Observing Jaylin Williams, Tari Eason, and Stanley Umude

March 2^nd, 2022

By Alan Lu

Today, I decided to take the time to watch Arkansas and LSU play in a tough, competitive SEC basketball game.  This was an opportunity to watch LSU’s sophomore forward, Tari Eason play in a live basketball game, and some regard him as one of the best defenders in the 2022 draft.  Tari Eason ended up playing very well and his presence off the bench gives LSU one of the best benches in college basketball, but Arkansas played good team basketball to get the win.  Here are my thoughts on how various prospects fared in this game.

Arkansas’ 6-10 sophomore big man, Jaylin Williams played very well in his team’s win over LSU.  He excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he was able to score 19 points and haul in 10 rebounds before fouling out in this game.

Williams did a very good job of scoring in the post.  He is an athletic combo forward that has good footwork and scoring touch to often score around the basket.  He was able to use a spin move to score early on, and he also managed to score after using a drop step move.  He also backed his man down and scored on a step-through move while drawing an extra free throw.  Plus, he would often make strong moves to get fouled in order to get to the free throw line.

He also showed a satisfactory ability to knock down mid-range jumpers.  He was able to use a pump fake to make a mid-range jumper from outside the left elbow.  He also ran the floor to make a quick mid-range jumper off the catch another time.  On the downside, sometimes he would take tough, off-balanced shots that would lead to misses.  He also took a couple of threes, but missed on both of those occasions.

He also looked to be fairly average as a playmaker in this game.  Williams was able to throw sharp, accurate long passes, as he would find teammates on the move to set up scoring chances for his teammates.  He also set a solid screen to help his teammate get an open jump shot another time.  On the downside, he would sometimes throw lazy passes that would get intercepted by his defenders.

Also, Williams did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  He was quite active at crashing the glass to get defensive boards for his team.  On the downside, he fouled an opponent on a tip-in, as he got outmuscled to allow the score and an extra free throw that time.

He also played satisfactory defense in this game.  Williams did a very good job of making plays on the ball to get steals and blocks for his team.  He would pick off entry passes to get steals, and he also was able to get his hands on another as he deflected the ball to a teammate another time.  He also managed to swat a shot out of bounds to help his team protect the paint.  Plus, he also would contest outside shots, and he was able to successfully draw numerous charges to get stops for his team.  On the downside, he had trouble defending stronger opponents in the post, which would lead him to pick up fouls.  He also would sag off of shooters due to drop coverages, which would lead him to allow them to score on open jumpers.  Other times, his attempts to take charges wouldn’t pay off, as he also was called for committing a couple of blocking fouls on drives.

In summary, Jaylin Williams turned in a very good game to help his team get a narrow win over LSU.  He consistently played well when he was on the floor, and he is an athletic combo forward that can score in the post, knock down mid-range jumpers, rebound, and defend.  He will need to extend his shooting range and improve his three-point shot.  He is playing very well right now, and he could be a good find for an NBA team in the 2022 draft.

Tari Eason had a strong showing in his team’s loss to Arkansas.  He had a fairly slow start, but he played very well as the game wore on, right up until he ended up fouling out of this match.  He showed a knack for scoring on strong drives as well as off of offensive rebounds, he showed an improved jump shot, and he did a tremendous job of drawing and making his free throws when he was at the foul line.  He also rebounded and defended well.  He was very aggressive in making plays, and he is a rangy defender that would get steals.  Sometimes, he would be too aggressive, but he brought forth a very good performance in all.

Eason did a good job of scoring off the dribble.  He especially showed a knack for going to his right to score on strong drives to the hoop, and he would go into the contact to draw a plethora of fouls to frequently get to the free throw line.  While he may not be especially fast, he’s a subtly quick and powerful driver that has a very good scoring touch in the paint, and his strong ability to draw fouls enabled him to score often.  Plus, he also excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  Eason was able to run in to score on a powerful tip-in while getting an extra free throw, and he overpowered an opponent to score that time.  He also showed a knack for drawing free throws.

Plus, he also showed an adequate ability to knock down jumpers in this game.  Eason was able to make a couple of spot-up threes off the catch, and he showed an improved ability to make those shots, as he was sometimes able to take advantage of the time and space allotted to him.  He also dribbled in to calmly knock down a mid-range jumper off the dribble.  On the downside, he struggled to make mid-range jumpers consistently, and sometimes he would miss tough shots in traffic, especially when he wouldn’t get foul calls.

