2020 Rankings Breakdown: Best Shooters
As discussed in prior ranking breakdowns, shooting the basketball is a lost art among many new age hoopers despite the 3-point shot reigning supreme.
When writing evaluations across all classes, the term “perimeter shooting” is filed under the “weaknesses” column more and more, seemingly because knocking down a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer isn’t quite as spectacular as a driving dunk or euro-step finish.
Despite the lack of shooters in this current state of prep basketball, there are some young players who put in plenty of work on the gun, including these class of 2020 prospects.
5. Ryan Evans (Santa Margarita/Earl Watson Elite)
Evans is a traditional spot-up shooter with ideal form, balance and release point. He played limited minutes as a freshman on a loaded Santa Margarita squad and of his 30 total field goals made on the season, 21 came from behind the arc. The next step for Evans as a shooter is adding a touch more lift to his shot.
4. Kyle Braun (Calabasas/Cal Supreme)
At 6-1, Braun has a potentially-elite combination of length and lift on his jumper which allows him to nullify most defenders attempting to close out as he rises up. He releases the basketball at the peak of his jump and snaps that wrist which results in tight rotation and a soft touch on the rim.
3. Clark Slajchert (Oak Park/Earl Watson Elite)
Slajchert, who was also included in the best scorers breakdown for the rising sophomore class, connected on 51 percent (74 of 144) of his 3-pointers as a freshman, which was among the best in the state. What separates the 6-foot Slajchert from most others on this list is his ability to knock down the deep ball as consistently off the bounce as he does off the catch.
2. Demetrius Calip II (Taft/Cal Supreme)
Calip has the most unorthodox form on this list. He has a low release followed by an full arm extension that’s straight up and down, but he gets beautiful arc on his shot and it sometimes seems as if his ball doesn’t touch the net when it goes through.
1. Austin Cook (Damien/Compton Magic)
Every time the ball leaves Cook’s hand it looks like it’s going in. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard has a form as picturesque as it gets and repeats his mechanics better than most prospects in Southern California regardless of class. Cook drained upwards of 60 3-pointers for Damien last season on better than 40 percent from 3-point range.