Observing J.D. Davison, Jahvon Quinerly, and Jeremy Sochan

January 29^th, 2022

By Alan Lu

Today, I decided to take the time to watch Alabama play against Baylor in a tough, competitive college basketball game.  Alabama managed to jump on Baylor early and often, and they played well on both ends of the floor to get the win.  They received strong guard play, and J.D. Davison excelled at making plays throughout the contest in Alabama’s win over Baylor.  Here are my thoughts on how Davison and other various prospects fared in this game, as well as how their games may stack up as prospects for the NBA.

J.D. Davison had a strong showing in his team’s win over Baylor.  He is a very athletic point guard that was able to make a three early on, and helped ease him in, as he ended up playing very well in nearly all facets of the game to help his team get the victory.  He did have some miscues at times, but he was able to make adjustments, and he also managed to get a steal and score on a breakaway dunk as the exclamation mark for his team’s win.

Davison did a very good job of knocking down threes in this game.  He took advantage of being given the time and space to get and shoot the basketball, and he would make smooth, open threes off the catch.   He also showed a good ability to score off the dribble.  He would drive hard to the hoop to score on right-handed drives, and he excelled at finishing plays around the basket.  Davison especially showed a knack for scoring on strong drives in transition.  He was able to score on a tough, fall-away layup, and he also managed to score on a thunderous, high-flying breakaway dunk late in this match.  Davison was selective with his shots, and he did a great job of making them.   He also seems to have worked hard on his outside shot, which paid off as he made two threes in this game.

Also, Davison showed off satisfactory playmaking skills.  He is an unselfish player that would probe the defenses, and he would patiently throw accurate passes off the dribble to set up numerous scoring chances for his teammates.  He also excelled at throwing lob passes to cutters to notch assists.  He also would throw nice drive and kick passes to consistently find open shooters.  On the downside, sometimes he would get sloppy with his passes, as some of them ended up getting intercepted.  Other times, he would try to rush his moves when handling the ball under pressure, which would sometimes get him into a bit of trouble.

He also showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball.  Davison was able to haul in plenty of defensive boards in this game.  On the downside, he would sometimes commit fouls on put backs due to over-aggressiveness.  He also played satisfactory defense in this game.  Davison would rotate to poke balls away to get steals, and he also managed to block a shot due to possessing very good athleticism, timing, and instincts.  He also managed to contest a three to force a miss.  Sometimes though, he would over-help in the paint and be late to rotate back, which would lead him to allow opponents to score on jumpers.

In summary, J.D. Davison played very well to help get his team the win.  He did a great job of shooting and scoring the basketball, and he also generally thrived as a playmaker and defender.  He made good reads, especially when he was focused and when he played under control, and he excelled as a rangy defender that would make it difficult for his opponents to make plays.  Davison is one of the most underrated prospects in this year’s draft, and he would be a good pick for an NBA team in the lottery of the 2022 draft. 

Jahvon Quinerly also had a strong showing in his team’s win over Baylor.  He played very well on both ends of the floor, and he showed off versatile scoring skills to help his team get the victory. Quinerly shot the ball very well, especially from downtown.  He showed a knack for making open, spot-up threes off the catch, and he also was able to make one from way out.  Plus, he also would score on strong drives to the hoop, and he showed that he can do so using either hand.  He could score on graceful, finger roll layups, he can change speeds to do so, and he also would take on the contact to draw plenty of fouls to get to the free throw line.

Also, he displayed adequate playmaking skills in this game.  He was able to make solid passes off the dribble, and he also would throw sharp interior passes to find his teammates on the move.  He is a quick guard that was able to make an assortment of passes to get assists.  On the downside, sometimes he would struggle to handle the ball when facing significant pressure.  On a couple of drives, he ended up committing charging fouls.  He also had a couple of balls poked off of him when handling it other times.

Also, Quinerly was able to leap up to get a pair of defensive rebounds to help chip in on the glass.  He also played solid defense in this game.  Quinerly did a very good job of contesting jumpers to force misses, and he was able to alter a mid-range shot to get a stop for his team.  He also intercepted a pass to get a steal another time.  There was one play though where he got beat off the dribble, which led his team to give up a basket.

