NBA Comparison: Andre Drummond

Strengths: A physically gifted, highly touted 6’11 250 big man prospect with powerful leaping ability and the mobility teams look for in a modern C in todays NBA … Is very long (7’5 wingspan) and covers massive ground on the court on both ends, with rare agility and lateral quickness for a prospect of his size … Showed very promising ability to switch and guard on the perimeter as a Fr., looking comfortable forcing difficult looks for smaller players and often maintaining good guarding position to come up with impressive possessions in pick and roll defense … Has the length and athleticism needed to get back in plays and alter shots even when beat off the bounce … Gets off the ground extremely quickly as a one or 2-footed leaper, which makes him a bouncy finisher (nearly 60% FG as a Fr.) as well as a formidable shot-blocker and overall defensive presence at the rim (just over 2 BPG) … Nearly automatic converting when he has both feet in the paint … Strong on the glass (8 RPG), showed improved assertiveness at Memphis and has the tools to increase his production more … Has arguably the quickest 2nd jump in the 2022 class, which also makes him an excellent offensive rebounder (3 ORPG) … Always must be accounted for as a lob threat; Duren has been known to throw down some ferocious dunks & he has the type of hands and wide catch radius needed to snag errant passes or rebounds out of his area … Potential in screen and roll action is intriguing to teams … Generally does a good job of keeping the ball/his hands high when he catches it, wastes little motion when catching and finishing … Runs the floor extremely well, especially after turnovers/blocked shot possessions, and should be rewarded often for it if matched with unselfish facilitator(s)…Already pretty strong for a young C prospect, and has the frame to add more muscle without loss of mobility…Not afraid to play through contact as a finisher and rebounder, and uses his strength well to defend the post…Potentially more than just a catch-and-finish big man, has a developing feel for the game and passing skills when facing up…Made a few good decisions when making reads in the mid post to find cutters this past season that are reason for intrigue…Likes to sporadically use a right handed jump hook in the paint when he can’t simply catch and finish…Likely would be the youngest prospect selected in the 2022 Draft after reclassifying to the 2021 HS class (wont turn 19 years old until the beginning the next NBA season) could likely just be scatching the surface …

Weaknesses: Motivation level is one of the key Duren is a major work in progress offensively, especially in terms of low post skill level…Has virtually no back to the basket game at the current stage, and heavily relies on lobs, rim runs and offensive rebounds to do the majority of his scoring..Loses effectiveness and tends to disappear the slower the pace of the game is currently…Fundamentals and footwork are behind his physical ability and athleticism; pre-determines what he wants to do when he has the ball and struggles when he has to improvise, leading to some awkward possessions…Shows a middling basketball IQ…Shaky touch around the rim and as a short range shooter, and tends to take fadeaways more than someone with his tools should right now…FT shooting needs improvement (62 FT%), not someone who would be trusted on the floor in a late game situation…Can become foul prone when matched with more savvy bigs defensively (2.7 FPG), but also runs into trouble setting his feet which leads to moving screen fouls at times…A bit overzealous at times trying to protect the rim, can get himself out of position or bite on pump fakes trying to block shots..Occasionally gets beat off the dribble on perimeter switches when he’s caught playing too upright and relaxing his stance…Has the makings of a defensive stalwart, but definitely needs polish and more coaching to reach his full potential …

Overall: Duren had a solid, productive Fr. season after arriving at Memphis as a blue chip recruit from Montverde Academy, and was a big reason the Tigers made their 1st return to the NCAA Tournament since 2014 and advanced to the Rd of 32 before bowing out in a hard fought game against Gonzaga … He has been lauded for his size and run-jump athleticism since his HS days, and it was on full display this season … His defensive presence led to Memphis being one of the best teams in the country on that side of the ball this past season, especially in terms of shot-blocking, and he seemed to adjust to the college game slowly but surely as the season went along and, in no coincidence, so did the Memphis team and coaching staff as a whole … He is not quite the sum of his parts yet; his on-court instincts, fundamentals and overall skill level on both ends all need work, but he fared admirably well for a raw 18 year old big man who was expected to be a 2023 draft class prospect (was a dark horse projection for the 1st pick in that class) until shortly before reclassification not long before this past season … He has some gifts that can’t be taught, and in a class that doesn’t have many highly projected true big men, he stands out as the most intriguing and currently is a projected lottery pick who should test well at pre-draft workouts…Duren could be a great find for the right team who focuses on his development correctly and lines him up with more unselfish-type facilitators than he played with at the college level … If he lands in the right situation at the next level, a team could look to mold him into a Bam Adebayo type of versatile center …

Jorrye Nixon 4/21/22

Strengths: 6’10 big man … Great length with a 7’5 wingspan and big hands … Very good mobility … Explosive athlete, gets up quick and effortless. Good second jump. Dunks everything within close … Efficient around the basket. Uses glass when appropriate. Averaged 10.3 points per game on 62.5% FG% at the U16 Americas Championship in 2019 … Good rebounder on both ends. Converts offensive boards into baskets and is good for a few tip-slams a game. Averaged 8.2 rebounds per game at the U16 Americas Championship in 2019 … Very good shot blocker and does a good job of contesting without fouling. Averaged 2 blocks per game at the U16 Americas Championship in 2019 … Grown man strength and frame. Finishes well through contact …

Weaknesses: Isn’t always heavily involved with the offense. Limited in scoring and typically spends the majority of possessions sitting in the post. A bit reliant on put backs, lobs, and being found in position to score. Still has a way to go developing scoring technique and touch, as well as expanding post-game … Doesn’t set many on ball screens, will add more showing ability as a pick and roll big man … Face up game and ability to stretch the floor has a long way to go. Poor free throw shooter. Shot 40% (2-5) FT% at the U16 Americas Championship in 2019 … Minimal ability to put the ball on the floor, generally hands off to a guard after a defensive rebound or steal … Often times, the last player up the floor … Has a way to go in developing skills that are valued in big men for today’s game …

Outlook: Transferred to Montverde Academy for his junior year … Won Gold and named to the All-Tournament Team at the U16 Americas Championship in 2019 …

Evan Tomes 12/15/20