stars (especially Wiseman). Bediako still looks kind of awkward on the court. Cannot shoot at all from more than three feet from the basket and isn’t able to establish position against anyone with some strength. But he’s still very young and most bigs develop slowly. He’s actually ahead of where his brother Jaden was at this age and although he’s not as strong and wide as Jaden, he is more mobile and athletic, so I think his long-term potential is better, especially considering where basketball is going in recent years.

Jonathan Avgousty – Currently the best scorer in the class. The MVP of the U15 national provincial championship in 2017. Shooting guard with good size (6’5 or 6’6), but limited athletically, which I think might hurt his defensive potential and overall long-term prospects.

Bennedict Mathurin – Athletic Combo with good size from QC. Can get to the rim and finish well, and has good court vision. Weak outside shot and turnover prone at this point.

Mathew Nelsons – a long and lanky wing. Similar mold to Charles and Reath, but seems less talented (and probably not as big).

Kyle Duke – First time I saw Duke in a full game was a year ago with St Mike’s high in his first high school game as a freshman. He put on a show with 30 points playing against kids 4-5 years older. Turns out though that this was his best game of the season. Duke is a talented PG, but two things limit his potential for me. First, he hasn’t grown much over the last two years and remains around 6’0 with a thin frame. Second, he is not that quick and from what I’ve seen in the last nationals also not a pure PG. creates more for himself than for others at this point.

Kevonne Marshall – a lefty combo guard with good size (around 6’4) and a very good knack for scoring. Also a good passer. Not very explosive or quick though from what I’ve seen, limiting long-term prospects.


Other classes:

2017-18:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1643672
2019:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1644140
2020:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1644482&p=60956369#p60956369
2022:
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2023 + :
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