J.D. Lewis Fall League: 2019 Regular Season Awards
The J.D. Lewis Fall League High School season is down to the last week of the playoffs entering November. Here’s a look at the awards and standouts from the fall season. Most Valuable Player: 2021 Forward Will Felton, Cavaliers Big…
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Continue ReadingThe J.D. Lewis Fall League High School season is down to the last week of the playoffs entering November. Here’s a look at the awards and standouts from the fall season.
Most Valuable Player: 2021 Forward Will Felton, Cavaliers
Big man Will Felton had an impressive run in the J.D. Lewis Fall League and showed each week why he’s considered a top player in the 2021 class. Felton put up 35.0 points, 21.1 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 2.8 assists per contest for the Cavaliers, who finished the regular season 8-1 in regular-season play.
He led the league in rebounds, points and field goal percentage (73.4 percent) to cap off an impressive run in the J.D. Lewis Fall League. Outside of his final regular-season game, Felton put up at least 20 points and 13 rebounds in the eight contests prior to Week 5.
Best Defensive Player: 2021 guard Ben Hines, Cavaliers
Ben Hines was one of the top scorers in the league (34.3 ppg) but he was also quite the defender as well. The 2021 guard earned the Best Defensive Player award after his stellar performance in the regular season. He isn’t the biggest guard on the floor, but Hines makes his presence felt with the ability to pressure the ball and force turnovers in the open floor. He averaged 2.9 steals per contest during the regular season and even put together an eight-steal performance against the Nets back on Oct. 13. He’s a competitor on both ends of the floor and a sharpshooter from the perimeter.
Best Underclassmen: 2022 forward Dylan Wiggins, Nets
Dylan Wiggins is an impressive player in the 2022 class of North Carolina. He’s got a solid skillset for a player of his age and size at 6-foot-5. He finished the regular season with 24.0 points, 16.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.4 blocks per contest in the frontcourt for the Nets. He only appeared in five of the eight regular-season games due to injury, but he managed to return in the final court and showed he hasn’t missed a beat.
He still finished second in the league in rebounds and fifth in scoring, showing how good he is around the basket for a prospect of his class. He’ll be a prospect to keep an eye on heading into the high school season at Cleveland.
All-League
First Team
2021 Forward, Will Felton, Cavaliers
As mentioned above, he was named the league MVP for the fall season after his stellar performance from the field and on the boards. He shot a league-best 72.1 percent from the field to close out the regular season as well. He’s a prospect that’s due for a big high school season at Millbrook High School.
2021 Guard, Brandon Huffstetler, Heat
Brandon Huffstetler was quite the sharpshooter from deep in fall league play. One of the top 3-point shooters in the league this season, shooting 50 percent from 3-point land through the regular season entering the final week. He drained 13 3-pointers across the final weekend for his squad, filling the scoring void despite the team having just four players.
2022 Guard, Julien King, Spurs
Julien King is a 2022 point guard prospect that had a strong season in fall league play. King is a young guard with a nice feel for how to run a team as a floor general. He plays with energy and does well to get to the rim and finish in traffic. He posted 22.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game this season as the Spurs went 6-2 in regular-season play. He’ll be a player to keep an eye on in the playoffs in the final weekend.
2023 Guard, Will Otto, Cavaliers
2023 combo guard Will Otto is a name with a bright future in the state of North Carolina. Otto was another top underclassmen in fall league action but a familiar face from his performance in summer league. He’s a player well beyond his years on the hardwood with his ability to create on offense and defend on the opposite end. He produced 26.1 points, 11.2 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game during regular season play and led the league in assists this season. He’s a player with tons of room to grow as a competitor in the area.
2021 Guard, Ben Hines, Cavaliers
Ben Hines is a top shooter in the 2021 class at the guard spot. Hines was another top sharpshooter in fall league, shooting 50.5 percent from behind the arc through eight games with 61 makes from behind the arc. He finished with 34.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.9 steals per contest as another key cog in the Cavaliers impressive season. They’ll need him to play big in the playoffs as they make a title run.
Second Team
2021 Guard, B.J. Keith, Warriors
B.J. Keith was a strong performer in the Warriors’ backcourt in fall league action this season. He appeared in just five games but he still posted 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.6 steals per contest as a two-way difference-maker. He’s a player that’s quick off the dribble going to the rim but also an underrated 3-point shooter. He shot 44.4 percent from 3-point land on the season, choosing wisely when to take shots from the perimeter. As a top guard, he’s one to watch this high school season.
2022 Guard, Evan Ashe, Rockets
Evan Ashe is another young 2022 guard that was impressive for the Rockets this fall season. Ashe put up 22.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per contest as a floor leader for his squad. He’s an aggressive slasher going to the rim and does well to keep his balance and finish strong at the rim. He’ll be a name to keep an eye on in the final playoff weekend.
2022 Forward, Trey Fields, Pacers
A young big man prospect that had a productive fall league was 2022 forward Trey Fields. Fields is a confident scorer off the dribble with the ball in his hands and has put in a concerted effort to rebound the ball. He averaged 21.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.9 blocks per contest through the regular season, finishing second in the league in rebounds. He’s another player in the playoffs to keep an eye on this weekend.
2020 Guard, A.J. Thompson, Nets
A.J. Thompson appeared in just five games for the Nets in the regular season, but he still managed to finish as a top performer in fall league play. He put up 28 points in his final regular-season game in a 103-83 victory over the Heat. Thompson finished the season averaging 35.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Although the Nets season ended early in the first round of the playoffs, he’s a combo guard at 6-foot-3 to keep an eye on.
2022 Forward/Wing, Dylan Wiggins, Nets
Dylan Wiggins was named Underclassmen of the fall league season after proving to be a formidable force in the paint for the Nets. He was a solid paint presence and rebounder despite battling a foot injury for much of the season. He still managed to finish Top 10 in scoring and rebounds per game while appearing in five games.