Also, he showcased fairly average playmaking skills.  Eason is a good screen setter that would help his teammates get open jump shots and driving lanes, and he was able to help them score on some of them.  He also was able to find a teammate up ahead to notch an assist on the break.  On the downside, he threw a hasty pass off the dribble that got intercepted once.  He also was called for a charging foul when dribbling from the post to commit an offensive foul and a turnover, and he would’ve scored on a right-handed hook shot had that call not been made.

Also, he did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  He would chase down balls to get numerous boards on both ends of the floor.  On one play early on, he didn’t block out, which led his team to allow an opponent to score on a tip slam.  He also was called for a reach-in foul when going for a defensive rebound another time.

Eason also played satisfactory defense in this game.  He is an active, aggressive defender that will roam to get steals and blocks for his team.  He was able to leap up to break up a lob pass to get a steal, and Eason showed a knack for jumping passes to get steals and deflections.  He also jumped a on loose ball that his teammate poked away to help his team get another steal.  He also rotated to poke a ball away to get another steal.  Plus, he also managed to block a shot off of a drive late in this game due to possessing good athleticism, instincts, and timing.  He also was able to cut off penetration when defending in the post to force a pass, and he also contested a mid-range shot to force a miss another time.  Sometimes though, he would be too aggressive on the defensive end.  He over-helped in the paint and was late to defend a cutter, and he then bit on a pump fake to allow a score.  He also bit on another pump fake to commit a foul in the post.  Other times, he would commit reach-in fouls due to over-aggressiveness.  He also would sometimes sag off of shooters, but his opponents would not make him pay for that, as they would end up missing their threes.

In general, Tari Eason played very well in this game, and he had a strong all-around showing in his team’s loss to LSU.  He’ll still need to continue to improve his jump shot and playmaking skills, but he also showed his strengths as scorer off the dribble and on energy plays, and as a rebounder and defender.  He has seen his draft stock really rise lately, and he could be a solid pick for an NBA team in the first round of the 2022 draft.

Stanley Umude also played very well to help lead his team to a win over LSU.  He is a very athletic swingman that excelled at shooting and scoring the basketball, and he was able to make some solid plays on both ends of the floor.

Umude showed a solid ability to knock down jumpers to provide floor spacing for his team on offense.  He showed a knack for making open, spot-up threes off the catch, and he also was able to make one from way out.  Sometimes though, he would be a bit streaky with his shot, and he also threw up a couple of air-balls on corner threes.  He also did a good job of making mid-range jumpers, especially from the left elbow, and he was able to do so both off the catch and dribble.

He also thrived at scoring on hustle plays.  Umude ran in to score on an athletic tip slam early on, and he also ran the floor to score on a thunderous dunk on the break another time.  Plus, he also managed to score on a powerful jam after being left open around the basket.  He almost scored on a quick layup in the post, but he didn’t get continuation after drawing a foul on a drop step move.

He also displayed adequate playmaking skills.  Umude was able to drive in from the baseline and make a drop-off pass to notch an assist.  He also managed to haul in his fair share of boards on both ends of the floor.  He also looked to be fairly average defensively.  For the positives, he does a good job of challenging jump shots to get stops for his team.  Umude was able to stay with an opposing ball handler before blocking a mid-range jumper out of bounds due to possessing good athleticism, timing, and instincts.  He also contested a deep three to force a miss.  Sometimes though, he would get outmuscled on drives, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.  He also was called for a reach-in foul when trying to intercept a pass another time.

Overall, Stanley Umude had a strong showing to help lead his team to a win over LSU.  He showed off a solid set of all-around skills, and he turned in a very good game to help his team get the victory tonight.  Umude may be an underrated prospect that could be an intriguing pick for an NBA team in the second round of the 2022 draft.

Darius Days also quietly played very well in his team’s loss to Arkansas.  He excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he thrived as a shooter and defender in this game. Days did a very good job of knocking down open, spot-up threes off the catch.  He showed a knack for making outside shots from beyond the arc.  Also, he was active at scoring on hustle plays.  He also was able to score on a backdoor cut, and he also ran the floor to score another time, but he also missed on a wild put back another time.  He also did a satisfactory job of scoring off the dribble.  He was able to use a smooth spin move to his left to score on a strong layup.  Also, he was able to back his man down to score on a turnaround jump hook in the post.  On the downside, he’s not especially quick, and sometimes he would take tough shots that would lead to misses.

He also showed off fairly average at best playmaking skills in this game.  Days was able to swing the ball to an open shooter to notch an assist.  He is also a strong, physical player that will set screens for his teammates.  Sometimes, he would rush himself and get sped up, which would lead him to commit turnovers.  He telegraphed an entry pass that got intercepted early on.  He dribbled a ball off his own foot that went out of bounds another time.

