Observing McKinley Wright, Jeriah Horne, and Evan Mobley

February 25^th, 2021

By Alan Lu

Today, I decided to take the time to watch USC’s 7-0 freshman center, Evan Mobley play against Colorado in a Pac-12 conference basketball game that took place today.  Mobley is a very athletic, talented big man that is widely regarded as a likely consensus top 5 pick, so I decided that it was time to watch him play once again, especially since his team had been playing very well in conference play. 

Unfortunately, Colorado jumped on USC early, and they would swarm Evan Mobley, which would make it tough for him to get his shots off or to make plays consistently on offense.  In addition, Colorado shot the ball really well, and they played a strong all-around game, which helped them to get a double-digit win over USC.  Here are my thoughts on how McKinley Wright, Evan Mobley, and other played fared, as well as how they may currently rate as prospects for the NBA.

Colorado’s senior point guard, McKinley Wright had a solid showing in his team’s double-digit win over USC.  He scored 15 points, and he also had 14 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block in this game, and he excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor. Wright excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  He was able to score on speedy, right-handed drives in transition, and he also managed to score on a crafty, acrobatic layup once.  Plus, he also managed to score on a backdoor cut another time.

He generally struggled to consistently knock down jumpers.  Wright was able to make a quick, step back mid-range jumper from outside the right elbow.  He also did a great job of drawing free throws when taking pull-up jumpers to get to the foul line often.  However, he tended to miss on too many mid-range jump shots, and he also missed on a deep three another time.  He also had a shot blocked off of a drive, and he also missed on a fadeaway jumper from the post on a separate possession.

Also, Wright displayed good playmaking skills in this game.  He is an unselfish player that would look to find the open man, and he was able to rack up a series of assists to help his team.  He would kick balls to find open shooters, and he also can push the ball up the floor, and make swift drop-off passes off the dribble to set up a wealth of scores for his teammates.  He also threw an accurate lob pass to set up an alley-oop dunk for a teammate on the break.  Sometimes though, he would commit ball-handling turnovers.  He was called for traveling on a mid-range floater, as it wiped a score off the board, and he had a ball poked away that led to another turnover.  He also was called for a charging foul late in this contest.

Wright also did a fairly good job of rebounding the basketball.  He was quite active on the glass, and he was able to get boards on both ends of the floor.  He also chased down a ball to get an offensive rebound due to making a good hustle play that time.

Plus, Wright also played good defense in this game.  He is an active, aggressive defender that would apply heavy ball pressure to get numerous stops for his team.  He would get his hands on passes to get steals, and he also poked a ball away to force another turnover.  Wright also blocked a shot off of a drive to a teammate.  Plus, he also did a good job of contesting outside shots to force misses, and he also successfully drew a charge another time.  However, sometimes he would get beat off the dribble at times, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores every once in a while.

In general, McKinley Wright played very well in this game, and he put forth a solid all-around performance to lead his team to get a decisive win over USC.  He is an smart, athletic playmaker that was able to make tough shots, he consistently passed the ball well, and he played very good defense to help his team get the victory.   Right now, he could be a very good pick for an NBA team in the second round range of the upcoming draft, as he could end up being a solid role player in the association.

Colorado’s 6-7 senior forward, Jeriah Horne had a superb showing in his team’s win over USC.  He scored 24 points, made 6 three-pointers, and he also collected 11 rebounds and 2 assists in this game. Horne did a terrific job of knocking down jumpers, especially from downtown.  He showed a penchant for making open, spot-up threes off the catch, and he can make threes off the catch, dribble, as well as when he runs off of screens.  He ran off of a ball screen to make one early on, and he also excelled at making corner threes in this game. Horne also was able to make a step-back, corner three to show his handles, agility, and shooting prowess at the same time. 

