The Weekend Slate: Assessing Two of Friday's Most Intriguing NBA Scouting Games
With a limited holiday scouting schedule and uncertain matchups due to holiday tournaments, this edition of The Weekend Slate will focus on two of Friday’s slate of games: SMV against Utah State and GW against Pepperdine.
Between the two games, they feature a breakout sophomore thats averaging nearly 20 points, two elite college shooters, a likely first rounder and a wave of prospects
SMU vs. Utah State (Friday, 7 p.m.)
SMU Top Prospect(s): Zhuric Phelps (Guard, Sophomore)
Utah St. Top Prospect(s): Taylor Funk (Big Wing, Grad Student), Steven Ashworth (Guard, Junior)
Phelps is having one of the biggest sophomore leaps in the country and considering both his talent and legendary Duncanville High School pedigree, this shouldn't be too much of a surprise. He’s taking advantage of both a significant increase in minutes (14.9 minutes to 33 minutes) and role to average 19.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists while shooting 32% from three (5.3 attempts per game).
At 6-foot-4ish, Phelps is a long, shot-creating, multi-level shotmaker that’s capable of utilizing his length on both ends of the floor (2.1 stocks). He’ll be a tough matchup for Utah State and will be looking to lead SMU to the Diamond Head Classic finals after pouring in 20 points in a win over Iona.
Utah State is led by two shooters, Funk (43% from three on 7.2 attempts) and Ashworth (54% from three on 7.5 attempts). Funk continues to be on radars because of his mix of shooting, size (6-foot-9), and ball skills. It would be difficult to imagine him not being in a NBA system at some point next season unless the opportunity overseas is too great to pass up.
Ashworth is limited by his lack of ideal size and athleticism, but there is no denying he has a translatable NBA skill, elite 3-point shooting. He’s equipped with a quick release and a bit of shooting versatility, particularly on movement catch-and-shoot threes. A shooter of his caliber is always a must track. Ashworth is really scorching the nets over his last four games from deep, draining 17 total threes.
George Washington vs Pepperdine (Friday, 10 p.m.)
GW Top Prospect(s): James Bishop IV (Guard, Senior), Ricky Lindo Jr. (Big Wing/Big, Senior)
Pepperdine Top Prospect(s): Maxwell Lewis (Wing, Sophomore), Houston Mallette (Guard, Sophomore), Mike Mitchell Jr. (Guard, Sophomore), Jevon Porter (Big, Freshman)
When Bishop IV gets hot, he’s an exciting bucket getting guard to watch because of his pul-lup shooting and tough shot making. It’s evident by his 44-point eruption against Hofstra early this season and his 21.1 points per game average. He’s grown some as a more efficient shot maker and playmaker, but he’ll have to improve his 29% mark from three (6.8 attempts) to take a leap as a prospect.
Lindo Jr.’s stellar stock numbers (2.6) on top of a long, strong and athletic NBA caliber frame give him appeal as a prospect. He’ll do the dirty work and play that energy forward/big role for a team. Similar to his teammate, Bishop IV, Lindo Jr. 's swing skill has always been his 3-point shooting and it hasn't quite swung in the right direction yet (20% on 25 total attempts).
Maxwell Lewis has furthered his first round case so far on a talented Pepperdine with several NBA prospects at varying degrees of NBA readiness. Averaging 18.8 points, Lewis is establishing himself as a multiple level shotmaker and a legitimate 3-point shooter (49% on 4.9 attempts).
He’s shaping up to be a plug and play prospect because of his shooting, physical tools and defensive playmaking (2.6 stocks). Last game, Lewis nearly led Pepperdine’s thwarted comeback win attempt versus Hawaii with 23 points.
For me, Mallette remains the next pro-ready prospect for Pepperdine because of positional size (6-foot-5), 3-point shooting (44%), shot creation and playmaking upside (3.4 assists).
Mitchell Jr., a 6-foot-2, proficient point guard, and Porter, a skilled, stretch big, are both a year or two from being on mainstream radars, but teams have been monitoring for a while.
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