NBA Comparison: Jeff Teague/Eric Bledsoe

Strengths: Collier is a 6’4 215 PG/SG with a chiseled, NBA-ready frame on the perimeter, as well as very good speed, body control and burst … Physical and sturdy guard who seeks contact and has the strength to steamroll matchups on his way to the rim; is at his best getting downhill slashing to the basket looking to score or drive and dish (16.3 PG & 4.3 APG as a Fr.) … Very powerful first step and his nice ball-handling ability with either hand make him tough to contain and allow him to turn corners and pressure the rim … Looks really good in transition; consistently keeps guys on their heels in the open floor…More of a score-first guard than a playmaker, but has shown some signs of adequate floor vision with the ability to drop off some nicely timed passes to cutters or bigs rolling to the basket … Capable of making some big-time passes and is particularly effective rewarding players who run the floor with hit ahead passes … Can effectively convert at the rim through contact (54 FG% inside the arc) and draws fouls at a high level already (nearly 6 FTA/G) … Will make tricky lay-ins and does a good job using the rim and backboard to shield the ball from potential shot-blockers…Has some shiftiness to him and will subtly get space utilizing hesitation moves when guarded too closely … Promising pick-and-roll ability and poses a threat for big men to handle when they switch onto him…Applies pressure when he has the ball and will eat up space even when defenders sag off at times…Promising ability to post up smaller players … Efficient scorer (49 FG% on 11.6 FTA/G); had seven games that he scored at least 20 points in and only took 20 shots in one of those games … Shoots passing lanes and forces turnovers that lead to runouts (1.5 SPG) … Has the tools to matchup well defensively on the perimeter, particularly in the backcourt … Competitive with some leadership qualities you look for in a lead guard prospect … Played some of his best, most clean basketball down the stretch of the season after returning from an injury (1/11 games with 5+ turnovers post-injury, compared to 5/16 games pre-injury) … High floor prospect who could serve as an effective instant offense piece even if he isn’t quite ready or doesn’t work as a teams floor general …

Weaknesses: His ability to pick his spots and process things against set defenses are a work in progress for a lead guard … Currently tends to try to strong-arm his way to where he wants to go on the court rather than taking what the defense gives him, which leads to some unsightly possessions, bad turnovers and offensive fouls (3.3 TOPG) … Fundamentals can stand to tighten up as well; sometimes is loose and too casual with his handle and delivering passes, particularly when the defense blitzes him or collapses the paint … Jump shot will need to improve to maximize his offensive game (34 3FG% on 3 3FGA/G)…Showed some raw flashes of shot-making ability at the beginning of the season but lost effectiveness and confidence as the season wore on (only made multiple 3-pointers in 5 games) … Fundamentals need work here too, as he does not get much elevation on his shot and uses mostly upper body, which leads to him having a rather erratic follow-through even when his feet are set … Sporadically hit shots pulling up from mid-range but needs to do so more often…FT numbers were not so great for a guard as a Fr (68 FT%), which further illustrate his mediocre shooting and somewhat nullified the very good rate that he took trips to the charity stripe … Has the tools to be effective on defense and even was pesky when dialed in, but once again his fundamentals need considerable work on this end, as well as his awareness … Struggled to deny penetration and navigate screens as a Fr., mostly due to closing out on the perimeter too upright in stance and leaving himself out of position to resist dribble penetration … Can be a bit handsy defensively at times too (2.4 FPG) … Adequate leaping ability but he isn’t the most explosive vertical athlete …

Overall: Collier was a blue chip 5-star prospect out of the Atlanta area who was ranked the #1 player in the 2023 Class by multiple recruiting services … He committed to Andy Enfield and USC early in his Sr season of HS and was part of a top 3 ranked class that included highly-regarded prospects Bronny James and HS teammate Arrington Page among others … Though he had some down moments, Collier made an immediate impact with his mature build and aggressive play style as an All Pac 12 Freshman Team performer in what can be categorized as a down year for USC as a team, partially due to injuries (including to Collier, who missed a month of the conference slate due to a hand injury) … He brings ready made physical tools, promising scoring ability, pick and roll skills, transition play and flashes of really nice passing to the table as a young prospect right now … How his jump shot, decision-making and fundamentals/polish on both ends of the court round out and improve over time will determine if he reaches the potential that saw many peg him as a favorite to be the 1st pick in the 2024 Draft before the season started, though his turnovers did drop a bit after he returned from his hand injury … He’s fun to watch when he’s on his game (ie his 18 point 5 assist game against KState or his 31 point outburst against Washington) and he’s a huge threat in the open court which projects well to the wide open style in the NBA … Collier draft stock isn’t likely in the neighborhood of being the 1st pick as it was maybe this time last year, but he probably is still in good position to be a lottery selection in 2024 …