He also was able to make a quick, turnaround jumper from the mid-range.  Plus, Horne was able to make a one-legged, fadeaway jumper from the post another time. Also, Horne displayed fairly good playmaking skills in this game.  He would throw sharp passes to cutters to notch a pair of assists.  However, he did commit one turnover, and there was one play where he threw an inaccurate, interior pass that got intercepted.

Plus, he did an excellent job of rebounding the basketball.  Horne was very active at crashing the glass, and he was able to leap up to get plenty of boards on both ends of the floor.  He also would chase down balls to help his team get rebounds due to possessing a solid motor. 

Overall, Jeriah Horne shot the ball really well, and he is a sharpshooter that primarily excelled as a floor spacer in his team’s win over USC.  He hasn’t drawn much draft buzz so far.  Though he may be a long shot to be drafted, Horne is a skilled offensive player that could project to be a shooting specialist in the NBA.

The primary reason why I decided to watch the Colorado-USC game was to watch USC’s 7-0 freshman center, Evan Mobley play.  While he excelled as a scorer early on, and he though he was able to play fairly good defense, Mobley was quite turnover prone, and he was inconsistent as a shot maker in his team’s loss to the Buffaloes.

Mobley excelled at scoring on hustle plays in this game.  Evan Mobley runs the floor very well, and he was able to catch a lob pass to score on an alley-oop dunk on the break.  He also was able to draw free throws after getting the ball in transition another time. Also, Mobley did a good job of scoring off the dribble.  He would tend to favor going to his left, and he would score on smooth layups.  However, there was one play where he passed up an open three-point shot, and he drove in only to get his shot blocked.

Plus, Mobley showed off decent low post scoring skills.  He was able to score on a smooth, fadeaway jump hook due to possessing solid footwork and shooting touch.  He also was able to draw non-shooting fouls upon his defenders.  However, there was another play where he tried to go up to score in traffic when posting up, but he ended up having his shot blocked that time.

On the downside, he struggled to knock down jumpers consistently in this game.  Mobley was able to pull up to make a mid-range jumper from around the left elbow, but he tended to miss on too many mid-range jump shots.  He didn’t take many threes and he was reluctant to take shots from beyond the arc, but he missed on a deep three on his lone three-point attempt.

He was also quite turnover prone on offense.  For the positives, Mobley is an unselfish player that will make the extra pass to keep the ball moving, and he will kick the ball out to shooters off the dribble to set up scoring chances for them.  He also was able to set a screen to help set up a score for a shooter once.  However, he tended to commit turnovers in the post.  He was called for an offensive foul while jostling for low post-position.  He also had the ball ripped away when posting up another time.  He also threw a hasty pass from the post that got intercepted.  Though he didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, Evan Mobley was able to get his fair share of boards on both ends of the floor.

He also played satisfactory defense in this game.  Mobley would rotate to contest plenty of shots to force misses, as he can defend out on the perimeter as well as in the post.  He was able to block a shot in the paint to force a miss, and he also was able to poked ball away from an opposing ball handler.  Plus, he also would deflect passes to nearly get steals for his team.  On the downside, he would tend to sag too far off of shooters to allow scores for them.  Also, there was one play where he got outmuscled when defending his opponent, which led him to foul his man in the post.  Another time, he rotated but got beat off the dribble to allow a score.

Overall, this was not a great game for Evan Mobley, and his team lost in this game to Colorado.  It started off as a promising one, and he did show that he is a very athletic big man that can mix it up in the paint to score the basketball.  However, the opposing team would swarm him to prevent him from getting into a rhythm on offense, and Mobley ended up being quite turnover prone as a result.  He didn’t pass the ball very well, and his reluctance and inability to take or make open jumpers on a consistent basis also seemed to make it easier for opponents to key in on him.  However, it also didn’t help that his teammates struggled to score as well.  Right now, Mobley may still likely go in the top 5 on draft day, though he may be far from being a lock to go in the top 3.  He’ll need to extend his shooting range and be a more focused defender, but he is a very athletic big man that could still end up being a solid starter in the NBA, even though he struggled in his team’s loss to Colorado today.

