Lathan Hord @PrepHoopsTN/AboveTheRimGym Fall Combine Recapture
Lathan Hord (Franklin Christian Academy) gifted the @PrepHoopsTN/AboveTheRimGym Fall Combine with an adept shooting touch.
How did he measure against the competition?
- Class of 2023
- 5’10”
- Wingspan — 5’9″
- Height w/o shoes — 5’10”
- Height w/ shoes — 5’10 1/2″
- Hand Span — 9.0″
- Hand Length — 7.5″
- Shoe Size — 11
- Standing Reach — 7’8″
- Peak Reach — 9’6″
- One-step vertical — 22″
- Lane Agility — 14.96, 15.51
- Fall Combine Ranking — #63
NBA Stylistic Comparison: 2018 Pelicans Solomon Hill
Catch-and-shoot skills are decent to occassionally better than the average freshman. Lathan’s strengths are certainly endurance, unselfishness, and shot-making if given time/space.
Of concern is Lathan’s assertiveness. In what has become a common theme among younger combine participants, Lathan Hord lacked the commanding presence that his skills necessitated. Often, the younger participants defer to the older participants. This can be expected to some degree. Lathan did better in individual drills than he did in open play and that falls upon two people…the point guard and Lathan himself. Greedier teammates did overlook Lathan in stretches, intent on making their own reputations blossom instead of involving the young shooter. When he found opportunities, he needed to make sharp, quick decisions and create chances for himself or others. There was too much hesitation in his actions and defenders more accustomed to screechingly fast play swallowed him up. Lathan is not less of a player, but he is still adapting to a swifter speed of play. This takes more than skill work in the open gyms. If basketball is something he wants to pursue, then Lathan needs to find some AAU teammates that truly challenge and drive him to play faster and increasingly efficiently.
Lathan’s lane agility times of 14.96 and 15.51 indicate he needs to improve his quickness. Lane agility measures the player’s movements traversing the lane while incorporating lateral slides and backpedaling. Lathan’s leg power is ok. His change of direction needs to improve. Much of basketball revolves around quickness and fluidity around the court. Hord’s game will evolve and his offensive opportunities will expand dramatically once he addresses this aspect of his young game.
Encouragingly, Lathan’s hips are very “clean.” There is a natural smoothness to his gait and his movement. Of course strength and quickness can always improve, but limitations ordinarily found in the hips and flexibility of stiff players do not exist with Lathan. He projects as a long-striding runner capable of flourishing out in the open floor.
As a catch-and-shoot guy (at this stage), Lathan needs to move more consistently away from the basketball. Too often he was seen standing or hovering in a general area….stagnant. Moving his defender and coming off screens will enable him to capitalize on his current talent and most likely future bankable skill.
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