The War: Most Impressive Playmakers

<div> The War, presented by War Hoop Events, gave us what might possibly be the last grassroots tournament or event of the year, seeing as though the school year is starting for most kids in Texas. This event consisted of the absolute best teams in Dallas along with some of the top teams from Utah, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The building was filled with talent and future NBA prospects, this tournament had every type of recruit from the class of 2021-24 that a college coach could possibly be looking for. Here are a few prospects that showed the most impressive playmaking skills from The War. </div> L.J. Johnson | Point Guard | Dallas Showtyme | 2021 | <img class="wp-image-1051735 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_3384-149x300.jpg" alt="" width="115" height="232" />High-level assist guy, L.J. was the floor general for his squad, controlling the pace of play, showing a good deal of patience, and allowing plays to develop. Highly unselfish, showing a terrific knack for creating plays for others and leading his teammates into easy buckets with his anticipation and court vision. Johnson did a great job of drawing the defense's attention one way and passing the ball the other way. He loves to attack the lane full speed and kick it out or finish at the rack. Impressive shiftiness, L.J. went to the top of the key, sized his man up, blew by them, and dumped it off to his big man or a cutter every time. Johnson has a go-to move that allowed him to eat defenders up, he displayed a mean UTEP two-step, going thru the legs, crossing over, then slashing by his opponent with his quick first step. L.J. Johnson and his teammate <a href="https://prephoops.com/2020/09/the-war-best-slashers/">Deonte Greer</a> were one of the best backcourts in the entire tournament, their games fit together perfectly, and their ability to play off of each other resulted in wins. <div> </div> <div> [player_tooltip player_id="889593" first="Dorien" last="Goodman"] | Point Guard | Dallas Showtyme | 2022 |<img class="wp-image-1051737 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_3425-148x300.jpg" alt="" width="111" height="226" /> Lightning-quick point guard, highly creative ball-handler that makes quick dribble moves that are tough to process. Goodman has such an outstanding control of the ball, it looks like the ball is on the string with some of the handles he displays. Dorien's ability to get to any spot on the floor picked defenses apart, he set up his teammates with quick layups and open 3-pointers using his great vision, and IQ; has that rare gift to see things before they happen. Goodman made game-changing plays on both ends of the court. Defensively, he played amazing help-side defense, proving to be a true ball hawk, the bulk of his steals came from running up behind unsuspecting ball-handlers or postman and poking the ball loose. He never ceases to amaze me, Dorien always seems to make a brilliant play in each game that shows the amount of potential he really has. [player_tooltip player_id="889593" first="Dorien" last="Goodman"] is a natural-born leader that always plays with an excellent rapport with teammates, his progression is something to keep an eye on this year in his junior season. </div> <div> </div> <div> <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dmonyae-davis-2/">D'monyae Davis</a> | Combo Guard | Mudiay Elite | 2021 |<img class="alignright wp-image-1051739" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/image2-1-140x300.jpeg" alt="" width="114" height="245" /> This lefty plays with a great feel for the game, he's a true combo guard that can operate with and without the rock in hand. D'monyae came in the game off of the bench and was a huge spark for his team, instantly getting an assist and deflection. Quick twitch, shifty dribbler, with high-level court vision and accuracy when dishing the ball around. Davis displayed the ability to fit passes thru tight windows, somehow finding ways to get the ball to guys even when they weren't completely open, he looked like the most accurate passer in the gym by a mile. A great decision-maker, the ball came off his hands quickly, fast, and crisp, D'monyae showed and proved that he could make any pass to any spot on the floor and put the ball right on the money. He even excelled in the open court where he's an excellent passer on the move, his dribble penetration drew the defense in and he bounce passed it to his cutting teammate or kicked it out to a man in the corner. D'monyae had a game in which he dished out 5 assists in the first half and 8 total in the game. On the defensive end, Davis played with amazing energy and a will to win, he sacrificed his body on plays, taking charges and diving all over the floor for loose balls, he finished the game with 3 blocked shots, one of those blocks were on the biggest player on the court, he also finished the game with 3 steals. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dmonyae-davis-2/">D'monyae Davis</a> went on to show off his athleticism when he got up and threw down a nasty dunk off two feet, displaying great length and explosiveness for a point guard. D'Monyae is another name to look out for this year in his senior season. <div> </div> </div> <div> </div> <div> <div> Marlon Linton Jr. | Combo Guard | Texas Tar Heels | 2024 |<img class="wp-image-1051741 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_3398-156x300.