Analyzing Moses Moody, Allen Flanigan, and J.T. Thor

December 31^st, 2020

By Alan Lu

Yesterday, I took the time to watch Moses Moody and Arkansas play against Auburn in an SEC basketball game.  It was a frenetic, fast-paced game, where lots of long-range shots were taken and made, and Moody impressed by showing solid shooting skills.  Both teams traded leads, but Arkansas was able to hold on to get the win.  Here are my thoughts on how Moody and the others fared on this day.

Arkansas’ freshman guard, Moses Moody had a solid showing in his team’s win over Auburn.  He is an athletic, skilled sharpshooter that made shots early, and he generally excelled at making plays on both ends of the court. Moody did a fairly good job of knocking down jumpers to provide floor spacing for his team on offense.  He shot the ball very well early on, as he ran off of a ball screen to make a quick corner three, and he also made another spot-up three from way out.  Plus, he also was able to make a long two from the corner on the break, and Moody was also able to pull up to make another mid-range jump shot from the baseline.  However, he struggled to make three-pointers consistently, and he was not able to make a third three from beyond the arc later on after starting off so well in this match.

Though he didn’t look to go all the way to the hoop often when looking to score off the dribble, Moody was able to draw free throws after attempting to score on a tough, fallaway layup another time.  He showed the ability to draw fouls upon his defenders to get to the free throw line.  However, he did miss once around the basket despite getting the ball on a backdoor cut once.

He also displayed fairly average playmaking skills.  Moody was able to swing a ball to open an shooter to notch an assist.  However, sometimes he can be careless with the basketball, and he also can struggle to handle the ball when faced with heavy ball pressure.  Sometimes he would lose the ball as it would slip out of his hands when driving to the hoop, and he also was called for stepping out of bounds another time after handling it.  He also threw a bounce pass that ended up getting intercepted by a defender. Plus, he also excelled at crashing the glass to rebound the basketball.   Moody has a keen nose for the ball, and he was able to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor.

He also played adequate defense in this game.  Moody was able to rotate to poke a ball away to get a steal, and he also pounded upon a loose ball to collect another.  He also contested a three-point shot to force a miss.  However, sometimes he would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble or on screens, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Moody is strong, mobile swingman that can shoot and score the basketball, and he was able to pour on points early on in this game.  He played well in this game, and though he seemed to slow down later on, he was able to make some solid team plays to help his team get the victory.  Right now, Moody is a very good shooter that will need to keep playing well in conference play against tough opponents.  If so, he could secure a spot in the mid first round range of the upcoming draft.

Auburn’s 6-6 sophomore swingman, Allen Flanigan played well in his team’s loss to Arkansas.  He especially excelled at shooting, scoring, and rebounding the basketball, and he was able to score 19 points and haul in 10 rebounds in this game.

Flanigan did  a good job of knocking threes to space the floor for his team, as he can knock down outside shots both off the catch and dribble.  He was able to use a crossover move and then dribbled off of a screen to make a three, and he also made another from way out.  He also used his solid shooting skills to get fouled on a pull-up jumper from the mid-range to get to the free throw line.

He also excelled at scoring on hustle plays, and he was able to score on a jump hook after grabbing an offensive rebound.  Flanigan also displayed a solid ability to score off the dribble.  He drove in to score on a powerful dunk, and he would frequently get fouled to draw numerous free throws, and he didn’t miss often when he would look to go to the hoop to score. 

He displayed average at best playmaking skills.  Flanigan can pass and handle the basketball, and he can find open shooters to set up scores for them.  However, he tended to get balls poked away to commit turnovers when faced with heavy ball pressure, and he also committed a charging foul on another drive to the hoop.  He also threw a hasty pass that ended up getting intercepted.

Flanigan also rebounded the ball very well, and he would frequently crash the glass to get his team numerous boards on both ends of the floor.   He struggled a bit defensively, as he would sometimes be caught ball watching and be late on his rotations, which would lead his team to commit fouls as a result.

Overall, Allen Flanigan is an athletic, physical swingman that can shoot and score the basketball, and he can make shots in a variety of ways.  He will need to improve his handles and focus defensively, but he could be an intriguing prospect to watch, as he could project into a 3 and D role in the NBA someday.

