Analyzing Nah’Shon Hyland and Neemias Queta

December 25^th, 2020

By Alan Lu

Recently, I decided to watch VCU’s sophomore guard, Nah’Shon Hyland play against Neemias Queta and Utah State in an early season, college basketball game that took place on November 25^th, and I was able to see this with thanks to YouTube via 3520fun, as it was split into two halves.  Hyland has been getting some draft buzz, and he is a 6-3 sophomore guard that can shoot and score the basketball.  Also, with Sam Merrill having graduated and left for the NBA, this could be Neemias Queta’s turn to lead Utah State’s team and to follow him to the NBA after this season.  Here are my thoughts on how Hyland and Queta fared, as well as how their games may translate to the NBA.

VCU’s Nah’Shon Hyland put forth a sterling performance to lead his team to a double-digit win over Utah State.  He did a great job of knocking down shots, especially early on, and he also passed and defended well, as he also showed off the ability to run the point when he was on the court.

Hyland did a great job of knocking down three-point shots to space the floor for his team.  He excelled at making quick spot-up threes off the catch, and he has good speed and basketball IQ that enables him to excel at using off-ball movement to score on quick, long-range jumpers. 

He also ran back quickly on a dribble handoff to draw three free throws on another three-point shot, and Hyland showed a knack for drawing fouls when handling the ball.  Hyland also can score on quick drives to the basket.  Sometimes though, he would take rushed, contested shots that would lead to some misses.

Also, Hyland displayed fairly average playmaking skills.  He is a good ball handler that can bring the ball up the court, and he did a good job of finding cutters to set up scoring chances for his teammates.  He can handle the ball to evade double teams, and he would also look to find the open man.  He didn’t collect many assists, but he didn’t turn the ball over very often, either.  He did commit one turnover, as he ran to get the ball on a dribble handoff, but he then threw an entry pass that got deflected and intercepted by a defender.

Though he didn’t grab many rebounds, he was able to collect a pair of defensive e boards in this game.  Hyland also played adequate defense.  He did a very good job of getting steals, as he would run in to poke balls away from opposing ball handlers, and he also ran in to intercept a pass early on.  He also was able to pounce upon a loose ball and catch a deflected pass to help his team get other steals, and he is an agile guard that excelled as a help defender in this game.  Sometimes though, he would over-help off of his man and be caught ball watching, which would cause him to be late on his rotations and give up too much space to shooters to allow them to score the basketball.  He also tended to get beat off the dribble, which would cause him to commit fouls and allow scores.

In general, Nah’Shon Hyland is a fleet-footed, skilled combo guard that can score the basketball in a variety of ways, and he is a sharpshooter that is a gifted marksman from beyond the arc.  He has shown flashes of his playmaking and defensive skills, though he will need to show that he can excel in those areas consistently against elite competition.  He is a talented offensive player that could be a good pick for an NBA team in the late first to the second round range of the upcoming draft, and he could end up being a solid role player in the association.

Utah State’s 7-0 junior center, Neemias Queta played fairly well in his team’s loss to VCU.  Though he made just 5 of 12 shots from the field, he still notched a double-double, as he was able to score 17 points and collect 10 rebounds in this game.

Queta did a decent job of scoring in the post.  He was able to use a drop step to score on a crafty, jump hook early on.  He also used a ball fake and a drop step to score inside while getting an extra free throw another time.  Plus, he showed a penchant for drawing fouls upon his defenders to get to the free throw line often. On the downside, he missed a jump hook once after having set up too far away once. 

He also was able to score on hustle plays.  Queta was active in crashing the offensive glass, as he would score on put backs off of offensive rebounds.   He also ran the floor and drew free throws on a dunk attempt.  Sometimes he would go in too strong when trying to score off the dribble and off-ball motion plays though, which would lead to misses due to rushing.  He also pulled up to take a mid-range jumper early in the second half, but he missed it completely as he shot an air-ball that time.

Also, he displayed adequate playmaking skills in this game.  Queta is an unselfish player that can pass out of the post, and he would consistently find open shooters to get them the basketball.  However, there was one play where he was called for setting a moving screen that led him to commit an offensive foul and a turnover.

Plus, Queta also did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  He was very active on the glass, and he would run in and aggressively leap to get boards on both ends of the floor.  He even managed to get a defensive rebound from the ground once, and he also was able to tip a ball to a teammate to help his team get a defensive board on a separate play.

He also played satisfactory defense in this game.  Queta is an active help defender that can block shots, and he was able to swat a shot when defending in the post to himself to get a stop for his team.  He also can make chase down blocks to help his team protect the paint, though those were wiped off the board because his teammates would commit fouls earlier on those plays.  He did a good job of holding his ground, and his length, strength, and activity would allow him to contest shots in the post to force misses.  However, sometimes he would be caught ball watching, which would lead him to lose track of his man on rolls to the rim to allow scores.  He also was called for a goal-tend another time as he was a bit late in trying to swat a shot off of a drive.

In summary, Neemias Queta is a strong, mobile center that can score, rebound, and block shots, and he provided his team with solid interior play in his team’s loss to VCU.  He will need to extend his shooting range and show that he can consistently guard opponents on pick and rolls out on the perimeter at the next level, but his ability to make plays inside the paint could enable him to be a second round pick in the 2021 draft.

Other Notes:

VCU’s 6-6 junior swingman, Vince Williams Jr. played well in his team’s win over Utah State.  He showed off versatile scoring skills, and he excelled as a marksman from beyond the arc, and he would often score on right-handed drives to the hoop.  He also is an unselfish player that would make the extra pass to notch some assists, but sometimes he would commit ball-handling turnovers due to carelessness.

