Analyzing Landry Shamet, Don Coleman, Shaquille Morris, and Others

November 21st, 2017

I decided to tune in to watch Wichita State and California play against each other in this year’s Maui Invitational, as this featured numerous prospects, as well as one of the best teams currently in college basketball. This was a really fun game to watch. At first, California’s Don Coleman and Justice Sueing came out of the gates strong, as they really excelled with their ability to shoot, score, and defend, and Cal lead by as many as 18 at one point, but Wichita State rallied back through the strong play of Landry Shamet and Shaquille Morris, as they moved the ball well, made shots from all over the floor, and played terrific defense as their press forced Cal to commit many turnovers. In the end, the Shockers were able to get a convincing come from behind victory over the Golden Bears, and Wichita State will play Marquette in Maui on Tuesday.

Wichita State’s sophomore point guard, Landry Shamet played really well as he really excelled at shooting and scoring the basketball, and he also did a good job of running the team as he helped them to a come from behind win over California. Shamet can really shoot the basketball. He can knock down quick spot-up threes off the catch, and he also made a pull-up three-point shot, while drawing an additional free throw afterwards on a separate offensive possession. Shamet shoots the ball really well, as his ability to space the floor really helps his team on offense. Also, he really excels at scoring on fast breaks. Shamet can throw down emphatic dunks in transition, and he is an athletic combo guard that possesses good body control and finishing ability to score quite often in the open floor. He also showed an adequate ability to garner scores on drives to the hoop, as he was able to score on a floater and get to the free throw line another time, but sometimes he can struggle to finish plays in traffic every once in a while.

He also displayed decent playmaking skills. Though Shamet usually looked for his own shot quite a bit in this game, he did so within the framework and flow of the offense, as his ability to make jumpers really helped his team against California. But he did play unselfishly, as he can make an assortment of passes, one of which included a nice lob pass to set up an alley-oop dunk for Shaquille Morris. However, he did throw one pass that ended up getting intercepted, but he may need to improve his defense.

For the positives, Shamet was able to intercept a pass to obtain a steal, and he also managed to stay with his man on a drive to force another miss. However, he ran into some foul trouble, and he struggled with his position defense in this game. Shamet had some trouble defending screens, and he does not seem to possess elite lateral quickness. One time, he went under the screen, but his man ended up knocking down a three-point shot. On another defensive possession, he tried to fight over the top of the screen, but he got caught, and he committed a foul, which led his opponent to score a basket and get an additional free throw. Another time, Shamet committed a foul trying to press and trap a ball handler near the sidelines.

Overall, Landry Shamet had a strong showing in his team’s win over California, and he could be a potential first round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He possesses solid offensive skills, and he could end up being an effective role player in the association.

California’s 6-3 junior combo guard, Don Coleman had a tremendous showing, as he poured on many points from the onset, and he ended up scoring 35 points in total against Wichita State. He is lightning fast playmaker that can get buckets at will, and he also is a very good shooter. His superb ability to get shots up really helped his team build a big lead early, and he was pivotal in helping them stay in it all the way until the end. He did a great job of getting scores off the dribble. Coleman is really fast and he can quickly get to the hoop, and he often was able to get past his opponents to score both in the half court as well as in transition.

He has a great first step to the hoop, and he also possesses a good assortment of ball handling moves that enable him to counter how defenders react to him. He can quickly get to the rim or knock down pull-up jumpers, but sometimes he may look to force the issue too much, which can cause him to get his shots rejected on occasion. Plus, he did a very good job of knocking down threes from beyond the arc. He excelled at making spot-up and pull-up threes, as he can do so off the catch or dribble, but he struggled more to make pull-up, mid-range jumpers, though he would use nifty ball handling moves prior to taking those shots.

He also showed off decent playmaking skills. Though Coleman primarily looked to score first and foremost, his ability to make shots really helped his team stay in the game. He is a gifted ball handler that can get to anywhere he wants on the floor. He did not look to pass too often, but he would throw accurate passes to open shooters, but sometimes, his tendency to force the issue would lead him to commit some turnovers, as he would have the ball ripped away from him a couple of times off of drives. Plus, he also showcased adequate defensive skills. Coleman can jump passes and poke balls away to get steals for his team.

