Weekend Update with Coach Spins: Jan 17, 2022
Some big weekends for big men, another breakout performance in Lexington and more in our look at ten recent prospect showings
*Cue the SNL intro music*
Aaaaaand now… it’s time for this weekend update, with your host… Cooooooooaaaach Spinsssss!!!
None of the major theatrics here. Just prospects. Ten prospects, with video on each from their best games on Saturday and Sunday over this mid-season weekend in January. We’re fully in the swing of conference play, the part of the year where opponent scouting reports carry more weight and prospects start to be exposed for their shortcomings.
It was a wonky weekend of college hoops. Baylor, the number-one team in the country and unbeaten heading into the week, lost two games at home. Two other top-ten teams lost on their home courts in USC and Michigan State, while both Kentucky and Gonzaga topped the century mark.
Let’s look at the most intriguing prospects of the weekend in NBA Draft circles, starting with one of the highest risers on draft boards:
TyTy Washington - CG, Kentucky
This is a draft class short on alpha scorers and highly productive shooters who can play on-ball or off-ball. While TyTy is an average athlete with unimpressive physical tools, he is a supreme shot-maker in the half-court. The catch-and-shoot numbers speak for themselves, but the development of a strong pull-up scoring game has made Washington a more mainstream option to be a top-ten pick.
Against Tennessee, Washington was the best player on the court. He dominated the PNR reps he got, drilled impressive pull-up after pull-up and made swish after swish. Most impressive were the examples of feel in the mid-range, where he could take contact and keep his shooting stroke pure, or where he’d be able to comfortably score while driving to the left.
TyTy isn’t a primary option, but he can thrive in late-clock situations where he has to create for himself or others. He’s good enough in the PNR to make plays and rarely gets sped up. He’s been good in SEC play thus far against other strong athletes. In this draft class, the combination of those factors and off-ball scoring makes him one of the better offensive threats. It’s great to see him start to come out of his shell, get more on-ball reps under John Calipari and showcase what could make him a positive scorer in the NBA.
Josh Minott - ATH, Memphis
The Tigers are, to put it candidly, not a very cohesive group. Jalen Duren isn’t getting a ton of offensive usage and is hindered by the lack of a point guard. Emoni Bates has struggled for most of the year despite the flashes he showed on Saturday against East Carolina.
Lost in the shuffle has been Josh Minott, another freshman who stands 6’8” and has impressive athleticism. Minott’s development is hindered by the lack of organization in the half-court in Memphis; he’s very raw, and benefits most from playing with a team (or lead guard) who can find ways to let him play in space.
His 12 points in 18 minutes against ECU on Saturday is indicative of how he can find ways to impact a game. He’s a long defender, is great in the open floor and does alright in the few moments he wiggles free in the half-court to attack the rim:
A question I often ask myself while scouting Minott is how much different he is from Baylor players at the same position, Jeremy Sochan and Kendall Brown. Minott is equally raw in some offensive areas in the half-court, but has similar defensive tools and athleticism. Twice this season, Minott has scored 12 points or more in fewer than 20 minutes of play. While he’s raw, he’s producing a fair amount.
If he stays in the draft, he could be in play in the late parts of the first-round as a “pre-draft” candidate, similar to Josh Primo at Alabama. He could go in the first simply because, a year later with more seasoning at Memphis, he would be in a higher range, so this is like getting in on the ground floor. Whether Minott wants to leave the Tigers and go to the NBA remains to be seen.
Trevor Keels - W, Duke
Keels keeps impressing me as a passer. Coming into Duke, we thought he’d be more of a bully ball wing who uses his physicality to play a brutish style of basketball. He’s much more nuanced and able to play at multiple speeds than we thought. One of the speeds he can’t quite get to is a top speed on offense, so being able to manipulate pick-and-rolls or show crafty passing while going slow is imperative.
Keels showed that against NC State, hitting open teammates and manipulating the roll man to get open.
Many scouts, according to Sam Vecenie on the Game Theory Podcast, believe Keels will be fine as a shooter in the NBA, an opinion borne out of his strong high school shooting. The stroke is fine, but the supreme confidence in the shot simply isn’t there for me. He’s super young for this class and is likely a one-and-done to receive first-round interest.
There are flaws with Keels we struggle with. The shooting isn’t something we love enough to say he’ll be over 36-38% in a season. Why is that so important? He’s an undersized bully wing with a slower first step and isn’t much of a threat to score off the bounce if he isn’t steamrolling someone with his shoulder. Keels is more of an early second-round guy to us.
Walker Kessler - P, Auburn
With the rise of the Auburn Tigers into a top-five team in the country, Jabari Smith gets most of the credit. Walker Kessler has been arguably the team’s most important player, though, anchoring their defense while providing a vertical threat near the rim. Kessler was thought of as a first-round prospect over a year ago, seen as a rare big man with mobility, touch and some perimeter potential.
The perimeter potential hasn’t really been fulfilled, but Kessler is dominating as a rim protector and finisher. He’s the best shot blocker in college basketball and he gets gift-wrapped a ton of buckets due to Auburn’s scheme — and the fact he’s 7’1” playing in the SEC.
What we’re newly impressed by is his ability to show some touch near the rim. His catch-and-finish on a gather against Ole Miss was eye-opening, as was the reverse layup. If he can block shots out of the PNR against pull-up shooters like this consistently, there’s some hope to make him a really strong Drop coverage big in the NBA. He’s sneaking into the early-second round discussion at this point.
Cam Spencer - CG, Loyola (MD)
Alright — it’s deep sleeper time. Cam Spencer is a hell of a competitor, one of the most competitive athletes we’ve seen or been around. His older brother Pat, a Teewarton winner in college lacrosse, is currently playing with the Capital City Go-Go in the G-League and is a great athlete. Spencer has strength and solid athleticism, but you can tell his game is shaped by being needing to be crafty against his older bro growing up.
Spencer shoots it really well and makes them in a variety of ways. We love the tough shots off the bounce, as well as how he plays off the bounce. Cam takes care of the basketball, gets to the free throw line a ton and carries a strong offensive load. All those factors combine to make him one of the most impactful, yet somehow underrated, players in college basketball.
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