Analyzing the Fourth Combine Scrimmage Game

May 18, 2019

I took the time to watch the fourth combine scrimmage game that took place on May 17th. Unfortunately, a couple of players sat out of today’s game, and it ended up being a lopsided affair, with Team 4 defeating Team 1 by 17 points. The standout performers looked to be Zach Norvell Jr., Isaiah Roby, and Miye Oni in this contest. Here are my thoughts on how various players fared, as well as where they may stack up as prospects for this year’s NBA draft. For those that are interested in the box score of this game, here is the link.

Gonzaga’s 6-5 redshirt sophomore guard, Zach Norvell Jr. played very well in this game, as he really excelled as a shooter and scorer on offense, and he was able to make shots efficiently in a variety of ways to help Team 4 run away with the victory. Norvell did a great job of knocking down spot-up threes to space the floor for his team. Plus, he also ran off of a curl to make a mid-range jumper. He also showed a solid ability to score in the post, as he was also able to score on a quick turnaround, fadeaway jumper. Adding to that, Norvell used a eurostep move to score on a nifty drive in transition.

He also displayed fairly average playmaking skills. Norvell was able to throw some good passes in this game, and he was able to throw a no-look interior pass off of a drive off of an offensive rebound to notch an assist, but he also ended up committing four turnovers due to carelessness. In general, Zach Norvell Jr. had a strong showing as he showed off versatile scoring skills, and he showed a knack for making three-point shots from beyond the arc. He scored 18 points and made 3 threes in total to help get Team 4 the win over Team 1, and he is an athletic, skilled swingman that could be a solid find for an NBA team in the second round range of the upcoming draft.

Nebraska’s 6-8 junior forward, Isaiah Roby put forth a good performance, as he played well on both ends of the floor to help Team 1 in this match. He did a very good job of scoring on drives to the basket as well as on hustle plays. Roby can use dribble moves to get past his man to garner scores at the rim, and he also scored on a thunderous one-handed dunk on a drive in transition. Roby also excelled at finishing plays around the basket, as he would tend to score on dunks. He also used a pump fake to score on a strong left-handed drive while getting an extra free throw. However, Roby also missed all of his three-point shots, and he also air-balled a jump hook when posting up another time.

Roby also displayed adequate playmaking skills. He is an unselfish player that will look to find the open man, and he also can throw long passes to set up scores for his teammates. However, his lone turnover came when he threw an inaccurate interior pass that ended up sailing out of bounds. He also rebounded the ball well, as he was especially active at crashing the glass to help his team get defensive boards. Roby also played terrific defense. He was able to jump a pass to get a steal, and he also ran in to poke a ball away to force another turnover. Roby also leapt up to block a shot on a baseline drive once, and he also altered a shot off of another drive to force another miss.

In summary, Isaiah Roby had a very good showing, as he excelled at attacking the basket to garner scores, and he also showed off strong defensive skills in this game. He is a very athletic combo forward that could project well into a defensive specialist role in the NBA, and he could end up being a good pick for a team in the second round of this year’s draft.

Yale’s 6-6 junior swingman, Miye Oni also played fairly well, as he generally shot the ball well from beyond the arc to help Team 1 in this game. Oni did a great job of knocking down open spot-up threes off the catch, and he also ran off the ball to make a quick three on one play. Oni was also able to score on a baseline drive after grabbing an offensive rebound. However, he tended to miss on drives to the basket as well as on pull-up mid-range jumpers, and he also had a couple of his shots blocked when taking it to the rim.

He also showed off decent playmaking skills, and Oni can throw long passes to set up scoring chances for his teammates. He also was able to help out on the glass to get his fair share of boards. He also played decent defense, as he was able to dive for a loose ball to get a steal, and Oni was generally active as a help defender in this game. Overall, Miye Oni is an athletic swingman that has shot the ball well at the NBA Draft Combine, and he has certainly helped himself by having solid showings in both of these games here. He is a second round prospect that could project well into a 3 and D role at the next level, and he could be a solid value pick for an NBA team in the mid to late second round range this year.

