As college basketball approaches, and NBA prospect hype is at all-time highs, it’s a good time to share who I’ll be keeping a close eye on throughout the season. This upcoming draft has already been touted as one of the deepest drafts since 2003, and it’s hard to argue. Wembanyama has displayed a talent and skill for basketball like no other. Henderson blew through the G-League last season at 17 years old. The Thompson twins possess athleticism that’s impossible to describe with words. It’s a draft class with no ceilings.
The guys mentioned above are surefire picks, but there are a few others to keep your eye on. Let’s get into it.
Anthony Black
Committed to the University of Arkansas, 6’7, ~200-pound Anthony Black exhibits great potential as a versatile, playmaking shooting guard in the NBA. Whether it’s a lob, cross-court pass, or making a cut to the basket, Black appears to see it all. His ability to identify and execute on hitting the right man for a bucket is impressive. He led the USA U18 roster in assists, averaging 4.2 per game. Outside of FIBA, he’s shown a fantastic knack for reaching the basket. Most of his buckets from getting downhill and finishing at the rim, demonstrating great body control and touch.
Black has a smooth shooting form, some great shooting games, but he isn’t fully confident in his shot yet. He’s not looking to attempt many threes in a game unless he made his first couple. This becomes obvious on possessions where Black has an open three but forces the drive. Typically resulting in a difficult layup, or him picking up his dribble at the free throw line, stuck. Fixing this will be a point of emphasis in Arkansas. Attempting those perimeter shots is what I’ll be looking for in his time with the Razorbacks. I’m confident they’ll fall. From there, going to his strengths will be a lot easier.
Overall, Anthony Black is one of my favorite prospects. I’m a sucker for playmaker, especially at his height. Presuming a successful showing at Arkansas, Black is an attractive prospect to any team.
Cam Whitmore
Cam Whitmore is a dominating 6’6, ~230-pound power forward. When I say dominating, I mean it. Everywhere he’s gone, he’s taken command. FIBA, All-American, the list goes on. The highlights are look like dunk contest tape. Windmills, alley-oops, tomahawks, vicious put-backs, Whitmore has done it all. Defenders can’t seem to keep him from slamming the rim. A strong body, great transition player, nuclear lob threat, and overwhelming in isolation. He’ll have no issues getting to the line.
Despite the positives, Cam Whitmore is very easy to overthink. There’s no step-backs, fadeaways, or turnaround jumpers. He’s either spearheading to the basket or shooting the open three. Shot diversity isn’t there, but he doesn’t need it to be a great prospect. Whitmore’s frame allows him to bully through contact, and the speed deters teams from putting bigger players on him.
His frame reminds me of Anthony Edwards. The strength and perimeter scoring are similar as well. Edwards is more along the lines of a shot creator; Whitmore should be looked through the lens of a playmaker. He has some good plays dumping the ball to the 5 for the easy dunk or kicking out for an open corner three. His gravity will be great for Villanova, providing teammates open looks off doubles. He’s efficient for his playing style. Passing and simple playmaking will make great improvement to an already sound game.
GG Jackson
Under the spotlight for his decommitment from UNC, and reclassification from the 2023 class to 2022, GG Jackson is a prospect that will garner close attention this season. I don’t know the strategy of reclassifying, or decommiting from UNC to play for USC (Gamecocks), but I do know the talent and potential is there. Possibly a win—win for Jackson, he could stay another year at USC and come into the 2024 draft at 19, or he gets picked up by a play-in/playoff team this upcoming draft. Regardless, Jackson was ranked the best player in his class for a reason. At 6’9, ~215-pounds, GG Jackson is a top-level prospect.
Opposite of Cam Whitmore, Jackson goes deep in the hooper bag to get buckets. Crossovers, step-backs, turnaround fades, transition pull-ups, he shows it all. Jackson however isn’t reliant on these moves to get points. At FIBA, most of his scoring came from the dunker spot, cutting to the basket, slamming the alley-oop. Jackson can make the open three and has no issue pulling up for the mid-range. The offensive skillset is extensive. Defensively, Jackson isn’t a lockdown, hall-of-fame defender, but he does a solid job staying in front of guards and other forwards. Jackson uses his length to the fullest, making athletic blocks and crafty steals.
At 17 (turning 18 this December), Jackson’s shot selection will be the biggest concern of his game. Will he feel the need to take tough shots for the sake of his team, or pass up easy plays for the flashy move? It may show up a few times, but Jackson does a good job of hitting the open man whenever he draws defenders. Combined with typical college systems, I doubt Jackson will be getting heavy into Melo/Kobe isolation play this season. Developing the pull-up three will be important for Jackson. Whether it’s coming off a screen or in transition, those shots will up open his game for more efficient/smart scoring.
Jordan Walsh
Jordan Walsh is the most questionable prospect on this list, yet the most intriguing. His offense is very raw. When I say offense, it’s not just his shooting. The finishing, handles, passing, driving, everything looks raw. His athleticism seems to be ahead of his actual play.
He’s 6’7, ~195-pounds, a typical forward in today’s game. Here’s the twist: Jordan Walsh sports a 7’3 wingspan. It makes sense that he’s so raw offensively with those long arms, he’s still adjusting. They’ve been great for his defense, but the offense will take time. For context on his wingspan, Eric Paschall and Jalen Williams are the only NBA players who have similar heights and wingspan to Walsh. Both are solid scorers, better defenders.
Well Walsh is already a terrific defender. That 7’3 wingspan is overwhelming for guards, and his lateral quickness keeps him in front. Walsh is great at speeding up the game tempo with steals and transition dunks. For him, it’s all about refining and gaining control over the ball. Specifically, ball-handling and shot selection. Addressing these issues at Arkansas is key. As an above the rim, lockdown defender, upside is high for Jordan Walsh.
Baba Miller
Out of the entire class, I’ll be watching Baba Miller the closest. Miller is the only player in this list that hasn’t had a breakout scoring performance, hot streak, or overall dominating performance. However, at 6’11 and ~205-pounds, he’s hard to pass over.
For the past couple of seasons, Miller has been playing through the European circuit with the U18 Real Madrid and U18 Spain teams. He averaged, 6.4 ppg last season with Real Madrid, and 11.8 ppg with Spain. With his upcoming season at Florida State, I’m interested to see his role in their system. Miller is a slender, shifty, 6’11 small forward. Shows great movement off the ball, impressive cutter, and would be great in the pick and roll. Possibly the pick and pop as well.
Miller’s shooting form is smooth, but the outside scoring is inconsistent. His can turn this around just by raising his dip as he gathers the ball for the shot. As of now, Miller lowers the ball almost if not at his knees, and then goes up into his shot. Cutting the low dip out of mechanics will help his balance, timing, and efficiency on his jumper.
Miller does a good job getting downhill for the lay. His quickness gives him the one-up on some defenders. He’s not a blow by guy, but he does get the angle. He still has developing to do around finishing through the lane, but more times than not he converts.
The two abilities that make Miller special is his defense and passing vision. Miller’s shiftiness on defense is special. He’s a great on-ball defender, able to guard 1-4. He’s great navigating through screens and general off-ball movement. His length makes contests effective, and occasionally making the tough block. He’s averaging more turnovers than assists, but the upside is high. I’m confident that the ast/tov ratio will flip as the game slows down for him. The finds Miller makes for his teammates are rare for someone his size.