2022 Draft Watch: Assessing Harrison Ingram

September 2^nd, 2021

By Alan Lu

Stanford’s 6-8 incoming freshman point forward, Harrison Ingram has been rated as one of the best newcomers to enter college basketball for the upcoming season by numerous recruiting rankings’ services.  He even drew a lofty, Draymond Green comparison from 247Sports, so I decided it was time to watch him play to get a look at his skill set. Also, with former Stanford freshman forward, Ziaire Williams (who is also 6-8) having been a top ten pick of the 2021 draft, as he was acquired by the Memphis Grizzlies, it is time to get a look at Harrison Ingram, especially since Stanford may be growing as a basketball program, as they are building their reputation and pipeline as a program that can send prospects to the NBA.

I took the time to watch Harrison Ingram play in a December 10^th, 2020 high school basketball game for St. Mark’s against Spring Creek Academy, with thanks to YouTube via St. Mark’s Athletics.  It was a very competitive match in which St. Mark’s held seemingly a comfortable lead late in this contest, but Spring Creek Academy came storming back in their furious bid to try to rally from behind.  In the end, Harrison Ingram and St. Mark’s were able to hold on to get a narrow, one-point win, and Ingram turned in a strong, all-around game to help his team get the victory.  Here are my thoughts on how he and other various prospects fared, as well as how Ingram may stack up as a prospect for the NBA.

Harrison Ingram had a strong, all-around showing to help lead St. Mark’s to a narrow win over Spring Creek Academy.  He showed his versatility by making sound plays on both ends of the floor, and he was impressive in this game as he made timely shots, and he showed off sound playmaking and defensive skills when he was on the court.

Ingram did a good job of knocking down three-pointers to provide floor spacing skills for his team on offense.  He would calmly pull up to make deep threes off the dribble to show his shooting prowess.  He also ran the floor to get the ball, and he was able to make a quick, spot-up three from way out. He didn’t take nearly as many spot-up threes off the catch as he did off the dribble, but Ingram showed that he can knock down outside shots in a variety of ways.

He also showed a solid ability to score on aggressive drives to the hoop.  Ingram tended to favor going to his left, but he would often score on strong, left-handed drives to the hoop.  He would take on the contact to get to the free throw line, and he also drove in to score on a powerful, two-handed dunk late in this match.  He also managed to score on a right-handed drive in transition.  Occasionally, he would miss tough shots in traffic, as he would sometimes really try to force the issue, especially when he wouldn’t get foul calls.

Plus, he also excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  Ingram was able to score on a quick backdoor cut with his left hand.  He also posted up after getting an offensive rebound, and he used a strong drop step move to score on a put back off the glass afterwards.  He also was fouled quite often late in this game, but he struggled to make his free throws consistently down the stretch.

He also displayed good playmaking skills in this game.  Ingram was very comfortable in running the point with the ball in his hands, and he especially excelled at making passes off the dribble and in transition to get the ball to his teammates.  He would make drive and kick passes to find open shooters to set up scores for them.  He also broke the press and dribbled up to throw an accurate lob pass to a cutter to notch another assist.  Ingram also thrived at throwing long outlet passes to get the ball to teammates on the break.  He showed off very good court vision, and his high basketball IQ and strong court sense allowed him to rack up plenty of assists, as he would get the ball to his teammates in prime spots where they could easily score the basketball.

Sometimes though, he would play too wildly, and while his passes were very good and Draymond-like, his turnovers also oddly seemed to be Draymond-like.  Ingram can sometimes be too fast and careless with his passes, and he also sometimes would show a loose handle with the ball in his hands.  He almost committed an early turnover, as he enthusiastically pushed the ball up the floor, and somehow lost the handle when driving to the hoop on the break that went right to a teammate to set up a scoring opportunity for him.  He did throw a couple of inaccurate, hasty passes, as one sailed out of bounds, and another ended up getting intercepted.  Another time, he mishandled the ball off of an offensive rebound and lost the ball to an opponent.

Also, Ingram showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball.  He would chase down balls to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor, and he showed that he can get tough boards.  He was able to leap up to get an impressive, one-handed defensive rebound, and he would sometimes quickly bring the ball up the floor afterwards.  On one play though, he hustled to try to make a play on the ball, but ended up committing an over the back foul when going for the offensive rebound that time.