Auburn’s 6-9 freshman forward J.T. Thor had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Arkansas.  He didn’t take many shots, nor excelled at making outside shots, but he was frequently able to draw free throws, and he also passed and defended well in this game.

Thor was able to use a jab step move to knock down a pull-up jumper from the mid-range.  He also showed a penchant for driving to the hoop to get fouled in order to get to the free throw line.  He also used a pump fake in the post to get fouled to get more free throws.  However, he was unable to make either of his three-point attempts, and he also had a shot blocked off of a drive another time.

He displayed decent playmaking skills in this game.  He would drive to the hoop, and he would kick balls out to shooters to set up scoring chances for them.  Plus, he also showed a satisfactory ability to rebound the basketball, and he was quite active at crashing the glass to help his team get offensive boards.  Plus, Thor also defended well.  He would rotate to block shots off the dribble, and he also challenged a shot in the post to force a miss.  He also managed to deflect a pass to nearly get a steal.

Overall, J.T. Thor didn’t take many shots nor make many outside shots in this game, but he still was able to make some solid team plays in his team’s loss to Arkansas.  He will need to refine his offensive skills to be able to successfully make the jump to the NBA, but he could project into a 3 and D role in the NBA if he can significantly improve his offense down the road.

Arkansas’ 7-3 sophomore center, Connor Vanover also played well in his team’s win over Auburn.  He showed off versatile scoring skills, and he had a solid all-around game to help his team get the victory. Vanover excelled at scoring on hustle plays in this game.  He was able to roll to the rim to score on a quick dunk early on, and he also would score on tip shots after leaping up to grab offensive rebounds.  He also would crash to the basket to draw free throws on strong moves to the hoop. 

Also, Vanover showed the ability to knock down jumpers to provide some floor spacing for his team.  He was able to make a deep three-point shot early on, and he also made a smooth mid-range jumper.  However, he tended to miss on his three-point attempts later on, and while he didn’t make threes consistently, it was encouraging to see that he can knock down long-range jumpers, and effortlessly at that.

He also passed the ball well.  Vanover is an unselfish player that would look to find the open man to set up scoring chances for his teammates, and he also did not commit a single turnover on offense. He also was able to get boards on both ends of the floor, and he was quite active at crashing the glass to get offensive rebounds, but he did not get enough rebounds in general, as he did not get many defensive boards in this game.

Vanover also played fairly good defense in this game.  He did a good job of blocking jump shots due to possessing very good length, timing, and solid mobility, and he also was able to take a ball away from a post player to get a steal.  He also managed to contest a jump hook in the post to force a miss another time.  Sometimes though, he can be late on his rotations, and he can tend to pick up fouls due to over-aggressiveness.

Overall, Connor Vanover is a mobile, energetic center that has an intriguing set of skills, as he can space the floor, score inside the paint, and he also is a good shot blocker.  He will need to get more consistent playing time in games and also will need to be a more consistent outside shooter, but his intriguing set of skills could enable him to thrive as a role player in the NBA someday.

Arkansas’ 6-6 redshirt senior guard, Jalen Tate had a solid showing in his team’s win over Auburn.  He excelled at scoring on strong, quick drives to the hoop, as he can get all the way to score on layups, and he also can score on crafty floaters.  He also would use off-ball movement to get open, and he can knock down some mid-range jump shots.  He was unable to make a three-point shot in this game though, as he missed a long-range shot badly from beyond the arc.

He also showed off satisfactory playmaking skills.  Tate is an unselfish player that can pass and handle the basketball, and he can throw long outlet passes to set up scoring chances for his teammates on the break.  He also was able to drive in and find a cutter on the move.  He did commit a couple of turnovers though, and there was one play where he threw a bad pass that got intercepted.

He was able to chip in to get a few defensive boards in this game.  Tate also played satisfactory defense.  He was able to jump on a loose ball to help his team get a steal, and he also showed a knack for successfully drawing charges on drives.  Sometimes though he would commit fouls when defending opponents off the dribble, as he would not always be in position to make plays defensively.

Overall, Jalen Tate is a fairly athletic, skilled point forward that has a variety of skills that could prove to be useful to teams at the next level.  He doesn’t really look to score that much, so he’s flown under the radar as a draft prospect, but his ability to distribute the basketball and defend could enable him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA as a defensive specialist off the bench next season.