Colorado’s 6-7 senior forward, D’Shawn Schwartz also played well in his team’s win to USC.  He excelled as a shooter, scorer, and defender, and he consistently made solid plays in this game. Schwartz shot the ball very well, especially from beyond the arc.  He ran off of a ball screen to make a quick three off the catch.  Later on, he used a pump fake, as he used a side step move to his right and pulled up to make a corner three off the dribble.

Plus, he also did a fairly good job of scoring on aggressive drives to the basket.  He was able to drive to his right to score powerfully in traffic.  He also drove to his left and split two defenders to draw free throws another time.  Also, he managed to score on a quick drive in transition after using an awkward Euro-step move.  However, sometimes he would take tough shots, as he ended up missing on a cut and on a pull-up, mid-range jumper in traffic. He also displayed satisfactory playmaking skills.  Schwartz was able to drive and kick a ball out to a shooter to notch an assist, and he also did a good job of not turning the ball over on offense. Also, Schwartz was able to get his fair share of boards, and he was able to leap up to get rebounds on both ends of the floor.

Adding to that, he also played solid defense in this game.  Schwartz excelled at getting steals to help his team force opponents to commit turnovers.  He was able to poke a ball away from an opponent off of a cut to get a steal, and he also intercepted a pass to get another.  Plus, he also managed to contest a mid-range shot to force a miss.

Overall, D’Shawn Schwartz had a solid showing to help lead his team to a win over USC.  He excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor.  While he may be a long shot to be drafted, he could end up competing for a roster spot in the NBA sometime in the future.  If things break his way, he could end up being a 3 and D type of player in the NBA someday.

USC’s 6-2 senior guard, Tahj Eaddy put forth a decent performance in his team’s loss to Colorado.  He was able to make some solid plays on both ends of the floor, and he seemed to play better as the game wore on, especially in the second half.

Eaddy shot the ball fairly well, especially from beyond the arc.  He was able to make a smooth, pull-up three, and he also made an open, spot-up three off the catch.  He showed a knack for making threes, though he didn’t take nearly enough of them.  However, he took too many mid-range jumpers, as he tended to miss on those shots in this game.

He also showed an adequate ability to score off the dribble.  Eaddy was able to score on aggressive, left-handed drive to the hoop.  He also drove to his right to draw free throws another time.  Sometimes he would take tough, rushed shots that would lead to misses, and he tended to miss on floaters. He didn’t pass the ball very much, but Eaddy showed that he can get balls to open shooters to set up scoring chances for them, and he also can handle the basketball.

Though he didn’t grab many rebounds, Eaddy was able to get a board on each end of the floor.  He also played fairly good defense.  Eaddy was able to intercept a pass to get a steal, and he also poked a ball away to nearly force another.

Overall, Tahj Eaddy is an athletic, skilled combo guard that can shoot and score the basketball.  He was not assertive enough on offense though, and he didn’t take nearly enough threes in this game.  He will still need to be a more consistent shooter and show that he can effectively run the point at the next level.  Right now, he is a long shot to be drafted, but Eaddy could end up carving a lengthy career in the G-League and/or overseas when his collegiate career ends.

Colorado’s 6-8 freshman forward, Jabari Walker was able to contribute as a shooter and scorer off the bench in this game.  He was able to score on a backdoor cut while getting an extra free throw.  He also scored on a corner three off the catch.  However, he struggled defensively though, as he had trouble staying in front of his man or getting back on defense, which would lead him to commit an abundance of fouls, and he was very foul prone in this game.

Overall, Walker is a fairly athletic combination forward that can shoot and score the basketball, but he will need to improve his playmaking and defensive skills.  He will likely need to stay in school for at least another year or two, but with continued development, he could be a prospect to keep tabs on in the future.  If he keeps improving, he could end up being a player that could make waves as an NBA draft prospect as early as next season.