He also played satisfactory defense in this game.  Ingram is an active help defender that will make plays on the ball to help his team on that side of the ball.  When defending opposing ball handlers, he would poke balls away to get steals, and he also was able to pounce on a loose ball that his teammate poked away to help get another.  He did a very good job of poking balls away from opposing ball handlers, and he also deflected a pass out of bounds.  Plus, Ingram also rotated to block a shot off of a drive in transition due to possessing a solid blend of athleticism, length, and timing.  He also would contest jump shots to get stops for his team.  On the downside, he would sometimes get caught ball watching as he would loose track of cutters, which would lead him to be late to get back to his man and to commit fouls and allow scores.  Other times, he would not even bother to guard shooters or contest their shots, as he would occasionally tend to hang out in a zone in the paint instead.  Another time, he was called for a reach-in foul when defending an opposing ball handler out on the perimeter.

In general, Harrison Ingram played very well in his team’s win over Spring Creek Academy, and he may be one of the most underrated prospects in the 2022 draft class.  He is a strong playmaker that has a solid set of all-around skills, and he is a smooth athlete that can quietly make solid plays on both ends of the floor.  If things go as expected for him, he could be a good pick in the first round in the 2022 draft, as he is a versatile, skilled point forward that could project to be a solid role player similar to Memphis Grizzlies’ forward, Kyle Anderson in the NBA.

6-8, soon-to-be high school senior forward, Colin Smith had a decent showing for St. Mark’s to help his team get a narrow win over Spring Creek Academy.  He’s an athletic, energetic combo forward that made solid plays on both ends of the floor, but he also struggled with his outside shot and turnovers in this game.

Smith showed a solid ability to score on strong drives to the hoop.  He would tend to prefer going to his left, but he showed that he was able to score using either hand.  He can use subtle dribble moves to score at the rim, and he also managed to score on a nifty, switch of hands layup while getting an extra free throw once.  He also drove in to score on a thunderous dunk on the break early on.  He also managed to score on a backdoor cut to the hoop.  Plus, he also showed a decent mid-range shot, as he drove in, spun to his right, and then scored on a smooth turnaround, mid-range jumper. He also made a quick, spot-up three early on.  Smith flashed the ability to make spot-up threes off the catch in this game.  However, he missed threes quite often, as he struggled to make them off the catch or dribble when hoisting up shots from beyond the arc.

He also was quite turnover prone on offense.  For the positives, Smith is an unselfish player that showed that he can make passes off the dribble and in transition.  He was able to get the ball to a teammate to help him score on a give and go on the break.  Smith also showed that he can make swift drive and kick passes as well as long inbounds passes to find the open man.  However, he struggled to protect the basketball, and he also would sometimes be inaccurate with his passes, which would lead to turnovers.  He would get the ball poked away on drives to lose it to the opposition.  He also threw hasty passes that would get intercepted. Also, Smith showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball.  He would chase down balls, which enabled him to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor.   Sometimes he would quickly bring the ball up after getting defensive rebounds for his team.

He also played adequate defense in this game.  Smith is a good shot blocker that would rotate to swat shots to his teammates due to possessing good leaping ability and timing.  He also was able to back-tap an opposing ball handler when defending a drive to help his team get a steal.  He also pounced on a loose ball that an opponent dropped in the post to get another steal.  He also was active in contesting shots in the paint to force misses.  Sometimes though, he would over-help in the paint and give up too much space to shooters, which would allow them to score on there-point shots.  On one play, he didn’t even bother to go out to contest a corner three, which led his team to give up the basket that time.  He also would sometimes tend to be late on his rotations or to get back on defense, which would lead his team to give up baskets on fast breaks.

In summary, Colin Smith is an athletic, energetic combo forward that showed that he can make solid plays on both ends of the floor.  On the other hand, he will need to improve his jump shot, and he will also need to tighten up his handle and improve his on-ball defense.  His ability to score and make hustle plays likely makes him a solid upper-tier prospect for college basketball, but he will likely need to make adjustments to succeed at higher levels.  Regardless, he is an intriguing prospect that could be a player to keep tabs on, and Smith is a talented prospect that could make it to the NBA one day if he works hard to hone his game.