6-9 forward, Darius Bazley also played fairly well, as he was able to show a variety of skills that helped Team 4 cruise to a double-digit victory in this contest. Bazley showed a solid ability to score in the post as well as off of drives to the hoop in this game. He has a good set of moves that he can use to score on the block, as he was able to score on a turnaround, fadeaway jumper, and he also pivoted to score on a nifty reverse layup another time. Bazley also tended to draw fouls after driving the ball to the basket, and he also managed to score on a quick put back. However, he struggled more to make mid-range jumpers, and Bazley did not take a three-point shot in this match.

He also displayed fairly average playmaking skills. Bazley showed off some solid passing skills, as he was able to throw an interior pass off the dribble to find a cutter to notch an assist, and he also threw a nifty behind the back, drop off pass to set up another score. However, he also had a couple of passes intercepted, and he also stepped out of bounds on a drive, as his score on a dunk ended up being waved off.

Other Notes:

Ignas Brazdeikis excelled at attacking the basket to garner scores in this game. He did a good job of scoring on drives to the hoop as well as off of off-ball motion plays, and he also knocked down mid-range jumpers to help space the floor for his team. He also was fairly active on the glass to help his team get rebounds. Overall, Brazdeikis had a fairly solid showing as he could end up being a good pick for an NBA team in the second round of this year’s draft.

Ky Bowman did a very good job of knocking down three-pointers to help get Team 4 the victory, as he can make them off the catch and dribble. He also played solid defense, as he would get his hands on passes and poke balls away to get steals for his team. He also can make passes off the dribble to notch assists, but he also was turnover prone, as he would sometimes throw hasty, inaccurate passes that would go astray. Overall, Ky Bowman is an agile, skilled point guard that can score the basketball in a variety of ways, and he could end up being a potential second round pick this year.

Dedric Lawson played fairly well to help Team 4 get the win over Team 1. He did a good job of knocking down threes, as he was able to use a pump fake to make a pull-up three, and he also made an open corner three another time. He also can score on hustle plays, as he also managed to score on a put back, but sometimes he would struggle to score off the dribble when he would look to score inside the arc. Lawson also showed adequate defensive skills. Lawson managed to block a shot off of a drive, and he also contested a three to force a miss, but he also can tend to commit fouls due to over-aggressiveness. Overall, Lawson is an athletic, combo forward that has been very productive this season, but he has been streaky with his jump shot. Still, his versatility could allow him to get drafted, and if he can be a more consistent shooter in games, he could end up being a reliable role player in the NBA.

Jordan Bone showed off solid playmaking and defensive skills, as he played fairly well despite not shooting the ball well in this game. He struggled to make jumpers, but he showed a fairly good ability to get scores on quick drives to the basket. Bone has good agility and court vision to throw accurate passes off the dribble to rack up assists. Bone also defended very well, as he would jump passes and poke balls away to get a plethora of steals for his team, and he also blocked a shot out of bounds another time. Overall, Bone is a smart, skilled playmaker that can effectively run a team, and he is a good athlete that can be a pest defensively. With his skill set, he could end up being a backup point guard in the NBA, as he may have played his way to earning consideration to be selected late in this year’s draft.

Marial Shayok did a very good job of knocking down spot-up threes in this game, but he would tend to throw inaccurate passes that would get deflected on offense. Overall though, he has played well at Portsmouth, and he has made some good plays here in the combine scrimmage games. Shayok is an athletic, skilled swingman that can shoot and score the basketball, and he could be a potential second round pick in the upcoming draft.

Kyle Guy had an up and down game for Team 1 in his team’s loss on this day. He struggled to knock down jumpers, but he did a good job of scoring on quick drives to the basket. He was turnover prone though, as he would play too recklessly at times, and he committed five turnovers in total. He did play fairly good defense, as he was able to intercept passes to get steals. Overall, Guy is a good shooter that has had a solid season, and he is a skilled combo guard that could compete for a roster spot in the NBA.