Jorrye Nixon 4/2/24

Strengths: 6’5 point guard … Good size for position … Powerful build and strength level. Good body control. Plays balanced even through contact. Can bully defenders and often too physical for opposing guards … Good athlete and gets up fairly effortless. Attacks the rim with a quick first step. Handles the ball well in the half-court as well as picking up speed in transition. Speed and strength with the ball make him difficult to contain when going downhill. Instinctive off the dribble … Draws fouls at a good rate. Shot 5.5 free throws per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Good court vision, ball-handling, and passing ability. Good timing, threads the needle and makes impressive lead passes. Makes proper reads and sees plays ahead of time. Makes accurate lobs and crosscourt passing in the half-court, consistently hits open shooters when they’re open on the weakside. Best passer and pick and roll ball-handler in the class; getting to the rim, hitting the roll when appropriate (bullets, lobs, or bounce passes), or even splitting the defense. Controls the pace, stays poised and doesn’t get sped up. Doesn’t force offense and impacts the game without scoring, keeps teammates involved and engaged, not to mention makes the game easier for them. Impressively low turnover count considering his volume/usage. Averaged a 4^th best 3.7 assists to 2.8 turnovers per game at the NBPA Top 100 in 2021 and led the Nike EYBL in assists with 6.5 per game to 1.9 turnovers per game in 2022 … Moves well off the ball … Jump shot has made impressive strides in the past year, showing more consistent 3PT range with a lot of arc and ball rotation. Shot 41.9% 3PT% on 3.9 3PT attempts per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Has shown a developed and reliable midrange pull-up … Finishes well at the rim and doesn’t hesitate to use his left hand. Despite his physical superiority over most defenders, he can be a crafty finisher as well … Averaged 18.4 points per game at 54.7% FG% over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Good strength, quickness, and commitment as a defender. Sticks well on the ball-handler and has a knack for clean swipes on the ball. Defends with physicality without fouling. Averaged 1.2 steals per game at the NBPA Top 100 in 2021 and 1.8 per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Alpha dog. Vocal leader. Confident and good competitor …

Weaknesses: Size is good for position, but his length isn’t great relative to size with a 6’4 wingspan … Looks for contact on drives at times rather than converting the simpler finish … His EYBL 3PT shooting was good at 41.9%, but he’s still on the streaky side. Playmaking without consistent shooting generally isn’t enough at the NBA level … Can improve as a free throw shooter. Shot 50% FT% at the NBPA Top 100 in 2021 and 68.2% FT% over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Good athlete and can play above the rim but not top tier explosive … Isn’t real diverse scoring, his strength moving forward will be centered around his facilitating …

Outlook: USC freshman … MVP of the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game with 25 points (9-14 FG, 2-4 3PT) … Scored 11 points in the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit … 2023 Morgan Wootten Player of the Year … 2023 Naismith Player of the Year … 2023 Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year … MVP of the 2022 Curry Camp … MVP of the 2022 UA Next Elite 24 with 20 points (7-14 FG) …

Evan Tomes 8/20/23

Strengths: 6’3 point guard … Powerful build and strength level. Plays balanced even through contact. Can bully defenders … Good athlete and gets up fairly effortless. Attacks the rim with a quick first step. Speed and strength with the ball make him difficult to contain when going downhill. Instinctive off the dribble … Draws fouls at a good rate. Shot 5.5 free throws per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Good court vision, ball-handling, and passing ability. Good timing, threads the needle and makes impressive lead passes. Makes proper reads and sees plays ahead of time. Accurate lobs and crosscourt passing in the half-court. Good pick and roll ball-handler; getting to the rim, hitting the roll when appropriate (bullets, lobs, or bounce passes), or even splitting the defense. Poised and doesn’t get sped up. Doesn’t force offense and impacts the game without scoring. Impressively low turnover count considering his volume/usage. Averaged a 4^th best 3.7 assists to 2.8 turnovers per game at the NBPA Top 100 in 2021 and led the Nike EYBL in assists with 6.5 per game to 1.9 turnovers per game in 2022 … Moves well off the ball … Jump shot has made impressive strides in the past year, showing consistent 3PT range with a lot of arc and ball rotation. Shot 41.9% 3PT% on 3.9 3PT attempts per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Finishes well at the rim and doesn’t hesitate to use his left hand … Averaged 18.4 points per game at 54.7% FG% over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Good strength, quickness, and commitment as a defender. Sticks well on the ball-handler and has a knack for clean swipes on the ball. Defends with physicality without fouling. Averaged 1.2 steals per game at the NBPA Top 100 in 2021 and 1.8 per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Vocal leader …

Weaknesses: Looks for contact on drives at times rather than converting the simple finish … His improved jump shooting definitely relieves concern, but he can still improve as a free throw shooter. Shot 50% FT% at the NBPA Top 100 in 2021 and 68.2% FT% over the Nike EYBL in 2022. Can’t deny his 3PT shooting numbers but the sample size was small (8 games), as he missed most of the summer with a knee injury, still has a label of streaky shooter but can erase that during his senior year … Good athlete and can play above the rim but not top tier explosive … Isn’t real diverse scoring, his strength moving forward will be centered around his facilitating …

Outlook: Missed much of the 2022 summer with a knee injury … MVP of the 2022 Curry Camp … Earned MVP of the 2022 UA Next Elite 24 with 20 points (7-14 FG) …

Evan Tomes 9/10/22