Columbia’s 6-2 incoming freshman point guard, Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa had his ups and downs for Spring Creek Academy in his team’s loss to St. Mark’s.  Rubio De La Rosa certainly made some impressive plays, as he showed off his sharpshooting skills, and he also showed off solid athleticism, motor, and defensive potential.  However, he also struggled to score inside the arc, and he was also fairly turnover prone in this game.

Rubio De La Rosa showed a knack for making threes to space the floor for his team on offense.  He especially excelled at knocking down outside shots in the fourth quarter.  He would pull up to make threes off the dribble.  He also was able to make a quick, open spot-up three off the catch.  He also managed to draw a foul call when hoisting up another three late in this match, as he drew three free throws and made all of them when he was at the foul line. On the downside, he also missed on all of his mid-range shots off the dribble, and he also struggled to score in traffic when driving to the hoop.  Rubio De La Rosa tended to favor going to his left when looking to score inside the arc, but he was ineffective at scoring when he would attempt two-point field goals.

He also displayed fairly average playmaking skills.  Rubio De La Rosa is an agile playmaker that showed that he can make quick passes off the dribble and long outlet passes to get the ball to his teammates.  He threw two very long outlet passes to notch assists on the break.  On the downside, he would sometimes make questionable decisions that would lead him to commit turnovers.  He used a ball fake to make a drive and kick pass, but he made an ill-advised jump pass that led him to get intercepted.  Another time, he caught the ball in the corner, but was called for traveling when handling the ball on that play.  Later on, he was called for a clear out shortly after getting an offensive rebound that led him to commit both a foul and a turnover simultaneously. Rubio De La Rosa did a great job of rebounding the basketball, and he would actively chase down boards to get balls on both ends of the floor.  Sometimes, he would push the ball quickly up the court after getting defensive rebounds.

He also played very good defense in this game.  Rubio De La Rosa would get his hands on passes to get steals, and he also would hustle to poke balls away due to possessing a very good motor.  He also hustled back to make an excellent chase down block on a drive in transition to a teammate due to possessing good leaping ability and timing, and he is a strong defender that consistently made sound plays on that end of the floor.

Overall, Rubio De La Rosa didn’t have his best game, but he still showed that he can be an impactful player at the collegiate level.  His ability to knock down outside shots and defend could enable him to succeed at that level.  He will need to improve his ability to create his own shot and playmaking skills in the meantime.  He was a good get for Columbia, and Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa could end up having a lengthy playing career in professional basketball, regardless if he makes it or not to the NBA one day.

6-8 forward, Lav Cvetkovic had his ups and downs for Spring Creek Academy in his team’s loss to St. Mark’s.  Cvetkovic showed off versatile scoring skills, and he is also a solid defender that will make plays on the ball to help get stops for his team.  He struggled with his outside shot and turnovers at times, but he was able to make solid plays at times on both ends of the floor. Cvetkovic did a fairly good job of scoring in transition.  He would run the floor to score on fast breaks.  He also managed to score on an aggressive, baseline drive while getting an extra free throw.  Sometimes though, he would miss shots around the basket when looking to score on fast breaks.

He also was able to make a pair of open, spot-up threes off the catch.  On the downside, Cvetkovic was also too streaky with his jump shot, and he also missed plenty of spot-up threes from beyond the arc.  He also was a bit turnover prone, and he had a ball poked away a couple of times on right-handed drives.  He struggled to protect the basketball at times as he would struggle to handle heavy ball pressure.

He also was able to get boards on both ends of the floor.  Cvetkovic also played solid defense.  He would intercept passes to get steals, and he also blocked a shot around the basket due to possessing solid timing.  He also would contest jump shots to force misses.  On one play, he struggled to defend a drive in transition, as he didn’t cut off penetration, which led him to commit a foul that time.

Overall, Lav Cvetkovic is an agile swingman that showed off versatile scoring skills and he also played solid defense, but he will also need to improve his outside shot and playmaking skills.  He will reportedly play at Collin County Community College, and if he can continue to improve as an overall player, he could end up playing NCAA division I college basketball in the future.

6-9 Columbia-bound forward, Zineddine Bedri played fairly well for Spring Creek Academy in his team’s loss to St. Mark’s.  Bedri is a strong, mobile big man that showed polish as a scorer on offense at this level.  He excelled as a scorer in the paint, and he also showed some passing and defensive skills in this game.

