NBA Comparison: Lawrence Moten

Strengths: Bates is a thin 6’9 180 swingman with good height for the perimeter…An aggressive volume scorer through and through; truly a hired gun who likes to put points on the board (19.2 PPG in ‘22-23)…Does the majority of his damage shooting the ball on the perimeter (76 made 3s as a Soph.) and he can get shots off the dribble, spotting up and running to spots along the wing in transition and occasionally off screens too…Not afraid to let it fly and shows range beyond the NBA 3-point line (career 6.4 3FGA/G, nearly 8 3FGA/G as a Soph.)…Can stick pull-up shots from the mid-range when chased off the line…Will take tough shots against close contests and has enough height to make these shots over smaller defenders, but also can quicken his release against like-sized defenders…Had some monster scoring outbursts this past season that illustrated his ability to put up points in bunches; 4 games with 30+ points and 2 games with 8 or more made 3-pointers….Decent ball-handling skills for his height and in combination with his good body control has some moves to create some separation when he can’t initially beat defenders…Drew fouls and converted at the charity stripe at a solid rate this past season (5 FTA/G on 78 FT%)…OK contributions on the defensive glass from the perimeter (5.8 RPG as a Soph.)…Has been a highly scrutinized prospect for years and has dealt with his fair share of adversity, but he’s revitalized himself as a legitimate NBA prospect again, and it’s important to note that he’s still only 19 and wouldn’t turn 20 until months into the 2023-2024 NBA season

Weaknesses: Athleticism is mediocre at best, particularly in terms of quickness and explosiveness…Nothing special as a leaper or in terms of his ability to run the floor either…Has a frail frame and a short wingspan; outside of height his physical tools arent especially great and he clearly needs time in a weight training program…Feast or famine shooter/scorer (33 3FG%); one-dimensional player who won’t contribute much if he isn’t making shots…Doesn’t have a quick 1st step; it’s concerning that he struggled mightily to get clean looks and beat defenders at the MAC level off the dribble…Below average finisher around the rim for a 6’9 player and he also doesn’t play through contact well, mostly looking to avoid it or take tougher shots off the dribble (47 FG% inside the arc)…Alot of hero ball and unacceptable shot selection when watching him play; doesnt really play a style that’s conducive to winning at the moment…Dances with the ball and settles for low percentage shots too much (40 FG% in ‘22-23)…A bit selfish and wants things his way; was often a black hole on offense and the long leash he had at East Michigan won’t translate to NBA basketball…Doesn’t pass the ball much and isn’t accurate or quick to read the defense when he does look to swing it (1.4:2.5 A:TO)…Too often was a liability on defense at the mid-major level, which is concerning considering the leap in talent and speed of the game at the pro level…Lack of length shows as he doesn’t make much impact in passing lanes or altering shots (0.5 BPG, 0.7 SPG)…Doesn’t hold up well against quickness at the point of attack on the perimeter, but also doesn’t have the strength to guard taller players along the frontcourt either…Fundamentals are suspect; high center of gravity he plays with is less than ideal both on and off the ball & make him susceptible to blow-bys and backdoors…Often out of position and was a main reason EMU was one of the worst defensive teams in college hoops last season in terms of giving up points…Effort when recovering after getting beat and when getting through screens both need improvement…Some improved production and flashes as a Soph., but is still considered by many to be an underachiever considering his HS/AAU hype…Has off-court concerns after a gun/drug related arrest just before last season, though charges were eventually dropped

Overall: Emoni Bates has been a storied prospect from Michigan since the fall of 2018 when he was only a 9th grader, generating hype on the internet due to his top-notch volume scoring arsenal as a 6’8 14 year old…The hype only continued to grow for the next 3 years, when during that time he won a state title as a Fr. and was the Gatorade National POY as a Soph…After his Jr. season, Bates would reclassify to the 2021 HS Class after initially being a 2022 prospect and committed to stay close to home and play for Michigan State at first, before flipping to sign with Memphis months later just before the season…A consensus top 5 recruit, Bates was projected to be a one-and-done prospect and a favorite to be one of the first picks in the 2022 Draft but his time at Memphis was a disappointment relative to the hype; with him missing roughly half the season due to injuries, never seeming to get in rhythm, and adjusting slowly after being asked to play PG which was a new position for him…He struggled with his defense and overall efficiency his Fr. year and decided to transfer to Eastern Michigan, his hometown school, for a change of scenery…Only a month after returning home, Bates was arrested on felony gun charges that he pleaded out to in exchange for the charges being dropped…The arrest did not help him in his fight to reemerge on draft radars again, but he seemed to find some motivation and started the season off well and had some memorable performers against a few of the power conference schools on Eastern Michigan’s schedule that caught the attention of scouts again (including a 30-point performance in the season opener against Michigan & 36 points against fellow 2023 Draft prospect GG Jackson and South Carolina)…But he also showed the same struggles that he had at Memphis with his shaky shot selection, poor defense and selfish approach on a bad Eastern Michigan team that gave up easy shots left and right and was among the worst teams in the country…Bates definitely had a hand in the poor defense played and the fact that he couldn’t impact winning at mid-major school after being a blue chip recruit and also didn’t stand out athletically is discouraging to many…The silver lining is that he is still only 19 years old and that gives him plenty of time to figure things out and grow, but he has to buy in to a more team-centered approach (even if it’s as instant offense off the bench or a floor spacer) to be successful at the NBA level after it mostly being all about him over the past 5 years…Bates is mostly being projected as a late 2nd round pick and a team could take a chance on him based on his shot-making upside and HS pedigree…

Notes:  Measured: 6′ 8.25” barefoot, 8′ 9.00” standing reach, 179.2 lbs,  6′ 9.00” wingspan and a 32.5 inch maximum vertical at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 6/14/23

Strengths: 6’9 forward … Big-time scoring ability and skill-set. Creates for himself in a variety of ways. Very good in isolation. Can create scoring from scratch but also knows how to score in the flow of the game. Doesn’t rely on triple-threat, can get where he wants with a live dribble. Defense struggles to stop him at times even if they know he’s taking the shot. Can score from anywhere on the floor with ability to get to the rim, midrange scoring, and shooting range out to the NBA 3PT line. Good touch on floater … Good shooter: hits shots off step-backs and pull-ups. Good form on shot with proper arc, rotation, and high release point. Goes into his shot well off an array of dribble moves. Shoots well on the move: coming off pin downs, curls, etc. … Isn’t afraid to play physical. Very good at drawing fouls and very reliable free throw shooter … Good athlete. Gets up with ease and attacks with aggression. Good finisher at the rim, especially in transition … Very good ball handler. Creates well with it and stays under control pushing it up the floor at a high speed. Changes speed and direction well with the ball. Drives to the basket going to both his left and right … Solid passing ability. Good at avoiding traps and double-teams to hit the open man. Good timing on lead passes and alley-oops … Good rebounder … Sticks to his man defensively and good shot blocker for position … Consistent effort and stays engaged. Doesn’t go through the motions or take plays off on either end … Skilled all-around and doesn’t lack fundamentals. Very aggressive mindset. Well-documented hard worker and big-time competitor …

Weaknesses: Not bad size for a wing but length is the same as height with a 6’9 wingspan … Obviously young and has physically maturing yet to fulfill but has room to get stronger, which isn’t a long-term issue … Puts up some deep and contested shots at times … Very good competitor but can wear his emotions …

Outlook: Michigan State commit … Playing for Ypsi Prep for his junior year … 2019 and 2020 Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year … 2020 National Gatorade Player of the Year …

Evan Tomes 12/12/20