Also, he did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.  He also played satisfactory defense in this game.  He would run in to intercept entry passes to get steals, and he also poked a ball away to help his team get another.  He also would rotate to contest shots off the dribble and contest threes to force misses.  On the downside, sometimes he would struggle to defend in the post, as he would get beat on moves, which would cause him to commit fouls and allow scores.  Another time, he sagged too far off of a shooter, which led him to give up a three-point basket.

Overall, Darius Days had a solid showing in this game, and he primarily excelled as a shooter and defender.  He may be an underrated prospect, and he is a second round prospect that could project into a 3 and D type of role in the NBA.

Arkansas’ 6-6 senior swingman, Au’Diese Toney also played very well in his team’s win over LSU.  He thrived at scoring on hustle plays, and he is a very athletic, energetic swingman that was active as a scorer, offensive rebounder, and defender throughout this contest.

Toney showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays.  He would often score off of backdoor cuts and in transition.  He would run the floor to score on fast breaks, and he would take advantage of napping defenders to score on backdoor cuts.  He also managed to score on an emphatic jam on a drive in transition.  He also ran in to score on a tip-in after leaping up to get an offensive rebound. 

Plus, he did an adequate job of scoring off the dribble.  He was able to draw free throws on a dunk attempt off of a baseline drive, and he was fairly effective at using his right hand to do so.  However, he also missed on an awkward, contested layup on a left-handed drive, another time.  He also didn’t take many threes, and he missed on his lone three-point shot in this match.

He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.  He would actively crash the glass to help his team get numerous offensive boards.  On the other hand, he also was called for fouling an opponent on a put back.  Toney also played adequate defense.  He is an athletic, rangy defender that can make numerous plays on the ball to get steals and stops for his team.  He chased down an errant pass to get a steal.  He also actively contested a deep three to force a miss.  On the downside, he would also sometimes get beat off the dribble, which would lead his team to give up baskets to the opposition.

Overall, Au’Diese Toney had a strong showing, and he is an athletic, energetic swingman that primarily thrived at making hustle plays to help his team on both ends of the floor.  He will need to improve his jump shot and playmaking skills, but his size, athleticism, and motor could allow him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA someday.

J.D. Notae didn’t have his best game, but he made enough plays down the stretch to help his team get the win over LSU.  He had trouble shaking off defenders for a good portion of this match, and he ended up settling for a lot of tough shots.  While he still showed that he can make pull-up jumpers, he was inconsistent at doing so in this game.  Still, he played unselfishly, he rebounded and defended well, and he was able to make clutch free throws to help his team get the victory.

Notae did an adequate job of scoring off the dribble.  He was able to draw numerous non-shooting fouls, and he also showed that he can draw free throws on aggressive drives to the hoop.  Sometimes though, he would miss shots wildly around the basket, and LSU’s guards made it tough for him to get all the way to the hoop at times.  On one play, he attempted a reverse layup, but ended up having his shot blocked by a taller player.  He also ended up missing on a backdoor cut.

He didn’t shoot the ball as well as he could have, but he was able to make a couple of threes off the dribble.  Notae was able to make a smooth, pull-up three, and he also made a step-back three another time.  He also managed to pull up to score on a mid-range jumper another time.  On the downside, he was quite streaky with his jump shot, and he struggled to consistently knock down pull-up jumpers, especially from the mid-range.

Also, he showcased adequate playmaking skills.  Notae can throw crisp, accurate passes off the dribble, and he can make an assortment of passes to rack up assists.  He can kick balls out to shooters and also find his teammates on the move, as he displayed improved court vision.  He also managed to throw a long outlet pass to help set up a score for a teammate.  Sometimes though, he would play too recklessly, which would lead him to commit a slew of ball-handling turnovers.  He was called for a charging foul when driving to the hoop on the break.  He also had a ball poked away when trying to split a double team another time.  He also lost his footing and the ball when handling it another time.  While Notae generally passed the ball well, he also threw a hasty pass that got intercepted by a defender once.

Also, Notae did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  He would actively chase down balls to get numerous defensive boards, and he would tend to push the ball up the court, especially late in this game to help create early offense and scoring opportunities for his teammates.  He also defended well.  Notae especially showed a knack for challenging outside shots to force misses.  He was able to block a mid-range jumper to a teammate due to possessing good athleticism, timing, and instincts, and he would contest threes and mid-range jumpers to get stops for his team.  On another play though, he was too aggressive in contesting a mid-range shot once, which led him to foul a jump shooter that time.

Overall, J.D. Notae didn’t quite play as well as expected, but he still was able to make some solid plays in crunch time to help his team get the win.  He is an athletic, score-first combo guard that competes hard on both ends of the floor, and he is a talented prospect that may have what it takes to make it to the NBA.