Francisco’s Finest: Class of 2021 Improvements (Point Guards)

<p><span style="font-size: 14pt"><b>Francisco's Finest: Class of 2021 Improvements (Point Guards)</b></span></p> <p>LONG BEACH, CA—Devin Ugland, one of the better evaluators in the country, did an outstanding job of breaking down—by position—the best prospects in the Class of 2021. In a four part series, I will dig a little bit deeper and present the areas of the game for many of these prospects that need to be addressed to improve their production at both ends of the floor. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>For example, what does the No. 1 prospect in the class—that being <b>Peyton Watson</b>—need to implement in his game for it to go to a new level? Etiwanda's <b>Jahmai Mashack</b> is a tremenous defender, but what element of his game needs improvement? These are just two examples of what is going to be addressed in the following blogs.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><b>Brenton Knapper (Colony)</b></p> <p><b>6-foot, 150 pounds</b></p> <p><b>Joel's Take:</b> Knapper is as explosive as it gets from the point guard position. His initial burst is explosive and tight. Once he gets into the lane he can float amongst the bigs for the acrobatic finish. He can hit the pull-up jump shot or snap passes to open teammates. On the other hand, his jump shot needs to get more consistent at the 3-point stripe and he's ran into some bad luck with the injury bug.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><b>Chris Howell (Torrey Pines)</b></p> <p><b>6-foot-6, 175 pounds</b></p> [caption id="attachment_965086" align="alignleft" width="150"] <em><strong>Howell has great size and vision, but needs a consistent jump shot.</strong></em>[/caption] <p><b>Joel's Take:</b> Howell has great size at the position and his overall feel for the game is high-level. He can manage the game in the half court with his savvy and pin-point passing, while on the break he has the ball skills and feel for the game to deliver timely passes. The key with his development is refining his shooting stroke. Being able to keep defenses honest by having a consistent jump shot will be the catalyst to where he ends up in the recruiting process.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><b>Houston Mallette (Pacifica Christian)</b></p> <p><b>6-foot-4, 165 pounds</b></p> [caption id="attachment_776987" align="alignleft" width="150"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/06/Houston-Mallette.jpg"></a> <em><strong>Mallette is a rangy point guard prospect who is on the rise.</strong></em>[/caption] <p><b>Joel's Take</b>: One of the fastest risers in the Class of 2021 is Mallette. The wiry point guard prospect has great length, good ball skills, and a bevy of moxie. He's a scoring point guard who can get a bucket in transition or convert from beyond the stripe. He is a solid floor general who makes good decisons, but to take his game to a new level he needs to get more consistent finishing with either hand in traffic—and that should come with added strength and maturity.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><b>Lamaj Lewis (St. John Bosco)</b></p> <p><b>6-foot-4, 175 pounds</b></p> <p><b>Joel's Take:</b> One of the more intriguing prospects in the class is Lewis. The multi-positional floor general can play all three perimeter positions due to his ball skills, shooting touch, and passing acumen. The rangy prospect with good length has solid quickness and speed and he is a crafty finisher in the paint. As with most in this group, his jump shot needs to continue to get more consistent to keep his driving game going.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><b>Jaden Byers (Rancho Christian)</b></p> <p><b>6-foot-1, 155 pounds</b></p> <p><b>Joel's Take</b>: The lefty Byers—along with Brenton Knapper—are the two of the quickest guards in the West. His burst and speed are high level and his vertical allows him to finish above the rim. He can knock in jump shots as well, but the key for me with Byers is playing with pace and making good decisions. Changing speeds, taking care of the ball,<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>and improving his faciliating game—high screen and roll for example—will elevate his stock immensely.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>