I Spy 2.0
Who I'm keeping my eye on this college basketball season. These are prospects that I'm confident will rise among boards as the season progresses.
Jett Howard
Jett Howard has had some spectacular performances under his father at Michigan. Unlike Patrick Baldwin Jr., playing under his dad is working to Howard’s advantage. At 6’8”, 215-lbs, the Michigan freshman is showing why he’s a first-round pick.
He’s a no-hesitation shooter, hitting 43.8% from deep. If teams give him space, he’s shooting it. In transition, step-back, set-shot, off the dribble. It doesn’t matter; he can shoot it. There’s been flashes of self-creation at the midrange, but he’s mostly primarily deferring to his teammates to set a play. He’s a smart player coming down the lane, knowing exactly how to get the bucket. He’s not going to throw his body at the basket or heave the ball in the air for a circus shot. Howard shows great balance and control over his shots. His signature floater epitomizes this perfectly.
Defensively, he’s sound, his length has earned him a few blocks on closeouts. On-ball, Howard’s balance and footwork shine again. When beat, Howard has done a great job recovering from behind.
Overall, he’s going to be a great addition for teams looking for a shooting wing. Expect his role to be similar of Trey Murphy III. Lethal 3&D wing.
Trevon Brazile
Trevon Brazile is the underrated prospect on this list. He’s a 19-year-old, 6’10” 215-lbs Sophomore at Arkansas, making big waves alongside projected lottery picks.
The first thing that pops out in Brazile’s game is his length. Apart from bigs, high wingspan prospects have generally been unable to produce an edge with their long wingspans at the NBA level. If prospects aren’t maximizing their length in college, they won’t take advantage of it in the big leagues. Brazile isn’t one of those prospects. His playstyle at Arkansas has maximized his wingspan advantage.
Combined with his athleticism, Brazile has been a very effective weapon for Arkansas. He’s been a terrifying lob threat for opponents, dominates in transition, and has some great finishes coming downhill. Moreover, Brazile has transformed into a legitimate perimeter scorer this season. Previously shooting 33% from deep his freshman year, Brazile is now shooting a much improved 37.9%.
He’s still raw as a defender, at times over relying on his length when defending as a wing stopper, but he’s averaging 1.4 blocks per game.
Brazile will be a great addition to teams that need that spark off the bench. He’s a versatile offensive player, whether it’s scoring downhill or from the corner. Brazile has the potential to fulfill those needs.
GG Jackson
GG Jackson celebrated his 18th birthday with a rough loss against East Carolina on December 17th. Jackson is the youngest player in South Carolina and the youngest player drafted among the 2023 class. Over everything, I’ll continue to underline Jackson’s age. At 6’9”, 215lbs, Jackson plays a modernized, grown-man game. He’s averaging 17-points, 7.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists, on 43/37/65 splits. Immediately Jackson became the main driving force for South Carolina, leading the Gamecocks in points and rebounds.
Mid-post, back to the basket, transition pull-ups, catch-and-shoot, turnarounds, fadeaways, GG Jackson boasts a deep iso bag. There’s only been a few prospects his archetype throughout the years. Without thinking too deep into it, Duke Jayson Tatum and Paolo Banchero are the guys that come to mind. Athletic, strong frames, self-creators, lethal coming downhill, comfortable in the midrange, with room for improvement defensively.
GG has a ton of upside, and judging by his performance at South Carolina so far, he’s capable of meeting high expectations.
Jordan Hawkins
Jordan Hawkins is a prospect that wonderfully embodies the modern shooting guard. This season, on his sophomore year, Hawkins has transformed into a certified sniper. It doesn’t matter where or how he gets the ball, Hawkins can and will get his shot off.
UConn is off to a perfect season, defeating the best teams in the nation by a wide margin. Hawkins plays a big role in their dominating offense. Hawkins has shown this season he’s a deep threat, no matter the play. Catch & Shoot, off the dribble, around a screen, from wherever. He can flat-out shoot. He doesn’t need space to get his shot, and he doesn’t need time to get in rhythm. Hawkins demonstrates excellent body control on catch and shoots coming off screens. Off-ball, Hawkins does a good job of moving tandem with the ball-handler. If he’s on the weak side wing, and the ball-handler is coming downhill, Hawkins instinctively shifts down to the corner. If the ball-handler is around the perimeter, and Hawkins is at the corner, Hawkins will shift up to the wing so the ball-handler can get a pass. Small details like this keep defenders moving and second-guessing. It’s why he’s shooting 42.5% from three this season, averaging 14.2ppg on 60.5% TS.
Inside the arc, Hawkins has room to improve, but overall, he’s a creative finisher, capable of finishing through contact. This season, Hawkins has attempted more midrange jumpers, taking advantage of defenders playing too close off the catch. While they haven’t been falling consistently, the shot is fluid.
Hawkins isn’t a great POA defender, but he’s been a very effective as a help defender. Disrupting plays and making shots hard is UConn’s identity. Hawkins has bought into it this season. At the pace he’s going, it’s going to be hard to keep him out the first-round.