Scouting Newest 5-Star FSU Commit Jalen Warley
Update (August 9, 2020):
Warley has chosen the Seminoles. Another big-time player in the already stellar 2021 class. The class, which is currently ranked number one in the nation, now has four of the top-65 ranked players committed.
Update (August 8, 2020):
Warley will be committing Sunday and is deciding between Florida State, Miami, Virginia, Michigan, Memphis, and Oregon. Be sure to take a look at our scouting report, below, and check back, as we'll update this piece with Warley's choice.
Original Article (June 13, 2020):
Jalen Warley had a relatively quiet recruitment until he dropped his top 10 schools earlier this week on twitter:
Warley was on many major schools' radars before being noticed on the recruiting trail. 247 ranked him the 27th best player in the class, but he was only added in March of this year, about nine months later than most other elite 2021 recruits.
Physically, Warley is a big point guard at 6'4, 175 pounds, with a plus wingspan. His overall athleticism is good but not great for the ACC. He could still add explosiveness in the weight room by adding some muscle to his base.
Offensively, Warley definitely profiles as a point guard rather than the combo guard or shooting guard some services list him at. He runs the point for his high school in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and he displays a point guard mentality. Although he has a good-looking three-point shot, he more often looks for either open teammates or drives to the rim.
He is a plus passer as a high school junior. He displays patience, throws teammates open with accurate passes, and makes good decisions with the weight and type of his passes (i.e., bounce vs chest). He can get into the lane by using positional advantages over the defender and good lateral quickness. Once in the lane, he knows how to look for teammates open from the space he created and often exploits it for easy assists. When defenders stay home, he really prefers finishing with his right hand, but may have a tough time finishing in the ACC with his current skillset. His skills in the lane translate to transition, where he often shows great decision-making and passing ability. For a point guard, he has a solid but not flashy handle.
Although Warley would primarily run the point in the FSU offense, he doesn't profile as a point defender on defense, a la Trent Forrest, MJ Walker, or Anthony Polite. Despite having similar size to Walker, he is lacking the elite athleticism that allows Walker to exert pressure on the ball-handler up to 30 feet away from the basket without instantly getting driven by. This isn't to say Warley will be a bad defender, as he shows the basketball IQ and enough athleticism to be an effective off-ball and help defender. He is also effective at crashing the defensive glass, which is great for such a good transition player.
Overall, Warley is an intriguing prospect who would be a great fit in coach Leonard Hamilton's system. He has the abilities of a pure point guard in the package of a long body with solid athleticism.
NBA Comp: A bigger Tony Parker
