NBA Comparison: Dante Exum

Strengths: A wiry 6’4 guard (6’7 wingspan) with intriguing athleticism and quickness … Has plenty of juice in his legs, showing excellent open floor speed and a live 1st step … Prefers to slash more than shoot, and is hard to keep out of the paint … Has plenty of potential as an instant offense type due to his aggressive nature with the ball in his hands, looks to apply pressure on the defense constantly … Draws foul effectively … Developing pick and roll player, and even when defenders go under screens he can still at times get into the teeth of the defense because of his quickness and subtle shiftiness with the ball … Solid ability to change direction and switch speeds off the dribble to keep the defense on its heels … In the NBL, Hampton was OK at making basic reads as a playmaker; showed glimpses of being able to find the open man near the rim when the help defender was out of position … Projects to be able to play in transition well and is capable of making highlight finishes at the hoop … Has one of the quickest 2nd jumps in this draft class … Knows how to use his leaping ability to help him to convert near the rim, while also flashing the ability to contort his body for get shots up around defenders … The base is there for him to continue to develop into at least a respectable jump shooter, as he has a high and fairly quick release and adequate touch … Could really begin to flourish offensively with more time spent improving his jumper, as it would be a pretty tough task to defend him if his shot begins to catch up with his ability to get to the rim…Shows the ability to occasionally jump in the passing lanes and create turnovers … High energy player …

Weaknesses: Shows raw fundamentals and polish in general on both ends of the court … Plays a lazy brand of defense, really struggles to deny dribble penetration or fight through screen action … Too often allows players to get to the rim with no resistance, especially for someone with his physical ability … Got burned by cutters and fell asleep off-ball defensively often last season in the NBL … Pretty weak physically right now, will need to significantly improve his frame and strength as a young player to be able to deal with bigger perimeter players as well as convert amongst the trees … Feel for the game is middling, making him not the most instinctive playmaker for others and thus projecting him as more of a ball-handling SG than a true lead guard … Telegraphs his passes at times, and also could improve on leaving the floor to make passes … Shows poor footwork too often, be it as a shooter or defender, and he really has an impact on how efficient he is when he’s on the court … Gambles and reaches for steals frequently, rarely stays disciplined defensively for a full possession at this stage … Struggles to get consistent results when spotting up or when shooting off the bounce due to the somewhat deliberate push shot he shoots, needs to widen his base when rising into his shot as he currently shoots with his feet side-to-side opposed to shoulder width apart … No in-between game at the moment, would benefit from adding a floater or just polishing his ability to pull up when he can’t get all the way to the rim so that he can avoid drawing charges …

Jorrye Nixon 11/17/20

Strengths: 6’4 point guard … Good size and length for position with a 6’7 wingspan and 8’4 standing reach … Very good ball handler. Creates and breaks down the defense off the dribble; effectively uses his crossover, changing direction/speed, and knows how to shift his defender. Can fit in tight spaces and gets where he wants with the ball. Good pick and roll ball handler. Doesn’t rely on triple threat, can get to the rim off the dribble in the half court. Fearless driver and very good at drawing fouls. Shot third best 6.6 free throws per game over the Under Armour Association in 2018. Shot 12.3 free throws per game over his four games of the Nike EYBL in 2019, which was the highest of the session … Good court vision and passing ability. Very good in drive and kick situations when attacking the baseline. Makes accurate cross-court passes. Averaged a second most six assists per game over the Under Armour Association in 2018. Averaged 4.5 assists per game in his four games over the Nike EYBL in 2019 … Good scoring ability. Led the Under Armour Association in scoring with 24.6 points per game in 2018. Averaged 28.8 points per game in his four games of the Nike EYBL in 2019, which was the second best of the session … Very good athlete. Finishes plays above the rim with good body control and attacks with aggression. Quick off the ground and first step. Handles the ball well at a high speed, gets going downhill and blows by the defense. Can lead and finish in transition … Good defensive tools with his length and quickness. Will lock in and pick the ball handler on occasions. Anticipates and covers a lot of ground jumping passing lanes. Averaged 1.8 steals per game at the U16 Americas Championship in 2017. Averaged 1.5 steals per game at the U17 World Cup in 2018. Averaged 1.8 steals per game over the Under Armour Association in 2018. Averaged two steals per game over his four games of the Nike EYBL in 2019 … Blocks shots well for a guard …

Weaknesses: Can work on shot selection, tends to settle for deep and contested shots at times … Can improve scoring from midrange; doesn’t show much of a floater or midrange pull-up, and generally doesn’t add many points in that area … Can improve as a three-point shooter. Shot 33.3% 3PT% over the Under Armour Association in 2018. Shot 26.9% 3PT% over his four games of the Nike EYBL in 2019 … Very high-volume shooter and can improve efficiency, took 22 shots per game and shot 40.9% FG% over his four games of the Nike EYBL in 2019. Took 19.3 shots per game over the Under Armour Association in 2018. Can improve finishing in traffic … Can get more movement when playing off the ball … Has room to get stronger … Decision making as a ball handler can improve. Averaged a third most 3.9 turnovers per game over the Under Armour Association in 2018 … Wears his emotions at times. Wants a foul called after missed layups and argues a lot of calls …

Outlook: Playing for the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL … Played in one Nike EYBL session (four games) before reclassifying to the 2019 high school class … 2019 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year … Won Gold at the U16 Americas Championship in 2017 and U17 World Cup in 2018 …

Notes: Hampton measured 6’3 barefoot, 6’4 in shoes, 176 lbs, with a 6’7 wingspan, and a 8’4 standing reach in mid 2018 …

Evan Tomes 8/7/19