Is This Anything? 5 Prospects Who Have Caught Our Eye
Before proclaiming them legitimate draft prospects, we look at five players who have interesting statistical profiles, on-court traits, or simply haven't gotten their due
League Pass is a wonderful thing.
From ‘The Andersons got tickets to the game” to the Antonelli’s Cheese Shop, many fragments from the broadcasts we’ve watched on League Pass find their way into my brain. One such tidbit comes from the Orlando Magic broadcasts, where they flash up an obscure stat and ask the rhetorical question ‘is this anything?’
Most of the stats they show are cherrypicked to show a narrative about their specific opponent or on the Magic team at large. Oftentimes they might not amount to anything meaningful in terms of diagnosing how or what Orlando is doing, but they are interesting eye-catchers nonetheless.
We’re stealing from the Magic broadcasts here and applying the same type of scan to prospect hunting. Perhaps many or all of the players we discuss in this article never amount to prospects. But maybe, just maaaaybe, one of them becomes a legitimate NBA player down the line.
Through different statistical queries, eye-catching moments when we watch film to examine other prospects, or intriguing combinations of skill and size, these five players have caught our eye enough to have us wondering if this is anything legitimate.
Patrick Gardner - P, Marist
A former Division II transfer from St. Michael’s in Vermont, Patrick Gardner has an amazing blend of size and skill. At 6’11” with decent strength, he’s averaging 19 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 50% shooting. He is a reliable stretch option too, knocking down 33.3% of his triples on over 4 attempts per game. Most of the damage he does is from the top of the key and elbows or in transition, where he utilizes his guard skills incredibly well.
Gardner is a lefty, and he’s really crafty at being able to get back to his left near the hoop. His handle is really advanced for his position, though everything is meant to try and get him going left. That one-handed style always gives us pause at projecting his play to the next level.
Gardner plays a lot like the left-handed Grant Nelson, except he plays beneath the rim and can actually shoot. He’s much more skilled and can be a mismatch nightmare for teams who cannot keep up with him off the dribble at his size. Marist uses Gardner in the pick-and-pop a lot, and while the shooting is good enough to draw attention from defenses, he’s most dangerous there as a passer or attacking closeouts.
To be clear, Gardner isn’t athletic enough to put pressure on the rim and do the same thing against the top guys in the world on a consistent basis. He’ll have to be more of a shooter or passer, with occasional rim pressure based on guys biting on pump fakes.
On defense, Gardner knows where to be and is functional enough. He rarely commits fouls and has quick hands, even while retreating. The league might be too athletic for him, but there are real skills that he brings to the table that make him an intriguing guy to watch. He could end up being more of an international guy, but we’re interested in seeing how he’d play at the P.I.T. or at pre-draft workouts based on the skill he brings to the table.
Isaac Jones - F, Idaho
Built like a defensive end with explosive two-foot leaping, Idaho’s Isaac Jones plays like a bully. The 6’9”, 245-pound forward is in his first year with the Vandals after transferring from Wenatchee Valley College at the JUCO level. He’s averaging 20 points per game and absolutely dominating teams down low. While he’s good in transition and as a catch-and-finish prospect, he’s really carving up teams in the Big Sky down on the blocks.
His combination of power and polished footwork makes him a load one-on-one, and at that level he’s really good at utilizing his strength for great pre-catch positioning. He handles double-teams alright, too.
For the modern NBA game, Jones likely won’t command many post-up attempts. His position at 6’9” can be more like a transition bowling ball and (potentially) a defensive stopper. He doesn’t have great defensive metrics right now, but he’s playing more as a rim protector than a lateral defender in space.