Highlighting the First Team All-Ivy Roster
The Ivy League is full of talent this season, with a handful of players garnering real NBA interest. Princeton finished first in the Ivy in the regular season standings this season, finishing with a record of 24-3 overall. Cornell finished second, and all of Princeton, Cornell, Yale, and Brown will have a chance for an automatic bid for the NCAA tournament this upcoming weekend in the Ivy League tournament.
Any of the four teams who win it have legitimate talent and a real chance to upset a high-major program in March. Let's take a look at the All-Ivy team and their potential NBA outlooks.
Xaivian Lee, Princeton
A prospect who is absolutely worth seeing in person, Lee is a 6-foot-3 guard averaging 18 points, 3.7 assists, 1.3 "stocks" (steals plus blocks), and only 1.4 turnovers per game. Additionally, Lee is shooting 81% from the free throw line (123 attempts), 62.6% at the rim (139 attempts, 35.2% from non-rim twos on 71 attempts), and 35.4% from 3 on 10.5 3-point attempts per 100 possessions. Lee has been unassisted on 62.3% on his made field goals this season, has a 25.6 assist percentage, and is in the 93rd percentile in points per possession in Pick-and-Roll Plus Passes possessions (176 possessions).
Here's a scouting report on Lee further analyzing how his game could translate to the NBA.
Chris Manon, Cornell
Having seen Manon numerous times, the Cornell prospect is extremely interesting. Manon is a high-motor player who's the engine of a Big Red team that has a 22-6 record and is 11-3 in conference play. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, Manon is averaging 12.6 points, 3 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game this season. He's also in the 92nd percentile in Points Per Shot at the rim, finishing 69% of his attempts in that area (123 attempts). Additionally, while his free throw percentage stands at only 71% (75 attempts), he's shooting 34.6% on catch-and-shoot threes this season (52 attempts) and has been heating up lately -- converting 43% of his 3-point attempts since February (28 attempts).
Lastly, Manon is shooting 48.4% on shots off-the-dribble (32 attempts), 54.8% on his non-rim twos (42 attempts), while recording an impressive offensive rebounding percentage of six, a 25.7 assist percentage, and an impressive 8.4 "stock" percentage (5.6 steal percentage plus 2.8 block percentage). He has an ability to create rim pressure in the half-court and tilt defenses in transition, and has been unassisted on 62.6% of his made field goals this season.
Manon entered the transfer portal prior to the season, which will allow the 6-foot-5 guard to explore playing his final season at a high-major program. As his jumper continues to improve, look for Manon to potentially be on radars for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Danny Wolf, Yale
Wolf is a sophomore big on Yale that is listed at 7-foot and 255 pounds. He's averaging 14.4 points, 2.4 assists, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.3 "stocks" per game. While only converting 72% of his free throws (85 attempts), he's shooting an elite 43.6% on catch-and-shoot threes (55 attempts). Additionally, he's in the 91st percentile in points per possession in Pick-and-Roll Roll Man possessions (51 possessions). While he's efficient as a roller and can shoot from deep as a 7-footer, Wolf could improve his finishing at the rim, as he's converting only 59% of his attempts in that area (175 attempts) -- a number that could be slightly improved as a big. Lastly, Wolf is an impactful rebounder, as he's recording an 8.2 offensive rebounding percentage and 29.1 defensive rebounding percentage to go along with a 7.4 "stock" percentage.
Wolf has seen some real buzz for the 2024 NBA Draft, and he's someone to monitor if he decides to return to school as well.
Kino Lilly Jr., Brown
Lilly Jr is a junior guard for Brown who is listed at 6-foot and 165 pounds. He's averaging 18.4 points, 3.4 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 81% from the line this season (86 attempts) and 37.5% from three on 12.6 3-point attempts per 100 possessions over his three-year career at Brown. Additionally, Lilly Jr is recording a 19.9 assist percentage while being unassisted on 60.2% of his made field goals this season. While he's only converting 52% of his attempts at the rim (52 attempts), he's shooting 41.4% on non-rim twos (169 attempts), 33% on all dribble jumpers (253 attempts), and 39.2% on catch-and-shoot threes (102 attempts). Lastly, the junior guard is in the 82nd percentile in points per possession on Isolation Plus Passes possessions (63 possessions).
While my Study on Undersized Guards highlights just how difficult it is for a 6-foot guard to stick in the NBA, as only three guards listed at 6-foot or shorter have stuck since 2013 and the overall stick rate for those drafted since then is 15.8% (3-of-19), Lilly Jr is one of many talented undersized guards who are eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft.
Caden Pierce, Princeton
Named the Ivy Player of the Year, Pierce averaged 16.3 points, 3.2 assists, 9.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game this season for the first-seeded Princeton Tigers. The rother of Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce, he has shown both on-ball and off-ball defensive flashes and is an impactful rebounder. Statistically, he's recording a seven offensive-rebounding percentage and 27.6 defensive-rebounding percentage this season to go along with a 20.5 assist percentage and a free-throw rate of .41 (meaning he's shooting around two free throws for every five field goals attempted). Additionally, Pierce is converting 77% of those attempts at the free throw line (121 attempts) and is shooting 36.6% on catch-and-shoot threes (71 attempts), 38.7% on non-rim twos (31 attempts), and 64.7% at the rim (184 attempts).
Analytically, Pierce is on track to meet a threshold in which 55% of sophomores who hit four specific criteria play five or more years in the NBA or are currently in the NBA. Check out the different thresholds of my Productive Sophomore Query to learn more.
If Pierce can solidify an offensive value proposition next season, he could be a legitimate NBA prospect for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Note: Malik Mack, another potential NBA prospect and freshman guard on Harvard, was named as an All-Ivy Honorable Mention and Ivy Rookie of the Year. He's an incredible shotmaker and is undoubtedly someone to watch for down the line.
All play-by-play data referenced is courtesy of Synergy Sports.
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