Evaluating J.D. Davison, Jaden Shackelford, and Chet Holmgren

December 4^th, 2021

By Alan Lu

Today, I decided to watch Gonzaga play against Alabama that took place in the Battle in Seattle.  This was an opportunity to watch two top prospects, Gonzaga’s 7-0 freshman center Chet Holmgren go head-to-head against Alabama’s freshman point guard, J.D. Davison tonight.  Surprisingly, Alabama came out strong, and while Gonzaga rallied back to make it a close game, Alabama was able to make key shots down the stretch, especially with Holmgren on the bench to get a surprising, double-digit victory on the road.  Jaden Shackelford had a strong performance in this game, and his tremendous shooting and scoring helped bolster his team to get the win.  Here are my thoughts on how Davison, Shackelford, and the others fared on this day.

J.D. Davison had a strong showing in his team’s win over Gonzaga.  He is a very athletic guard that did a great job of shooting and scoring the basketball, and he made a slew of highly energetic plays to help his team get the victory. Davison did a great job of knocking down jumpers, especially from downtown.  He showed a knack for making open, spot-up threes off the catch.  He also dribbled off of a screen and pulled up to make a three another time. 

He also showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays.  Early on, he ran in to score on a very athletic tip slam.  He also quickly jumped a pass, and drove up court to score on a thunderous breakaway dunk late in this match. He struggled more to score off the dribble when taking it to the rim on half-court sets.  Davison had a tendency to over-dribble at times, which would sometimes get him into trouble.  Though he’s very athletic, he didn’t show a great first step to the hoop, and he would struggle to score in traffic as a result.

He also displayed perhaps adequate playmaking skills in this game.  Davison tended to fare better when he would play patiently.  He can make good drive and kick passes to get balls to open shooters, as he has good speed to get into the lane and the court vision to find them.  He also was able to throw a lob pass to a roll man to set up an alley-oop dunk later on, and he showed that he can find his teammates on the move.  On the downside, he would tend to rush his moves, and he would try to rush his passes, which would end up getting intercepted.  He also was called for traveling off of a drive another time, and he would’ve scored on a mid-range floater had that call not been made.

Also, Davison did a good job of rebounding the basketball.  He was quite active at crashing the glass, and he would tend to quickly bring the ball up after getting defensive rebounds.  He also played satisfactory defense in this game.  Davison was able to jump a pass to get a steal.  He also appeared to get cleanly block a shot when rotating to defend a drive in transition, but he was called for a foul that time due to questionable officiating.

In general, J.D. Davison played very well, and he thrived at making plays on both ends of the floor.  He showed a much better jump shot than expected, and he also showed off his trademark athletic gifts by making tremendous hustle plays on both ends of the floor.  He is a very talented prospect, and he would likely be a good pick for an NBA team in the lottery of the 2022 draft.

Alabama’s 6-3 junior guard, Jaden Shackelford put forth a tremendous performance, as he showed his sharpshooting and scoring prowess by scoring 28 points and making 6 three-pointers in his team’s stunning road win over Gonzaga in the Battle in Seattle.  He was virtually automatic as a shooter and scorer in this game, and he was unstoppable for most of the night to help his team get the victory.

Shackelford did a tremendous job of knocking down outside shots, especially from downtown.  He showed a penchant for scoring on open, spot-up threes, and he was able to make a couple of them from way out.  He has a lot of range on his shot, and he also would run off ball screens to make threes.  He also was able to drive to the hoop to score on a mid-range floater.

He also showed a satisfactory ability to score off the dribble.  Shackelford was able to utilize a crafty Euro-step move to score on a layup early on.  He also has a nice hesitation move that he was able to use to score another time, and he also would score on strong drives to the hoop.  He also showed that he can absorb the contact to get to the free throw line.  Sometimes though, he would struggle to score when help defenders would arrive and rotate to make plays on the ball, and he ended up getting his shots blocked a couple of times.