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="246" /> Marlon Linton Jr., a very smooth lefty with an all-around skill set and a tremendous feel for the game. He's a crafty, instinctual playmaker who makes everyone around him better, he's comfortable creating for himself and distributing the ball to his teammates. An extremely selfless player that loves to keep his guys involved, he's always willing to make the extra pass around the perimeter, and even in transition, he threw some nice alley-oops, if you run the court with Marlon he will feed you. Good point guard abilities, high basketball IQ, quality court vision, capable of making any pass on the floor accurately, low turnover rate, can control the tempo, and has reliable open court speed. Without the ball, Linton continues to find ways to be effective, he's an excellent rebounder for a guard, he moves well around the perimeter looking for openings, and makes timely cuts. Marlon has an unbelievable amount of potential due to his size, skills, IQ, and team-first mentality. Also a perfect complementary player alongside his teammate Landon Brown who's a great scorer while Marlon is more of the facilitator, there's no doubt in my mind that those two will become the best backcourt in Texas by 2024. But most of all, I believe Marlon Linton Jr. will become one of the best and highest-ranked players of his class, mark my words. </div> </div> <div> </div> [player_tooltip player_id="934491" first="Evan" last="Young"] | Point Guard | Think Swish | 2022 |<img class="wp-image-1051742 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_3411-132x300.jpg" alt="" width="103" height="234" /> Top 15 Utah prospect, [player_tooltip player_id="934491" first="Evan" last="Young"] proved to be a gritty, competitive, tough kid who was willing to do whatever he could for his team to get the win. An unselfish teammate with solid court vision, he put no-look passes right on point, Young consistently looked to create for others first, he played the pick-and-roll well, and always knew exactly how to get the ball down low to his center. His phenomenal open court speed made him tough to slow down or keep out of the lane in transition; nice touch and focus when finishing around the basket. Evan utilized his tight, controlled ball skills effectively, I loved his hesitation and stop and start moves which he used to explode by defenders on a consistent basis. [player_tooltip player_id="934491" first="Evan" last="Young"] plays winning basketball, he gave 110% every second he was on the court, and he was not willing to back down from anyone. Evan most definitely needed an ice bath after how hard he played in this tournament, he put his body on the line for his team by taking charges from much bigger players and diving on the floor after every single loose ball. <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> [player_tooltip player_id="1047581" first="Jaden" last="Flournoy"] | Combo Guard | Texas Legion | 2021 |<img class="alignright wp-image-1051744" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/image1-1-124x300.jpeg" alt="" width="106" height="256" /> This 6'5, dime dropping, team-oriented, point forward showed exceptional court vision, displaying a good ability to keep his head high to see over the top of the defense, making it easy for him to find cutters or throw guys open. Jaden looked to set guys up on the drive, where he seemed most accurate. When Flournoy drove the lane, his teammates cut the baseline, picking up multiple layups or short-range jumpers time after time. Jaden excelled when he was able to push the ball in the transition and find somebody to dish it out too, creating several clear looks for himself and his teammates in the fast break. He looked more than capable of playing positions 1 through 3, there were times when Jaden played off the ball and times where he brought the ball up, ran the offense, and showed his potential as a floor general. [player_tooltip player_id="1047581" first="Jaden" last="Flournoy"] ended his junior season at South Grand Prairie High School on a high note and it translated well till the end of summer. He's now begun receiving interest from Emporia State, Air Force, UTPB, Bethel College, Southern Arkansas, St. Edwards, and Ivy League's very own Princeton University. Be on the lookout this season for [player_tooltip player_id="1047581" first="Jaden" last="Flournoy"] and his tough South Grand Prairie team. More From #THEWAR Below <ul> <li><a href="https://prephoops.com/2020/09/the-war-all-defensive-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The War: All-Defensive Team</a></li> <li><a href="https://prephoops.com/2020/09/the-war-best-feel-for-the-game-prospects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The War: Best “Feel For The Game” Prospects</a></li> <li><a href="https://prephoops.com/2020/09/the-war-all-buckets-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The War: All-Buckets Team</a></li> <li><a href="https://prephoops.com/2020/09/the-war-best-slashers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The War: Most Unstoppable Slashers</a></li> </ul> </div>