In summary, Jahvon Quinerly played very well, and he excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor to help his team get the win.  He is a smart, skilled playmaker that can reliably run the point, and he consistently made winning plays that could make him a good find for an NBA team whenever he decides to enter the NBA draft.

Baylor’s 6-9 freshman big man, Jeremy Sochan had a fairly solid showing in his team’s loss to Alabama.  He shot the ball well, though he appeared to be very reluctant to take threes early on.  He did show off a good shooting stroke, and he made energetic plays to help his team score and rebound the ball in this contest. Sochan did a good job of knocking down jumpers, especially from the mid-range.  He can use either hand to get to his spots off the dribble, and he would tend to score on smooth, pull-up mid-range jumpers.  He also showed off a good spin move that enabled him to make a mid-range shot early on.  He seemed to be very reluctant to take threes until late in this match, but Sochan was able to make an open, bank three off the catch.  He also missed on two other threes, and he even threw up an air-ball while falling down on a pull-up three very late in the game, but it was encouraging to see that he showed at least some willingness to take threes at all against Alabama.

Also, Sochan was able to score on a quick, left-handed drive to the hoop.  He also generally excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  Sochan was able to catch an air-ball to score on a quick tip-in while getting fouled simultaneously.  He also showed a knack for getting fouled when he was on the move to get to the free throw line. He also is an unselfish player that will look to find the open man, and he was able to an accurate interior pass to notch an assist. On the other hand, sometimes he would struggle to handle the ball when pressured, and he had a couple of balls stolen away from him that led him to commit turnovers.

He also showed a decent ability to rebound the basketball.  Sochan was able to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor.  Defensively, he looked to be about average at best.  Sochan was able to get his hands on passes and poke balls away to get steals and deflections.  However, he also would usually struggle to defend quicker opponents off the dribble, and he would get beat on moves that would lead him to commit fouls.  He also over-helped on a drive and was late to rotate back on a backdoor cut, which led him to commit the foul another time.

Overall, Jeremy Sochan played fairly well in this game, and he showed off versatile scoring skills when he was on the floor.  He is an athletic, energetic big man that was able to score on hustle plays, and he also showed off a promising jump shot.  He will need to trust his three-point shot more, and he will need to improve his defense. He is a very skilled big man that could develop into being one of the best shooting big men in the draft. Currently, Sochan projects to go in the late first to the second round range in the 2022 draft, and he could end up being a very similar player to former Phoenix Suns’ big man, Tim Thomas in the NBA.

Jaden Shackelford also had a solid showing, as he played well on both ends of the floor to help lead his team to a win over Baylor.  He showed a satisfactory ability to score off the dribble.  Shackelford showed a knack for scoring on crafty floaters, and he showed a solid feel for scoring on mid-range jumpers as well around the basket.  He also would take on the contact to get fouled in order to get to the free throw line.  Also, Shackelford was able to score on a put back off of an offensive rebound.  He also ran off a ball screen, and made a quick corner three while absorbing the contact, but he also missed on a handful of threes other times in this game.

He also did a good job of passing and handling the basketball.  Shackelford made good passes off the dribble, and he would throw sharp interior passes to find teammates on the move due to possessing good court vision.  He did commit a charging foul on a drive once, but Shackelford was able to rack up assists on offense.

Plus, he also did a great job of rebounding the basketball.  He also defended well.  He would often rotate to poke balls away and intercept passes to get steals.  He also managed to successfully draw a charge, and he also contested a mid-range shot to force a miss.  On another play though, he was late to contest a corner three, which led his team to give up a basket that time.

Overall, Jaden Shackelford played very well, as he excelled in making plays on both ends of the floor in his team’s win over Baylor.  He didn’t quite shoot the three-ball well, but he did everything else well.  Shackelford is a skilled, mobile combo guard that has a variety of skills that could enable him to be a solid role player in the NBA one day.