He also displayed perhaps adequate playmaking skills.  Shackelford was usually able to get to where he wanted with the basketball, and he would find open shooters to get a couple of assists.  Sometimes though, he would be careless with the basketball, and he committed a charging foul when driving to the hoop on the break midway through this match.

Also, Shackelford did a great job of rebounding the basketball.  He had a keen nose for the ball, and he would often grab defensive rebounds when he was on the floor.  He also played satisfactory defense in this game.  He was able to deflect a pass to nearly get a steal once.  On the downside, he also was called for committing a foul when defending in the post off the ball once.

In summary, Jaden Shackelford had a fantastic showing in his team’s win over Gonzaga.  He especially thrived as a sharpshooter and scorer on the floor, and he is a very underrated prospect that could be a first round pick in the 2022 draft.

Chet Holmgren had his ups and downs in his team’s stunning loss to Alabama.  He had some good moments, as he showed off his playmaking skills and shot blocking prowess, but he also struggled to knock down jumpers, and he really had trouble making threes in this game.  He also didn’t play in crunch time down the stretch, and he seemed to fade into the background on offense too much at times. Holmgren thrived at scoring on hustle plays.  He particularly excelled at scoring on put backs, and there was one play where he flew in to score on a strong put back while drawing an extra free throw late in this contest, and it was a rare show if him playing much stronger than his extremely rail-thin frame that time.

He also did a decent job of scoring in the post.  He was able to use a pivot move to score on a quick layup in traffic.  He also showed a knack for finding ways to get fouled in order to get to the free throw line.  Sometimes though, he wouldn’t go up strong enough, and he would miss on tough shots when he wouldn’t get foul calls.  After using a spin move in the post, he ended up missing in traffic.  He attempted to take a fade-away, one-legged, mid-range jumper, but he had his shot blocked. He also just didn’t shoot well, and Holmgren especially struggled to knock down outside shots in this game.  He was unable to make any of his three-point attempts, and he even threw up an unsightly air-ball from out there once, as he couldn’t find his rhythm or shooting stroke from beyond the arc.

On the plus side, Holmgren did a good job of passing and handling the basketball.  He didn’t do it nearly as often, but he was able to rack up several assists in this game.  Early on, he used a pump fake and drove in and made a nice drop-off pass to notch an assist, as he was able to make a crafty pass and flashed good handles that time.  He also excelled at throwing entry passes to set up scores for big men down low.  Even better, he did not turn the ball over once on offense in this match.

Plus, Holmgren did a great job of rebounding the basketball.  He was very active at crashing the glass, and he was able to haul in numerous boards, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  He also played good defense in this game.  Holmgren did a tremendous job of blocking shots to help his team protect the paint, and he would often use his length and timing to get stops for his team.  He also would rotate to contest drives to force misses, and he also managed to deflect a pass out of bounds another time.  However, he also was called for a Flagrant 1 foul, as he was appeared to have been called for hooking an arm on a defensive rebounding attempt.  Other times, he would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble, and he would get beat by quicker players that would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores on occasion.

Overall, Chet Holmgren had his good moments at times, but it was baffling that he did not play down the stretch in his team’s loss to Alabama.  It was probably because Drew Timme and Anton Watson were making shots more efficiently on offense, and both were also being active as defenders on the court.  Still, it was frustrating to see Chet Holmgren stapled to the bench in crunch time, and that he was extremely passive on offense for most of this game.  He struggled to make threes, and if he weren’t gift-wrapped some of those foul calls to get free throws, he would’ve had a really bad game on offense.  Holmgren needs to be a more consistent outside shooter, and he needs to add a lot more muscle to his frame to be able to guard stronger players. 

Holmgren fading down the stretch in his team’s loss to Alabama was not good, especially for a player that is considered to be the top pick of the 2022 draft.  Perhaps he’s more meant to be selected in the 2-5 range in the top 5 instead, and maybe he’s just not meant to be an elite or dominant offensive player.  Still, Holmgren is a very versatile and skilled big man whose intriguing skill set makes him a likely top 5 pick on draft day.

