FILM STUDY: Liam McNeeley is an Incredibly Skilled Basketball Player
Every basketball team wants a good shooter in 2023.
It's the world's most obvious statement, but it's true, nonetheless. It's a perfectly scalable basketball skill, adding to what the shooter can do on the court, and what their teammates can do.
But being a "good shooter" isn't just about accuracy. It's also about versatility. Can you only shoot off a standstill, or can you fire off threes on the move? Can you pull up for jumpers off the dribble, or are you unable to make that transition fluidly? Do you have the confidence and aggression to hunt out looks from the three-point line, always willing to let it rip no matter the distance or situation? Those are qualities that make a truly elite shooter.
Enter Liam McNeeley.
The five-star wing in the class of 2024, originally from Texas, is entering his senior year at the powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida. He's being heavily recruited by Mike Woodson and the Indiana Hoosiers, as the coach clearly values the talent Montverde produces. Indiana already had two Montverde products on its 2022-23 roster, with Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau, and in addition to McNeeley, the Hoosiers are also in strong contention to land Montverde recruits Derik Queen, Curtis Givens and Asa Newell.
After breaking down his film, here's what you should know about 2024 five-star Liam McNeeley.
1. Shooting, shooting and more shooting
According to Draft Express tracking data, McNeeley has shot 37.8% from three over the course of 50 Nike EYBL games since 2021. However, in 12 games in NIBC high school play for Montverde in 2022-23, McNeeley shot an incredible 45.0% from three. Overall, in 62 tracked games since 2021, McNeeley is a 39.5% three-point shooter, making 100-of-253 attempts.
Those numbers are already pretty impressive, but it's even more jaw dropping given context. As Tyler Wilson explained in this piece for Swish Theory, shooting in the low thirties from three on high volume is good for a high-profile prospect. You're playing the best level of competition in less-than-ideal circumstances, as high school offenses usually aren't as ideally spaced, nor have as many playmakers creating open looks compared to the college or pro level. McNeeley shooting near 40% from three on more than four attempts per game is a great indicator that he just has it.
His free throw percentages, while very good, are not quite elite. Over those same 62 games, he's shot 203-for-261 from the charity stripe, good for a 77.8% clip. However, there's nothing to quibble with in regards to McNeeley's shooting mechanics.
This is teach-tape shooting form right here.
Right hand and elbow follow a clean, straight flick to the rim, while the guide hand on his left does not interfere with the ball's trajectory. It's hard to tell on up-close looks, but maybe his left thumb flexes in and influences the shot. Even if it does, that's something many great shooters still do. Steph Curry — the greatest shooter of all-time, full stop — has his left thumb push off on the ball on his jumpers.
The versatility of McNeeley's shooting game bleeds into other strengths of his offensive game. Being able to sprint into shots and open looks from threes, Montverde and McNeeley's AAU team, Florida Rebels, loved to run him off pin-down screens with a cleared side.
If the defender trails too far behind or cheats to get over the screen, McNeeley can catch and shoot. If the defender hugs McNeeley's hip and chases him over, he can punish them by curling into the midrange for a floater. If the man guarding the big who set the pin-down screen cheats up, McNeeley is capable of hitting the open passing window. He just has so many ways to beat defenses.
2. Creative finishing skills
Don't be fooled by McNeeley's shooter label, though. He's also an adept interior scorer.
Standing at just under 6-foot-8 and weighing 209 pounds, according to sources with 2023 USA Basketball measurements, McNeeley is plenty big enough to finish amongst the trees. While not a high-flyer who soars above opponents for dunks and acrobatic layups, McNeeley is a master at using his footwork to fool defenders.
He particularly loves "wrong-foot" finishes, wherein he goes up for a right-handed layup or floater, but against past basketball teachings, jumps off his right foot. This throws off the defensive timing of shot-blockers, as they often rely on that right-left rhythm of the offensive player's footsteps to time their shot contests.
There's just a lot to like about the way McNeeley plays offense. He has good balance and strength to not get moved off his spots by defenders. He has soft touch shooting floaters from 15 feet and in. His footwork is phenomenal. He's just a crafty all-around scorer, and when you combine that with his raw three-point shooting ability, you get an incredibly versatile offensive weapon.
Whether it's running ball screens or dribble handoffs himself, or by flying off Iverson screens and pin-down actions to catch the ball on the move, McNeeley can create good shots for any offense.
3. The defensive and "unathletic" concerns
Being a prospect whose main sell if his shooting ability, and whose wingspan only measured at just 6-foot-7 – giving McNeeley a minus-wingspan, according to sources with 2023 USA Basketball measurements – McNeeley often gets hit with the "unathletic" label.
That's a bit unfair to the five-star prospect, though, in my opinion. Size, strength and movement skills are all a part of athleticism. McNeeley is plenty tall for a wing, can finish through contact and is more than willing to get physical for rebounds inside. He has also held his own on the perimeter when matched up against quick-twitch guards.
Opponents that tried to isolate against McNeeley often found that the 6-foot-8 forward was great at holding his ground and bumping players off their spot with his chest.
McNeeley just gets dinged for the more traditional and basic use of the term "athletic" on the basketball court — how high you can jump.
It's not that McNeeley never dunks or gets up to contest shots, but he's not extraordinarily explosive, and with that less-than-ideal wingspan, it makes it so that he's not much of a rim protector on the defensive end.
It's not even a straight negative for McNeeley more than it is a limitation of his versatility. While the five-star can fill almost any on-ball or off-ball role on offense, defensively he's best at the 2 or the 3 position, using his size, strength and positional soundness to bother perimeter scorers and slashers. He can't play small-ball center on defense and he isn't a good enough rotating from the weak side to contest shots to play the 4 against most teams.
You can see here, too, how his lack of vertical pop can limit his finishing skills on offense at times. He's reliant on craft and shooting touch, which can sometimes get him caught in precarious situations where he tries incredibly difficult finishes, like this looping lefty hook shot in the clip below.
But as we've already seen in clips above, McNeeley more than makes up for a lack of vertical pop on the offensive end with his scoring guile and versatile usage. Defensively, McNeeley if a fantastic communicator, often trusted by Montverde and Florida Rebels to call out switches and coverages on the back line. He nails so many of the little things on both ends of the court, and with his quality movement skills at 6-foot-8, he can more than holdup athletically at the next level.
There's a lot of hope amongst Hoosier faithful that McNeeley will end up wearing crimson and cream in 2024. IU made the top six for him along Texas, Alabama, Kansas, Michigan and Oklahoma, and according to 247 Sports, it's likely going to come down to Indiana versus Texas for his commitment.
Hoosier fans are right to be excited and giddy at the potential commitment of McNeeley, because there aren't many prospects out there as skilled and versatile as him.
Related Stories on Indiana Basketball
- DERIK QUEEN FILM STUDY: Indiana is in the mix for the five-star center from Montverde, so we wrote a scouting report on what makes the 6-foot-9 center such a unique and desirable prospect. CLICK HERE
- 5-STARS MCNEELEY, QUEEN VISITING IU TOGETHER: Liam McNeeley and Derik Queen – five-star recruits in the class of 2024 and teammates at Montverde Academy – will take official visits to Indiana University together in September. CLICK HERE
- GALLOWAY CRUCIAL TO IU'S SUCCESS: Indiana guard Trey Galloway made major improvements between his sophomore and junior seasons, and that development will need to continue during his senior year after the Hoosiers lost four starters, including Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino. CLICK HERE