Keon Ellis also had a solid showing in his team’s win over Baylor.  He is a very athletic swingman that thrived on offense, and he was able to make some big plays to help them on the court.  He didn’t seem to always take enough shots, but he made them count when he would hoist them up. Ellis showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays.  He ran the floor and drove up court to score on a high-flying, double-pump breakaway dunk.  He also used a pump fake on an aggressive, half-court drive to draw free throws another time.  He also did a decent job of shooting the basketball.  Ellis was able to make an open, spot-up three off the catch.  He also showed a knack for drawing shooting fouls when taking outside shots.  He was a bit streaky with his three-point shot, but he showed a knack for being able to get to the free throw line.

Also, he was a bit turnover prone in this game.  Sometimes, he would be careless with the ball on offense.  He stepped out of bounds when he received the ball in the corner once.  He also dropped a catchable pass in transition another time.  Ellis also was able to get a pair of defensive boards to help his team chip in on the glass.  He also looked to be fairly average defensively in this game.  Ellis would get his hands on passes to get steals and deflections.  Sometimes though, he would be too aggressive in contesting shots, which would lead him to foul shooters.  He also was a bit late to fight through a screen, which led him to give up a long two to an opponent another time.

Overall, Keon Ellis played fairly well, and he was able to throw down a big-time, breakaway dunk in this game.  He will need to be more assertive on offense, and he will need to be a more disciplined defender in games.  He is a very good athletic that can shoot and score the basketball, especially in run-and-catch or in catch-and-shoot situations, and he could be a solid pick for an NBA team in the second round of the 2022 draft.

Matthew Mayer had a decent showing in his team’s loss to Alabama.  He ran into early foul trouble, as he tended to pick up quick fouls in the first half, but he shot the ball well when he was on the floor.  He is an athletic, energetic combo forward that showed the willingness to take big chances defensively, but sometimes it would get him into trouble, because foul trouble limited his ability to stay on the court in this game.

Mayer shot the ball well, and he thrived at scoring on jumpers throughout the contest.  Mayer showed that he can smoothly knock down threes both off the catch and dribble, and he also managed to draw three free throws on a pull-up three another time.  He is a tall, agile shooter that can ably get his own shots off, and he also drove off a screen to score on an open, pull-up mid-range shot another time.  He also was active as a scorer on hustle plays.  Mayer managed to catch a lob to score on an alley-oop dunk off of a backdoor cut.  Sometimes though, he would struggle to score in traffic, as he would have trouble finishing amidst crowds at times.

He also was able to make a drive and kick pass to find an open shooter on offense.  Though he didn’t grab many rebounds, Mayer was able to get a pair of defensive boards in this match.  He also played adequate defense.  He was able to break up a lob pass to nearly get a steal, and he would play passing lanes and poke balls to get steals and deflections.  Mayer also managed to successfully draw a charge, and he also contested a three another time.  Sometimes though, he would take bad gambles as he would reach in for steals on opposing ball handlers, but he would end up committing reach-in fouls.  He also would sometimes be too aggressive in trying to contest shots, which led him to commit an early foul.

Overall, Matthew Mayer had his ups and downs, but he generally played well when he was out on the floor.  He did run into early foul trouble, but he shot the ball very well on offense, and he would also look to score on off-ball motion plays.  He will need to be a more disciplined defender when he is on the court, but his size, shooting ability, and athleticism could enable him to be a solid second round pick for an NBA team on draft day.

Baylor’s 6-8 freshman forward, Kendall Brown had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Alabama.  On one hand, he would use his athleticism to his advantage, as he would be able to finish plays around the basket and quickly get into the lane to be able to score and make plays on offense.  On the other hand, he was entirely unwilling to take outside shots of any kind, as he would often pass up shots, and he would play too recklessly that would lead him to commit a handful of turnovers in this game.

Brown was generally active at scoring on hustle plays.  He managed to score on a quick tip-in after leaping up to get an offensive rebound.  He also drew free throws off of a put back and on a cut.  Plus, he also is a solid finisher around the basket, and he was able to throw down a thunderous dunk after being left open at the rim.