Charles Bediako also played well in his team’s win over Gonzaga.  He did a tremendous job of blocking shots, and he is a very athletic center that played very good interior defense to help his team get the victory. Bediako excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  He was able to catch a lob pass off of a roll to score on a high-flying, alley-oop dunk.  Plus, he also managed to score on a put back dunk.  He also was able to draw free throws after getting the ball on a cut to the hoop.  He also was able to score after being left open underneath the basket. On the downside, he had a put back blocked after getting an offensive rebound once.  He also didn’t shoot the ball very often or look to take jumpers from outside of the paint area.

Also, he displayed adequate playmaking skills in this game.  Bediako was able to pass out of the post to find an open shooter to notch an assist.  He also did not turn the ball over once on offense.  Plus, he did a good job of rebounding the basketball, and he was able to haul in multiple boards on both ends of the floor.  He also played good defense in this game.  Bediako did a tremendous job of blocking shots to help his team protect the paint, and he would often swat shots to his teammates.  He also showed a knack for getting his hands on passes to get steals.  Bediako did a very good job of defending in the post and off of drives to get stops for his team.  Sometimes though, he would be too aggressive in trying to make plays, which would lead him to commit touch fouls.

Overall, Charles Bediako turned in a good game to help his team get a stunning road win over Gonzaga.  He is a very athletic, shot-blocking center that excelled as an interior player today.  He’ll need to be a more aggressive player on offense and expand his game on that side of the ball, but his athleticism, size, and strong defensive skills could enable him to be a first round pick in the 2022 draft.

Drew Timme had a solid showing in his team’s stunning loss to Alabama.  He did a good job of making plays to help his team on both ends of the floor, but his team was not able to overcome their sluggish first half start in this game.  Timme did a good job of scoring in the post.  He was able to use a ball fake to score on a nifty up and under, step-through move in traffic.  He also used a spin move to score on a backwards flip layup.  He has a quick spin move that he can use to subtly score around the basket, and Timme has good footwork that enables him to find ways to consistently score when he is on the block.  He also showed a knack for drawing fouls upon his defenders to get to the free throw line.  Sometimes he would take tough shots, as he had several of them get blocked.  He also generally did a good job of scoring on hustle plays, as he was able to score on a short roll off the glass, as well as on a couple of put backs.  On the downside, he had trouble scoring when he would look to score on aggressive drives to the basket, especially when he would start his moves from too far away, and he also missed on an open mid-range floater another time.

Also, Timme showed off adequate playmaking skills in this game.  He is an unselfish player that will look to get his teammates the ball, and he can consistently find cutters to set up scores for them.  On the downside, he would sometimes throw hasty, inaccurate passes that would get intercepted, which would lead him to commit turnovers.  He also threw an inaccurate low interior pass that skipped out of bounds on a separate possession.

Plus, he did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  Timme has a keen nose for the basketball, and he was able to haul in plenty of boards on both ends of the floor.  He also played solid defense in this game.  Timme did a very good job of blocking shots off of drives, and he was able to hustle to make an impressive block on a drive in transition late in this match.  He also would often contest shots to force misses, and he also deflected a pass out of bounds another time.  On the downside, there was one play where he sagged too far off of a shooter, which led his man to score on an open three-point shot.

Overall, Drew Timme played fairly well in his team’s loss to Alabama.  He is a strong, mobile low post scorer that did a good job of scoring in the paint,  but he also passed the ball well and showcased some shot blocking skills in this game.  He excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he is a productive big man that could be a good find for an NBA team in the 2022 draft.

Jahvon Quinerly had his ups and downs in his team’s win over Gonzaga.  He struggled to score consistently in this game, but he made good plays down the stretch to help his team seal the victory. He struggled to score consistently, but Quinerly was able to show a solid hesitation move to score on strong drives to the hoop.  He also used a jab step to make a corner three once.  Quinerly was at his best when scoring on aggressive fast break drives, as he managed to score on a reverse layup once.  He also was able to score on a step-back floater from the mid-range.  On the downside, he struggled to consistently score on threes or off the dribble in this game.

