Weekend Update: Quarantine Blues
COVID interruptions canceled some tremendous scouting games. We turned our eye to other matchups
Happy Monday! COVID seemed to ruin everyone’s college basketball viewing weekend. Multiple games were postponed or canceled, even at the last minute like Memphis-Tennessee. The great part about ESPN+ and Synergy… we can bounce around and pivot without a problem.
Since our own basketball program is on pause, we were able to tune into plenty of college games this weekend. Here are some of the top standouts we saw and some thoughts on how they stack up in the 2022 NBA Draft class.
Tari Eason - ATH, LSU
A 6’8” do-it-all forward/ big, Eason has found success in Baton Rouge after transferring out of Cincinnati. Through 11 games, Eason is averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and shooting 61.7% from two-point range while coming off the bench for the Tigers. He’s become such a trusted part of their rotation that in late-game situations, Eason is the guy Will Wade hands the ball to. That’s a lot for a guy who plays a hybrid 4/5.
On Saturday, Louisiana Tech was hounding the unbeaten Tigers and playing them very close. It was Eason who came to the rescue with countless late buckets, as the Tigers went small and attacked Kenneth Lofton Jr. with Eason as the quarterback.
Eason’s game has some severe limitations. He did drill two 3-pointers on Saturday, but the shot is very questionable to say the least. He isn’t a great off-ball player, doesn’t have a great deal of playmaking prowess for others — he hasn’t had multiple assists in a game since November 12th. That wouldn’t be a major concern if Eason was a more polished scorer off the bounce. He’s not a screen-and-roll finisher, and the lack of playmaking means he isn’t a great facilitator for others. Right now, he’s just a mismatch option at the 5 as a face-up driver for himself. There’s room for that at the next level, but not here.
There’s little doubt that Eason is a really good finisher, toolsy defender and unique at 6’8”. He turns defense to offense as well as anyone else in the nation. But we aren’t jumping in on Eason as a first-round prospect just yet. We’ll be patient with him to see the rest of his perimeter game start to play out and if he can show some passing chops. Averaging 18.5 PPG over his last six has definitely caught our attention, though.
Kendall Brown - W, Baylor
Right now, there’s little to debate. Kendall Brown is the best athlete in this draft class. His vertical athleticism is rare with how he leaps out of the gym. His ability to accelerate into passing lanes makes him a lethal threat on defense. He’s shifty laterally and has excellent body control on his finishes.
Brown is shooting 71.4% from the field for the #1 team in the country. He’s a low-volume player, but part of the reason everything is going in is because he doesn’t take bad shots. He’s a good ball-mover, slasher and cutter in the half-court. If he isn’t getting looks at the rim, he isn’t taking shots. Everything he does comes in transition.
When you see Brown play it is hard to ignore the long-term potential for him to take what he does well in transition to the half-court. He’s got great handles and makes simple plays. His decision-making is immaculate, and the shot has long-term upside. We get really excited about Brown as a result. The upside is incredibly high, and because of the defensive aptitude and physical profile, the floor is in a decent spot as well. He’s cementing himself as a lottery pick with performances against great teams like he did against Oregon.
Azuolas Tubelis - P, Arizona
From one elite team to another, Arizona has been one of the best programs in the country this season. The Wildcats are a well-oiled machine in Tommy Lloyd’s offensive system, constantly tweaking their offensive attack based on their opponent. Against an undersized Cal Baptist team who tried multiple types of defenses, the versatile big man Azuolas Tubelis got to flash his skill level.
Tubelis would mismatch post smaller guys and constantly look to duck-in near the post. When Baptist went zone or zone press, Tubelis would be the prime facilitator away from the basket in hi-lo actions.
The two most important portions of Tubelis’ long-term prospects are his shooting range and his defensive upside. Right now, Tubelis is 4-18 from deep and only 66.1% from the free throw line. There could be some work done to his stroke to stabilize his jumper; the mechanics look okay other than the guide hand. A lefty, Tubelis takes his right hand off the ball very quickly, but doesn’t really keep it still. It seems to interrupt the flight of the ball out of his hand.
The real reason we’re high on Tubelis: his defensive potential is really high. A positional rim protector, the Lithuanian is really mobile in the open floor and on the perimeter. He can do better with angles and learn how to position himself on switches better, but this is a guy who has the natural ability to guard multiple positions for a possession at a time or in different schemes.
Keegan Murray - F, Iowa
Another Saturday, another ho-hum career-high for Keegan Murray. The 6’8” forward scored 35 points against Utah State in a very collegiate-style game. He scored mainly off fouls, putbacks, post-ups (and poor defense gambling for steals on a full front by the Aggies) and transition.
The flashes of his game that we saw which translate to the NBA: pick-and-pop shooting and that really solid first step. Play Murray in isolation at the pinch post or face-up from the perimeter and he can get past his man to the rim much more easily than most 215-pound forwards:
We’ve grown to like Murray a lot more than our preseason perception of him would indicate. He’s a consistent scorer, great in the pick-and-pop and a very good athlete. The control he plays with as a driver and finisher is admirable, and the polish on his footwork mature.
As the year goes on, we’ll be spending more time watching the defense for Murray to see how it translates to NBA success. At this point, the offense is pretty well documented.