He also flashed the ability to score off the dribble.  Brown used a crossover and drove to his left to score on a quick, switch of hands layup.  However, he would miss on other drives to the hoop, and he also missed on a tough drive in transition as he slowed down and struggled to finish in traffic that time.  On the other hand, he didn’t look to take outside shots at all, and he wouldn’t even think to take a mid-range shot or a jumper that was remotely outside of the basket area.  On offense, Brown is like an athletic, mini-center, but his complete unwillingness to shoot jumpers combined with not having elite playmaking skills makes him quite a limited player in a half-court offense.  While he was able to have his way against his defenders at times due to possessing good athletic gifts, Brown will likely struggle against tall, similarly athletic players at the NBA level, as his predictable tendencies and unwillingness to take outside shots would make him easier to guard at that level, especially in the half court.

Also, Brown was quite turnover prone on offense.  For the positives, Brown is an unselfish player that can make good reads, especially when matched up against inattentive and/or lesser athletic defenders.  He can handle the ball when he can get a step on his defender, and he can kick balls out to shooters after driving or cutting to the rim.  On the downside, he would sometimes struggle to handle the ball when pressured, as he was called for traveling once, and a charging foul another time.  He also threw a pass that was dropped, and dropped a pass another time.  He also threw a hasty, inaccurate pass that led to an over and back violation later on in this match.

He did an adequate job of rebounding the basketball.  Brown did a great job of chasing down balls to get offensive boards, but he also only hauled in one defensive rebound in this contest.  He played solid defense in this game.  Brown is an athletic, rangy defender that will use his length, athleticism, and instincts to help his team force turnovers.  He was able to rotate to poke a ball away to get a steal, and he also would deflect passes as well as to poke a ball away to get deflections other times.  He also managed to contest a three to force a miss.  Sometimes though, he can be unfocused on the defensive end on occasion.  Sometimes, he would give up too much space to shooters.  Other times, he would get beat off the dribble, which would put his team in scramble situations.

Overall, Kendall Brown was able to make some intriguing plays, but his predictability on offense can make him a rather frustrating player to watch.  He doesn’t tend to take many chances in the half-court, and he only seems to look to score off the dribble, or on off-ball motion plays around the basket.  He also doesn’t seem to be a dynamic ball handler, so Brown may be limited to basically being an undersized big man at higher levels.  He is an athletic, energetic player that can make hustle plays and defend, but unless if he shows a willingness to shoot jumpers in games, he may top out as a rotation player at the NBA level.  In a favorable scenario, Brown could develop into a versatile forward that could be a reliable defender and provide some shooting, similar to former Indiana Pacers’ forward, Derrick McKey in the association.

Juwan Gary also played very well in his team’s win over Baylor.  He thrived as an inside scorer, and he also made energetic plays to help his team on both ends of the floor.  He is a strong, athletic forward that would often score around the basket, and he also scored on a powerful dunk early on.  He would tend to score off of put backs, cuts, and rolls to the rim, and he also caught a lob off of a backdoor cut to score on an alley-oop dunk.  Plus, he also managed to make an impressive chase down block to swat a shot off of a cut another time.  He also did a good job of getting offensive rebounds.  Gary excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor in this game.  He’s a good team player that has excelled in his role at Alabama.  As an NBA draft prospect, he’ll need to improve his outside shot and playmaking skills considerably, but his athleticism, motor, and high compete level could enable him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA someday.

Adam Flagler played fairly well in his team’s loss to Alabama.  He did a decent job of knocking down jumpers, as he showed that he can make threes and mid-range jumpers.  He especially showed a knack for making pull-up jumpers, but he also was able to score on a couple of spot-up threes.  He struggled to consistently score on half-court drives when he would look to go all the way to the hoop. 

He didn’t pass or defend well though, as he threw a couple of ounce passes that got intercepted.  Flagler was able to poke a ball off of an opponent to get a steal, but he would tend to get beat off the dribble to allow scores, and he would also commit fouls when guarding opposing ball handlers due to being slightly out of position.  Overall, Flagler is an agile, skilled combo guard that can shoot and score the basketball.  He will need to improve in the other elements of the game, but his ability to score combined with having above average athletic gifts could enable him to project well into a shooting specialist role similar to Denver Nuggets’ guard, Bryn Forbes in the NBA.