He also showed off satisfactory playmaking skills in this game.  Quinerly generally passed the ball well off the dribble, and he would make swift drive and kick passes to set up scores for open shooters.  He did commit a couple of turnovers, though.  He threw an inaccurate low pass that skipped out of bounds.  He also threw a nifty no-look, behind-the-back pass, but he ended up being called for a charging foul upon passing the basketball on that play.

Plus, Quinerly was able to collect a pair of defensive rebounds to help chip in on the glass.  He also defended well in this game.  Quinerly was able to jump on a loose ball to get a steal, and he also intercepted a pass to get another.  Overall, Jahvon Quinerly didn’t consistently play well in this game, but he was able to have some very good moments, and he was able to string together some really good plays on offense in crunch time to help his team get the win.  He is an agile, skilled playmaker that an ably create shots for himself and his teammates, and he currently projects to be a second round prospect for the 2022 draft.

Nolan Hickman played very well in his team’s loss to Alabama.  He did a great job of shooting and scoring the basketball, and he excelled as a microwave type of scorer off the bench to provide instant offense for his team.  He thrived as a three-point shooter, as he was able to make a step-back three from way out, and he also made a deep three off the catch. 

He also did a very good job of drawing free throws on aggressive dribble moves.  He did so once when driving to the hoop on the break, and he also drew free throws another time on a step-back, mid-range jumper.  Hickman was also actively defensively, but he was called for fouling an opposing ball handler due to using his hands too much with his opponent.

Overall, Nolan Hickman is a very athletic, skilled combo guard that excelled as a shooter and scorer in his team’s loss to Alabama.  He played very well when he was on the floor, and he didn’t seem to play nearly enough, as he consistently scored and drew fouls to get to the free throw line.  A lack of consistent playing time may be holding him back from ascending up draft boards, but he is definitely a first round talent that can score in binges, as he played very well tonight.

Anton Watson played well in his team’s loss to Alabama.  He excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he thrived as a hustle player in this game.  He did a very good job of scoring on put backs, and he also managed to score on a quick, backdoor cut.  Watson also was able to make an open, spot-up three off the catch.

He also displayed solid playmaking skills.  Watson is an unselfish player, and he was able to make a nice drive and dish pass to set up a score for a teammate on the break.  He also threw one bad pass that got intercepted another time.  He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball, and he was especially effective at crashing the offensive glass.  He played satisfactory defense.  Watson was able to block a shot hard off the dribble.  He also intercepted a pass to get a steal.  On the downside, he was called for a reach-in foul when defending a drive another time.

Overall, Anton Watson is an athletic, high-motor forward that made solid hustle plays to help his team on both ends of the floor, and he was able to get crunch time minutes over potential 2022 first overall pick, Chet Holmgren late in this contest.  Watson will still need to continue to expand his game offensively and be more assertive on that side of the ball, but Watson is a talented player that could be an interesting option for NBA teams to consider in the second round range of the 2022 draft.

Julian Strawther had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Alabama.  He did a very good job of scoring on spot-up threes, and he is a mobile forward that can run off bal screens to score from the long range.  He also managed to throw down a powerful dunk to score on a backdoor cut.  He struggled more to score off the dribble more, and he also had some trouble handling the ball when pressured, which would lead him to commit some turnovers.

Also, Strawther did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.  He was able to chase down balls to get boards on both sides of the ball, and there was one play where he pushed the ball up the court off of a defensive rebound.  He also played adequate defense in this game.  Strawther was able to poke a ball away to get a steal.  There was another play where he gave up too much space, which led him to allow his man to score on a corner three.

Overall, Julian Strawther is a mobile swingman that can shoot and score the basketball, but he struggled more to create his own shot in this game.  Right now, he will need to continue to show that he can play well against top-level competition.  He’s shot the ball much better from the outside, and he currently projects to be a second round prospect for the 2022 draft.