Overall, Don Coleman turned in a really good game, as he could quickly move up draft boards this year. He is a very fast playmaker that can score the basketball at will, and he also shoots the ball really well. NBA teams and scouts may have concerns about his ability to distribute the basketball and run the point, as well as if he can continue to play well this year, but he is an intriguing prospect that could potentially end up in the first round discussion at season’s end.

Wichita State’s 6-8 senior big man, Shaquille Morris played very well, as his ability to score, rebound, and defend the paint proved to be instrumental in helping the Shockers get a key win over California. Morris is a tough, physical bruiser that can score on strong jump hooks when posting up. He did a very good job of backing down his man, and he showed off good footwork and scoring touch when he would establish deep position on the block. He also can draw numerous fouls upon the opposition. He did miss a few of them, but generally Morris excelled as a low post scorer for his team. Plus, he excelled at getting scores on the move. He leapt up to throw down a powerful alley-oop dunk once, and he also can score on put backs. Another time, he managed to score on a high post drive. Morris was also able to make a mid-range jumper, but he struggled to be consistent at knocking down jumpers when he was on the court.

Morris also showed off decent playmaking skills. He showed a good ability to hit cutters, and he did a good job of passing from the high post to set up scoring chances for his teammates. But he did commit a couple of careless turnovers. One was where he ran the floor and got to the ball, but he had trouble corralling it, and he ended up traveling as he tried to throw a pass. On a separate play, he dropped a pass, and then threw a pass that later ended up getting intercepted.

He also showed an adequate ability to rebound the basketball. Morris did a great job of capitalizing off of his offensive rebounds, as he was able to throw down a tip dunk once off of one. Plus, Morris also defended very well. He is a mobile big man that blocked many shots to protect the paint, as he is an instinctive defender that has good lateral mobility and timing to do so. Also, he would contest shots to force misses, and he would stay in front of his man when defending drives. Another time, he managed to draw a charge off the ball, but sometimes he would commit fouls, and a couple of them were when he would defend in the post. In this game, Shaquille Morris put forth a strong performance to help lead his team to a victory over California. He has been having a very good senior season for Wichita State this year, and he could end up being a potential second round pick in 2018.

California’s 6-7 freshman swingman, Justice Sueing played very well, especially in the first half, as he excelled as a shooter and scorer when he is on the floor. He showed a very good ability to knock down threes, as he can do so off the catch, dribble, as well as off screens, and he also showed a knack for making mid-range jumpers. Sueing can also draw fouls when driving to the hoop or posting up, but sometimes he can struggle to score in traffic, as he would occasionally drive to the hoop too wildly at times. He did not look to pass too often, but he did not commit many turnovers. But there was one play where he had an inbounds pass picked off by a defender.

Sueing generally did a good job of rebounding and blocking shots, and he once swatted a three-point shot to prevent his opponent from getting his shot off. He is a quick, athletic player that can also jump passing lanes, but sometimes, he would be too aggressive at times, which would lead him to commit fouls. Overall, Justice Sueing had a solid game, and he is a skilled basketball player that can shoot and score the basketball. He is an intriguing prospect, as he could potentially excel as a two-way player at the next level, and he could be a player to keep an eye on in the future.

Zach Brown is an athletic, senior swingman that plays for Wichita State, and while he really struggled on offense, he played very well on the defensive end, as his defensive prowess helped Wichita State get the win. Brown did not shoot the ball well at all, as he was unable to make any of his five three-point attempts, but he did show the ability to score off the dribble, as well as to draw free throws off of a nifty cut to the hoop. He was inaccurate with his passes at times, but he played unselfishly, and he would look to spread the ball around to set up scoring chances for his teammates, but he played very well defensively.

