NBA Comparison: Anfernee Simons

Strengths: Athletic, long, score-first guard with a developing and increasingly reliable outside shot … Displays great energy. Looks like he’s having a lot of fun when he plays, and is fun to watch … Strong off the dribble and has a fairly complete offensive package …  Can throw down highlight reel dunks … Can catch a lob and throw it down in reverse. Dunk contest type of athlete … Good finisher, capable of very athletic, crafty, bending finishes below the rim as well as above … Can pull up from mid range or hit a floater… Gets to the free throw line at a decent rate and is very accurate (currently 89%) from there … Decent passer, generally makes the right pass (though he does look to score first)… Appears to have long arms and decent anticipation defensively … Reportedly a high character guy, good student (both in the classroom and of the game) … The year with Overtime Elite seemed to do him a lot of good. Both the rate at which he improved his game, and what he’s currently showing in his ability to knock down outside shots, are very positive .

Weaknesses: Questions about how much of a point guard he is, despite his apparent excellent vision and passing … Needs to become better at the nuances of playing point guard, setting the tempo, running the offense on a regular basis, breaking pressure etc … Coming out of high school, Carlyle struggled with a slow outside shot that wasn’t quite accurate enough to be considered a core part of his game … Though he reportedly put in a lot of work last year with Overtime Elite, and so far this year with Stanford the shot looks much improved (both in speed of release and accuracy) … Will need to keep it up to convince scouts of his potential as an outside shooter… He only has five college games under his belt so far due to starting the season late (academic-eligibility related) … Despite his length — an asset for defense — questions remain about his interest as a defender … However, we liked his defensive potential two summers ago when we scouted him at the 2022 Nike Chris Paul Camp … In high school, largely relied on athleticism. But so far in college, has yet to display elite level quickness a la a Ja Morant type player … Needs to continue to advance in his ability to get his own shot with ease off the dribble. But that could improve as he gets more reps … Currently just 2 assists per game, but does show some court vision and smarts on the floor …

Notes: Carlyle was a 4-star recruit for most his high school career before making the jump to 5-star toward the end… Took a nontraditional path of playing a season between high school and college with Overtime Elite… Note: Overtime Elite is a pro league aimed at developing young talent. But players who choose to compete in the Overtime Elite league can reportedly forego a salary and retain their NCAA eligibility, as Carlyle did … Last season, Carlyle averaged 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists per game for the YNG Dreamers of Overtime Elite … Carlyle missed the beginning of this (2023–24) college season due to Stanford academic standard reasons. His first game was on Dec 17 (a win against Idaho) … Previously led Milton High School to a Georgia state championship as a sophomore in 2021 … As a freshman with Milton High School, scored 30 points in a win against Scoot Henderson and Georgia state rival Kell High School… was one of the youngest player on the gold medal winning Team USA at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas championship in Tijuana … Was named AP NCAA National Player of the Week on Jan 2, 2024 … Reportedly looked up to Allen Iverson as a kid. You can see some of that flair in Carlyle’s game. Also mentions Ja Morant, Jordan Poole, Tony Allen and Marcus Smart as players he’s studied …

Drew Wolin 1/5/24