Keon Ellis didn’t play very well in his team’s win over Gonzaga.  On the plus side, Ellis was able to score on a backdoor cut.  He also managed to draw three free throws when hoisting up a deep three another time.  He also passed the ball well, and he can pass off the dribble to set up scores for shooters.  On the downside, he really struggled to knock down threes, as he didn’t shoot the ball very well from beyond the arc. He also played adequate defense in this game.  He was able to intercept a pass to get a steal.  He also successfully drew a charge to get a stop another time.  He also managed to contest a mid-range shot to force a miss.  However, he would sometimes be too aggressive in trying to make plays, which would lead him to commit touch fouls.

Overall, Keon Ellis wasn’t aggressive in looking to score often, and he didn’t shoot the ball well.  He was able to make some good defensive plays, but he also committed wild fouls other times.  He will need to learn how to play more under control defensively, and he will need to be a more consistent outside shooter.  He is a very athletic swingman, and he currently projects to be a borderline second round candidate for the 2022 draft.

Hunter Sallis played better than how he fared previously, as he excelled in making plays in limited minutes.  He is a very athletic combo guard that thrived at making hustle plays on offense.  He dribbled in to score on a strong put back in traffic.  Sallis also sprinted down court to score on a high-flying jam on the break. He also looked to display fairly average playmaking skills.  Sallis was able to make a solid drive and kick pass to notch an assist.  However, he also was turnover prone, and sometimes he would throw hasty passes that would get intercepted.  He also made a critical defensive mistake on one play, as he fouled a three-point shooter by closing out too hard and landing on his opponent that time.

Overall, Hunter Sallis is a very athletic swingman that played with a great deal of motor and competitiveness in this game, but it’s been frustrating that he has not displayed much of an outside or three-point shot at all this season.  He also has not played much in general.  Currently, he is an unpolished player that has a long way to go offensively, as he doesn’t shoot enough, and he has really struggled to make threes.  Sallis will need to stay in school for another year, but a strong sophomore season could enable him to be a second round pick in the 2023 draft.

Andrew Nembhard had another poor outing, as he really struggled in his team’s loss to Alabama.  After starting off strong this year, he’s played relatively bad in two consecutive games, both against Duke, and today against Alabama.  Nembhard didn’t shoot the ball well, and he was sloppy with his passes, as he didn’t show the masterful playmaking skills that he showed at the start of the season. Nembhard was at his best when scoring in transition.  He would run the floor to get the ball, and he would be able to score on quick layups.  On the downside, he really struggled to score on threes or off the dribble in half-court sets.  He also dribbled off of a screen, but missed on a mid-range floater.

He also was fairly turnover prone in this game.  For the positives, Nembhard is an unselfish player that will look to set the table, and he would swing the ball to shooters to notch assists.  He also was able to drive in and throw a nifty no-look, behind-the-back, drop-off pass to set up a score for a teammate down low.  Nembhard can make crafty passes at times, and he showed solid court vision when he played under control.  However, he also would tend to throw sloppy, forced passes that would get intercepted by defenders.

While he didn’t come away with many rebounds in this match, Nembhard was able to get a board on each side of the ball.  He also played satisfactory defense.  He would get his hands on passes to get plenty of steals, and he also would poke balls away to get steals and deflections.  Nembhard was able to successfully draw a charge to get a stop for his team, and he also contested a three to force a miss.  However, he would sometimes struggle to defend opponents off the dribble as well as off of screens, and he would end up allowing scores to his opponents.

Overall, Andrew Nembhard did not play very well, as he shot the ball poorly in this game, and he had some uncharacteristic turnovers at the point.  If he continues to play the point this poorly and struggle on offense, then they should just make Chet Holmgren the point center, in order to further diversify Holmgren’s game.  Nembhard didn’t play well at all, but he’s played well in previous games that were neither against Duke nor Alabama.  He’s not the most athletic guard, but his intangibles and usually steady point guard play makes him a second round prospect in the 2022 draft.