Arkansas’ 6-1 junior guard, J.D. Notae played very well in his team’s win over Auburn.  He had a strong all-around game, and he really excelled as a shooter, scorer, and defender to help his team get the victory. Notae showed off versatile scoring skills, as he would score on quick, acrobatic layups off the dribble, and he also has good speed to score on the break, as he also was able to score on a powerful dunk late in this game.  He also was able to make threes both off the catch and dribble, and he also drew free throws on a pull-up three another time.  He was a bit streaky with his outside shot, but he was able to score efficiently by making shots from all over the floor.

He also displayed fairly average playmaking skills.  He can find the open man to notch assists, and he also was able to drive in and throw an accurate drop-off pass to set up a score for a teammate in transition.  However, sometimes he would be inaccurate with his passes, which would cause him to commit turnovers.

He also was able to collect some defensive boards to help his team get some rebounds.  Notae played very good defense in this game.  He excelled at blocking jump shots and poking balls away to get steals, and he is an athletic, rangy defender that can cover a lot of ground.  He also was able to contest a three to force a miss.

Overall, J.D. Notae is an athletic, skilled combo guard that made solid plays on both ends of the floor to help his team get the win.  He will need to make more outside shots consistently and improve his playmaking skills, but he is having a solid junior season this year, and he could be a prospect to follow sometime down the road.

Arkansas’ 6-1 junior guard, Desi Sills also had a strong showing in his team’s win over Auburn.  He excelled at scoring on quick, acrobatic drives to the hoop, and he also made numerous threes to space the floor for his team.  He made shots in a variety of ways, and he has a lot of range on his shot.  Sometimes he would miss on contested shots in the lane and on mid-range jumpers, but he generally was very efficient as a shooter and scorer on offense.

He also was active as a rebounder and defender in this game, and he would jump on loose balls and get his hands on passes to get steals.  Sills can also pass off the dribble to get some assists, but he also committed a ball-handling turnover on a separate play.

Overall, Sills played very well, as he had a very good all-around game to help his team get the win over Auburn.  He is an athletic, skilled combo guard that is having a very good junior season this year.  He will need to improve his playmaking skills, but he is a talented player that could move up draft boards if he keeps playing well this season, as he could project into a microwave type of scorer role in the NBA sometime in the future.

Auburn’s 6-6 sophomore swingman, Devan Cambridge shot the ball very well in his team’s loss to Arkansas.  He especially excelled as a spot-up shooter, as he would often make quick corner threes off the catch to provide floor spacing for his team on offense.  He also did a good job of rebounding the basketball in this game.  Cambridge didn’t seem to do much else, but his athleticism and shooting ability could enable him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA sometime down the road.

Auburn’s 6-4 junior guard, Jamal Johnson played very well in his team’s loss to Arkansas.  He showed off a variety of skills in this game, and he is an athletic combo guard that shot the ball well when he was on the court.  He would often make three-point shots from beyond the arc, as he can do so off the catch or dribble, and he has a lot of range on his shot.  He also made a long two, and he also was able to run the floor to score on the break.  He also drew free throws on a drive to the hoop, but sometimes he would take tough, contested shots that would lead to misses.

He also defended well, and he would intercept passes to get steals for his team.  Overall, Jamal Johnson played well as he especially thrived as a shooter in this game, and he could be a prospect to watch sometime down the road.

For Auburn’s 6-5 freshman guard Justin Powell, his performance was a mixed bag in this game in his team’s loss to Arkansas.  He collected many assists, but he was turnover prone, he would jump passes to get steals, but looked out of position defensively at times, as he would struggle to defend quicker opponents on the ball, but he did rebound the ball well.

He was able to make a step back, long two after dribbling off of a screen, but Powell often struggled to knock down jumpers or score off the dribble in this game.  While he can throw some good passes off the dribble, Powell was too turnover prone on offense, as he would tend to lose the ball when handling it under heavy ball pressure, and he also would throw careless passes that would go astray.

Overall, this was not Powell’s best game, but is a tall, skilled playmaker that can run the point.  He will need to play much better against other SEC teams than how he did in this game against Arkansas, and he is a below average athlete whose physical limitations may make it tough for him to consistently succeed against top teams in the country.  Still, he played better when he operated under control, and while he will likely need to stay in school to hone his game, he could project to be an effective backup point guard in the NBA whenever he decides that he is ready to declare to enter the NBA draft one day.