NBA Comparison: Jarrett Allen

Strengths: Supremely talented bigman with prototypical size, length and athleticism for the NBA center position … Shows a great deal of upside with the ability to impact the game at both ends of the floor … Excellent fluidity and coordination for a bigman … Averaged 42% from three as a sophomore. granted he only made 17-40 shots over the season, but still an encouraging statistic for a 7-footer … Shows very good form on his shot … Effective catch and shoot guy with range out to college three, he has the potential to become a three point threat and floor spacer at the next level, giving him added value …  Became a much more effective scorer in the paint adding efficiency (Shows good hands, catching the ball and grabbing boards … Shows an effective turnaround jumper … Has the basics down as a bigman than can defend in space, protect the rim as well as effectively play in the post … Very strong rebounder, at 10 per game, showing solid fundamentals and understanding of positioning and boxing out … An explosive athlete with rim running ability … Added solid strength to his body from his sophomore year, 230 lbs and should naturally fill out and add another 15-20 lbs as he hits his early to mid 20s … Very good leg and core strength and shows good ability and willingness to fight for position in the post … Very solid improvement from freshman season with a near 10 point jump in scoring from 6.6 to 15.9 ppg … 1.9 blocks per game, he has a massive frame at 7-1 with a 7-4 wingspan and also has very good leaping ability with a 36 inch vertical … NBA Combine shuttle numbers showed that he has amazing foot speed with a sub 11 second lane agility run which was better than many of the wings … Despite shooting 63% as a sophomore and 66% in his college career, shows excellent form on shot and can easily develop into an 80% FT shooter at the NBA level … Solid but not great passer, he can find the open man cutting and get himself out of double teams, but not a guy you can expect to run plays through … Can be successful if given the right role with the right teammates, preferably a great passing lead guard …

Weaknesses: Productive numbers but with his talent level, one might question whether he has underachieved some at the college level … Did not establish himself as a go-to offensive threat … Doesn’t really look to create offense yet or given much opportunity, and scores mainly on the block or on rim runs and garbage buckets on put backs … 16 ppg suggests he can score, but perhaps lacks an aggressive scorer’s mentality …. Questions remain regarding his determination and focus. Is he truly dedicated to being the best version of himself, or does he not have the drive to become a great player? … Limited creating off the bounce when facing the basket … Very laid back demeanor, often looking somewhat low energy and lethargic … He figures to be a player that will be somewhat dependent on the right situation …  Decision making can be frustrating at times, 1.6 turnovers per game versus 1.5 assists … Doesn’t always show great anticipation, particularly on the defensive end where he can be slow to react to opponents attacking the basket and getting by him … Free throw shooting went backwards from FR season, dropping from 71% to 63% … Shot blocking didn’t nearly see the double that his minutes did (going from 1.3 to 1.9 as a sophomore, the shot blocking upside is there, but could be more impactful … Not a vocal or emotional leader, should look to become more assertive and vocal on the court …

Outlook: Came into college along with Derrick Lively, rated similarly (top 10),  so he will probably always get compared to him, and could find similar success if put in a similarly ideal situation at NBA level … Born on 4/20, so having recently turned 20 years of age, he still has a great deal of potential … With much better mobility and similar skills, the upside is there for him to be every bit as good as a player being hyped as a possible top 5 pick in Donovan Clingan … Ware figures to be draft somewhere in the late lottery / mid-first round, as a player with considerable upside but still somewhat of a project …

Notes: Native of North Little Rock, Arkansas … Played freshman season at Oregon before transferring to Indiana for sophomore year … Measured: 6′ 11.75” barefoot, 230 lbs, 7′ 4.50” wingspan, 9′ 4.50” standing reach, 32.5 standing vert,  36 max vert at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine …

Aran Smith 5/29/24

Strengths: 7’0 athletic big man … Good size and length, shrinks the floor and covers a lot of ground on the defensive end … Good mobility and runs the floor well … Good athlete, gets off the floor very well and utilizes it on both ends. Impressive second jump. Good lob target as he has a large radius of reach around the rim and has good body control … Does a good job of establishing post position and sealing his man. Shows a solid jump hook and soft touch in the low-post … Efficient scorer. Averaged 8.2 points per game on 56.3% FG% at the NBPA Top 100 in 2021 and 15.7 points per game on a 3^rd best 67.2% FG% at the U18 Americas Championship in 2022 … Good face-up shooting ability and mechanics. Smooth shooting stroke from midrange, free throw, and 3PT. Shot 80% (8-10 FT) at the U18 Americas Championship in 2022. Despite being able to shoot, he doesn’t drift to the perimeter too often or try to be a guard … Good defender and timing as a shot blocker. Finished 4^th with 1.8 blocks per game at the U18 Americas Championship in 2022 … Good rebounder on both ends. Keeps offensive rebounds high and very good reading tip-slam opportunities. Finished 4^th at the NBPA Top 100 in 2021 with 5.6 rebounds per game and averaged 6.8 (2.2 offensive) per game at the U18 Americas Championship in 2022 …

Weaknesses: Solid strength level but frame still has room to fill out … Solid jump hook and touch but can expand post-game, as he didn’t see much competition in terms of matching his size/athleticism throughout high school … A bit inconsistent handling double-teams; there are times he scores on multiple defenders, sometimes makes a nice pass, even a quick touch pass or cross-court pass to the open man, while other times, he loses it by putting it down in traffic or travels. Minimal ability to put the ball on the floor and doesn’t pass well on the move. Mishandles passes at times … Picks up unnecessary fouls leaving his feet while trying to block every shot rather than staying in position and contesting. Doesn’t have real quick feet when having to defend on the perimeter and gets beat on closeouts. Does a good job of blocking jump shots but overall his effectivity as a defender diminishes as he moves away from the basket …

Outlook: Incoming Oregon freshman … Scored 8 points and grabbed 10 rebounds (6 offensive) in the 2022 McDonald’s All-American Game … Played in the 2022 Jordan Brand Classic … Scored 11 points (4-5 FG) in the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit … Played in the 2022 Iverson Classic … Won Gold and named to the All-Tournament Team at the U18 Americas Championship in 2022 …

Evan Tomes 7/15/22