Bedri generally excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  He would often score on cuts to the hoop.  On a couple of possessions, he would cut to the basket to catch lobs, and he would then score on layups.  He also ran in to score on a tip-in after leaping to grab an offensive rebound. Plus, he also ran the floor to score in transition another time.  Sometimes though, he would rush his shots, which would lead to misses.  He also missed a mid-range shot after getting an offensive rebound on another play.

He also showed that he can score off the dribble as well as in the post.  Bedri used a jab step to score on a powerful, right-handed baseline drive.  He also used a ball fake to his right to draw free throws on a separate possession.  He also caught a lob to score around the basket while getting an extra free throw.  Sometimes though, he’ll force the issue too much, which can lead him to miss shots in traffic.  He also attempted a couple of three-point shots, but he was unable to knock down a three-pointer in this game.

He also showcased decent playmaking skills.  Bedri showed that he can make an assortment of passes to find open shooters to notch assists, and he also passes well out of the post.  When doubled once, he managed to pass out of the post to find an open corner shooter.  On one play though, he was called for setting a moving screen to commit an offensive foul and a turnover that time. He also was able to get his fair share of rebounds, and he was able to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor.  Late in this match, Bedri leapt up to get a defensive rebound, and he then pushed the ball quickly up the floor afterwards.

He also played adequate defense in this game.  Bedri is an active help defender that can make plenty of plays on the ball.  He was able to block a three-point shot due to possessing solid length and timing.  He also would poke balls away from opposing ball handlers to help his team get steals.  He also managed to deflect a pass out of bounds.  He also was able to contest a couple of outside shots to force misses.  On the downside, he would tend to get beat quickly off the dribble when defending out on the perimeter, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores, and there would be times where he wouldn’t move his feet very well.  He generally struggled to defend quicker players out on the perimeter, especially when they would go at him to try to score off the dribble.

Overall, Zineddine Bedri is a strong, physical big man that was able to mix it up in the paint to score consistently on offense.  He’ll likely need to extend his shooting range and improve his perimeter defense in the future, but his ability to score, pass, and play help defense could enable him to be a solid player for Columbia in college basketball in the future.

Spring Creek Academy’s 6-8 soon-to-be high school sophomore swingman, Amier Ali made some solid plays in his team’s loss to St. Mark’s.  He is a tall, very athletic point forward that was able to make some solid plays on both ends of the floor. Ali showed an adequate ability to score on quick, drives in transition.  He can finish plays using either hand.  He scored on a left-handed drive in transition, as he took on the contact to draw an extra free throw.  He also used a crossover to score on a speedy, right-handed drive on the break.  Sometimes though, he’ll really try to force the issue, which would lead to misses when he wouldn’t get foul calls. He also was able to make an open, corner three to show off his shooting potential.  However, Ali struggled to make threes consistently, and he also threw up two ugly shots in which he missed completely when attempting corner threes on other possessions.

He also showed off solid playmaking skills in this game.  Ali is a quick, agile point forward that has good court vision that enables him to make an assortment of passes off the dribble and in transition to set up scores for his teammates.  He also showed that he can make swift drive and kick passes as well as push the pace to get the ball to teammates on the break.  On one play though, he pushed the ball quickly up the floor but then proceeded to throw a hasty pass that sailed out of bounds.

Ali also was able to get his fair share of rebounds on both ends of the floor, and he would tend to push the ball quickly up the court after getting defensive rebounds.  He also played adequate defense in this game.  Ali is an athletic, rangy defender that can cover plenty of ground to help make plays for his team.  He rotated to block a three-point shot early on.  He also would pounce on loose balls that would get knocked to him to help his team get steals.  He also poked a ball away out of bounds another time.  On the downside, sometimes he would get caught ball watching and be late on his rotations.  He lost track of his man on a cut that led him to allow a quick basket to his opponent, and he also would get beat off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Ali is a very athletic, talented point forward that has the potential to succeed as a role player in the NBA if he can continue to progress as an overall player and hone his game.  He’ll need to improve his jump shot and scoring skills, but his combination of size, athleticism, along with his playmaking and defensive skills is impressive, especially considering that he will only be a high school sophomore for the upcoming season.  Amier Ali is an athletic, versatile playmaker that could be Spring Creek Academy’s go-to player in 2022, and he may be a talented, upper mid-tier prospect that could be a player to watch in the future.