He also was able to chase down balls to get some rebounds for his team.  Defensively, Williams looked to be fairly average.  He is an active help defender that can help his team force numerous turnovers.  He was able to poke a ball away from an opposing ball handler to a teammate to help his team get a steal.  He would pounce upon loose balls and poke balls away to help his team get steals and deflections.  He also contested a three to force a miss.  Sometimes though, he would be unfocused, as he would be late on his rotations, and get beat on cuts and off the dribble on the defensive end.

Overall, Williams had a solid showing in his team’s win over Utah State.  He is a skilled scorer that made shots efficiently, and he was able to use a spin move to score and also scored on a floater another time.  Plus, he also was able to make a step back three late in the first half.  He will need to continue to improve his ball handling and be a more focused defender in games, but he is a talented player who could be a second round prospect for the 2022 draft.

Utah State’s 6-7 redshirt junior forward, Justin Bean put forth a fairly good performance in his team’s loss to VCU.  Bean did a good job of scoring in the post and off of cuts, and he was able to score on a couple of emphatic dunks off of backdoor cuts in this game.  He showed a knack for scoring on turnaround jumpers, but Bean struggled to make threes from beyond the arc.

He also displayed adequate playmaking skills.  Bean is an unselfish player that will look to find the open man, and he will kick balls out to shooters to set up scores for them.  However, he had trouble handling the ball when facing heavy pressure, as he would not see help defenders in time, and he would get balls stolen away from him.  He also threw an inaccurate high entry pass that ended up getting picked off.

Also, Bean was able to get his fair share of boards in this game, and he was able to leap up to get some defensive rebounds for his team.  Defensively, he looked to be fairly average.  Bean was able to jump on a loose ball that a teammate deflected to him to help his team get a steal, and he also would contest threes and shots off of drives to get stops for his team.  He also managed to successfully draw a charge on a drive another time.  However, sometimes he would be late on his rotations and give up too much space to shooters.  Other times, he would struggle to defend quicker opponents off the dribble.

Overall, Bean is a an energetic, high-motor player that can make hustle plays on both sides of the ball, and he showed off some surprising athletic gifts at times, as he really elevated to throw down some of those dunks in this game.  However, he didn’t make any threes, and he struggled to handle the ball when bringing it up the court.  Right now, he’s sort of a tweener that may not really fit the NBA game very well, but he’s been productive at the collegiate level.  He’s a 6-7 forward that doesn’t make threes, but he’s not quite a good enough playmaker or defender to be able to go up against quicker small forwards at the next level.  Right now, Bean will need to improve his perimeter skills, and he will likely end up in the G-League or overseas when his collegiate career ends.

VCU’s 6-9 sophomore big man, Hason Ward also played well in this game.  He primarily excelled as a shot blocker, as he would often rotate to swat shots in the paint to get stops for his team.  He also was able to slip behind the defense to catch a lob pass to score on an alley-oop dunk.  Also, he was able to find a cutter to notch an assist.  He especially played well defensively. 

Right now, his offensive game may be fairly limited to being a rim runner, screen setter, and ball mover on that side of the ball, but his ability to roam and block shots has really helped him excel in his role on this team.  He will need to continue to improve offensively, but he could be a prospect to watch sometime in the future, especially if he can expand his offensive game.

VCU’s 6-3 sophomore guard, Jimmy Clark III played well for his team in their win over Utah State.  He is a speedy player that can score on quick drives to the hoop, and he also managed to score on a two-handed dunk on a breakaway.  He also scored on an acrobatic reverse layup off of a backdoor cut.  Plus, he also defended well, as he would frequently jump passes and poke balls away to get many steals for his team.  He did commit some reach-in fouls, and he did not make a three-point shot, but Clark’s energy and ability to make plays on both ends of the floor helped his team in this game.

Overall, Clark is an athletic, energetic combo guard that can make numerous hustle plays on both ends of the floor, and he has thrived in his role off the bench.  He will need to improve his outside shot and playmaking skills, but he could be a player to keep an eye on in the future, as he could project to be a defensive specialist in the NBA one day.

VCU’s 6-4 junior guard, KeShawn Curry played very well in his team’s win over Utah State.  He is a versatile scorer that excelled at making deep threes to show his range, and he also excelled as a scorer in transition, as he managed to score on a high-flying dunk on the break.  He also would chase down balls to get plenty of defensive rebounds. 

Defensively, he looked to be above average, and he was able to intercept a pass quickly to get a steal.  Overall, Curry is an athletic, energetic combo guard that can make hustle plays on both ends of the floor.  He will need to consistently make threes in games and improve his playmaking skills, but he has thrived in his role for VCU this season, and he could project into a defensive specialist role in the NBA sometime in the future.

VCU’s 6-8 redshirt senior big man, Corey Douglas Jr. also put forth a solid showing in his team’s win over Utah State.  Like his teammate Ward, Douglas primarily excelled as a shot blocker, as he would often rotate to swat shots hard off of drives due to possessing solid athleticism, length, and timing to do so.  He also would tend to score on cuts and rolls to the rim, and he also drew free throws on an aggressive, left-handed drive to the hoop.

Overall, Douglas did a good job of making hustle plays to help his team on both ends of the floor.  He will need to extend his shooting range and improve his passing and rebounding ability moving forward, and he may be a long shot to be drafted by an NBA team right now.  Still, he is an athletic, energetic big man that could project to be a defensive specialist at the level one day, and he may have the skills to make it to the G-League or overseas next season.