Brown is an active and alert defender that can collect a plethora of steals. He can get his hands on passes and poke balls away, and he will heap on loose balls to help his team force turnovers. In addition, he will also look to contest shots to force misses, but sometimes, he had trouble defending drives, which would lead him to allow scores or commit fouls on occasion. Though Brown did not shoot the ball well, he excelled as both an on-ball defender and as a help defender when he was on the floor. Brown is a strong defensive player that seems to possess good playmaking skills, and he may be a similar player to that of current Milwaukee Bucks guard, DeAndre Liggins. With his skill set, Brown could potentially latch onto an NBA roster with his ability to defend on the floor.

Other Notes:

Wichita State’s senior center, Rauno Nurger had a good game off the bench in his team’s win over California. He made his impact felt subtly, as he was efficient in getting scores around the basket, he rebounded the ball very well, and he also was able to make a couple of plays defensively. He was able to score in the paint as well as off the dribble, and he also excelled at scoring on hustle plays. Nurger did a tremendous job of collecting offensive rebounds and scoring off of them, and he also would contest shots in the paint to force misses. In general, he provided good energy for his team, and he could end up being a good addition to an NBA team’s summer league roster.

Wichita State’s senior hybrid forward, Darral Willis Jr. struggled to consistently score the basketball or finish plays in traffic on offense, but he was very active on the glass, as he often came away with offensive rebounds due to possessing good athleticism, great motor, and instincts.

Unfortunately for California, senior center, Marcus Lee was not much of a factor in this game, as he was plagued with foul trouble all game long. One of his fouls was self-inflicted, as he committed a technical foul for what seemed like a squabble with Wichita State’s Darral Willis Jr., which turned out to be his second foul of the game, causing him to miss the remainer of the first half. Lee did not often look to shoot or score the basketball, and he still seems to largely be an unskilled player on offense that relies solely on scoring on garbage plays around the basket. he did manage to score on a put back in the second half, but that turned out to be the only shot he made and took against Wichita State.

He did show off some passing skills, even though he did not look for his own shot nearly enough. Lee would throw entry passes, and he also threw a quick outlet pass once off of a defensive rebound. He also set a good screen once to help set up a score for his teammate, and he also kicked it out to a shooter another time off of a drive to the hoop. Lee did a very good job of rebounding and blocking shots, as he was quite active defensively, and he made a terrific chase down block in transition in the second half to prevent an opponent from scoring a fast break layup.

He also would contest shots to force misses, but his impact on the game turned out to be minimal, as he fouled all too frequently, and he ended up fouling out. Lee often would commit fouls around the basket due to over-aggressiveness. In this game, Marcus Lee did not play very well, as he did not do much on offense, and his tendency to commit fouls hurt his ability to stay on the floor. Furthermore, when he and Kingsley Okoroh both fouled out, Wichita State ended up going on a sizeable run to rally back and win the game. Lee will need to improve his offensive skills considerably, as he did not play very well, but his size, athleticism, and shot blocking prowess could help land him on an NBA summer league roster.

Also unfortunately for California, Kingsley Okoroh did not have a good game either, but he seemed to play worse than Marcus Lee. He did not seem to do anything particularly well against Wichita State, and like Lee, he was a foul machine, as he tended to commit fouls at a really high rate. Okoroh struggled to score in the post, would be undisciplined when going for rebounds, and he also tended to commit fouls when defending inside the paint. For a player that is considered to be a strong interior defender, he did not seem to play well at all, but his team played significantly worse when he and Lee had both fouled out of the game.

Wichita State’s senior combo guard, Conner Frankamp was active defensively, as he would get his hands on passes and heap on loose balls to get steals and deflections for his team. On offense, he also made a quick three off of a curl. However, he missed many threes in this game, as several of them seemed to be from too far out that either may have been outside his shooting range or were just well contested by defenders. He also had trouble finishing plays around the basket on drives to the hoop, and he also struggled to defend quicker players on the ball. This was not Frankamp’s best game, but his track record as a shooter and facilitator could potentially help him land on an NBA summer league roster sometime in the future.