NBPA Top 100 Scouting: East Coast Seniors (Part 3)
The NBPA Top 100 camp took place last week from Wednesday through Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA. The goal of the camp is to take some of the best talent around the country and have them compete in a controlled environment, all while learning from current and former NBA players what it takes to make it to the NBA and what it’s like once you make it there. The atmosphere was great, as there was tons of talent throughout the gym, national scouts everywhere and competitive games from the beginning to the end. It was a great place to evaluate, and over the next few days I will be giving my take and breaking down the game of some of the top performers I saw (there was no way I could see everyone). Here’s a look at part three of the rising seniors on the east coast.
Javonte Smart | 6’3” PG | Scotlandsville Magnet (LA)
Smart wasn’t a superstar in any means, but he was extremely solid throughout the event. Playing on a team with multiple playmaking guards, he accepted his role whether he was on or off the basketball and never tried to do too much. He showed shotmaking ability from all three levels, was good defensively both on the ball and in help situations and was a spark plug that did whatever it is his team needed to help them win. He finished the camp averaging 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and three assists per game. His best game came Friday night before the playoffs started, where he hung 16 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field and chipped in six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Devon Dotson | 6’1” PG | Providence Day (NC)
I have never hid the fact that Dotson is one of my favorite points guards in the country, and the way he’s performed at the last two Top 100 camps shows, in my opinion, that he’s one of the best in the entire country. He’s compact, strong and dynamic, and while he may measure in at 6’1”-6’2” on a good day he plays like a giant in the lane. He’s able to finish around the rim through contact and he’s also tremendous at making others better. He finished the camp averaging 12.4 points, 4.3 assists and was one of the camp leaders with two steals a game. What’s most impressive to me is that he finished with 30 assists and just six turnovers, a 5:1 assist to turnover ratio for you mathematicians out there.
Anfernee Simons | 6’3” WG | Edgewater (FL)
The recent Louisville commit showed us exactly what Cardinals’ fans will be getting for the next four years, and that’s a straight bucket getter! Simons can score it in so many different ways, whether it’s within a set when a play is run for him or in isolation sets where he can create and score for himself. He scored in double figures in six of his nine games he played in, and shot an impressive 41% from deep and was an even more impressive 11-for-11 from the line throughout the event. He had a few bad shooting games, but because of his ability to score it in bunches and in so many different ways he’s the type of kid you have to let play through tough shooting stretches because once he gets out of them he could essentially win you a game. His most impressive game was the second game of the event, where he scored 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting and 6-for-8 shooting from deep in just 25 minutes. Matter of fact, his 11.6 points per game came while only playing about 24 minutes per game, half the time of the NBA 48 minutes they were playing.
Will Dillard | 6’3” WG | Greensboro Day (NC)
Dillard got better as the camp went on, with his best games coming in the playoffs where he scored 20 points in their first round win and 11 in their final game that they lost. While he showed the ability to score it, especially in transition where he was able to use his athleticism and strength to finish in traffic, he really excelled defensively. He moved his feet well and used his strength to keep ball handlers in front of him, and he made good reads off the ball to be in help when need be. He isn’t going to be the first option offensively at the next level, but he showed that he can be a lockdown defender at almost any level.
Naz Reid | 6’9” PF | Roselle Catholic (NJ)
One of the most talked about prospects at the event, Reid had a target on his back and got the best of every big man he matched up with. While he struggled early, as many big men do in this type of camp setting, he got it going and was one of the top performers on Friday with games of 24 points and 10 rebounds and 14 points and nine rebounds. He’s a huge presence in the paint on both ends, as he’s able to get off his feet well for his size to finish in the paint or protect the rim, and he’s also versatile as he can stay in front of guards and score it from multiple levels. If you take out their play in game (a shortened six minute game for playoff seeding), he finished the camp averaging 11.5 points, six rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game all while shooting 54.5% from the field and 76% from the line.
Jalen Smith | 6’8” PF | Mount Saint Joseph (MD)
Smith showed flashes of his versatility and improvement over the past few years, much as he’s done with Takeover on the EYBL this summer. At 6’8” he’s a power forward that can shoot it out to the three point line, has good vision at the high post and he’s skilled enough to initiate the break with the ball in his hands. He had multiple coast-to-coast takes after getting defensive rebounds, and he showed that he can get to the rack and finish or he can find teammates running with him for easy shots. “Stix,” as he’s known by his teammates, has to fill out more, as he’s able to get pushed around on the block too easily, but there weren’t many big men at the camp that showed the ability to play in an uptempo system the way he can. Once he gets into a college weight room and on a diet plan he should fill out, and that will only make him tougher in half court sets with his ability to finish at multiple levels at his size.