Sawyer Smith @PrepHoopsTN/AboveTheRimGym Fall Combine Recapture
Sawyer Smith (Morristown West) gifted the @PrepHoopsTN/AboveTheRimGym Fall Combine with touch in tight, unselfishness, and technically sound play.
How did he measure against the competition?
- Class of 2020
- 6’6 1/2″ Forward
- Wingspan — 6’6″ or 78″
- Height w/o shoes — 6’6 1/2″
- Height w/ shoes — 6’7″
- Hand Span — 9.5″
- Hand Length — 8.5″
- Shoe Size — 17
- Standing Reach — 8’7″
- Peak Reach — 10’3″
- One-Step Vertical — 20″
- Lane Agility — 13.55, 14.00
- Fall Combine Ranking — #32
- All-Star Top 40
NBA Stylistic Comparison: 2000 Pistons John Wallace
College Projection: Division III.
Sawyer’s 17 shoe size was the largest of the event. It is testing my memory, but I believe it to be the largest of all PrepHoopsTN events in history (4 total). He moved his feet pretty well considering. Light defense by a forward saw him dash to the defender’s shoulder and get a half-step advantage with speed and comfortable not overly creative, just pragmatic dribbling.
In the Top 40 All-Star Game, Sawyer showed his face-up game. He is not a liability on the dribble against slow-footed bigs. In tighter traffic, he might find some capable resistance from both elite bigs and swiping and reaching guards.
Sawyer’s lane agility (13.55) was slower than the mean, but it deserves mention that the event hosted fewer than 10 true bigs. Among attending players 6-foot-4 or taller it was an average time. Lane agility measures a few things: change of direction, speed, body control. Sawyer’s feet were quick-ish. Body control was a strength. Straightline speed is just ok.
Sawyer Smith of Morristown West is a 6’6″+ front-facing forward. He liked to pull his defender away from the basket and take a dash to the rim. He lacked the incredible lift (20″ vertical) to get perfectly clear looks at the layup when driving. Touch from 10′ was a plus.
Sawyer Smith rebounds most of the basketballs in his area. Not really ranging to the wayward shots away from his “rebounding zone.”
Willing screener. Good, wide base set on each screen. He uses perfect technique. Camp/combine environments are painfully devoid of screens. That Sawyer set numerous high screens unprovoked shows he has both strong court awareness and also embraces the team concept.
Really nice conditioning. Smith easily kept up with the lighter, smaller guards as it relates to endurance. Made the correct passes. Did not play above the rim. Shot mechanics were sound. Versatile forward for sure.
Wonderful teammate. High character guy. Never going to be an off-court problem for his college coaching staff. Hypes up his teammates when asked about his team. All-around pleasant personality, soft shot from 10′ and in, plus dribbling for a Class AAA 4/5.
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