NBA Comparison: Brandon Jennings

Strengths: 6’2 combo guard … Very quick … Natural shot creator and has an innate scoring arsenal that isn’t taught. Effortless and high-level shot maker with deep range. Advanced footwork, quick to square up/get balanced to go into his shot, as well as his release. Needs only a little bit of space to get shot off and his ability to draw fouls on jump shots is as good as you will find at this level. Shoots well off the catch or dribble as well as off step backs or pull-ups. Heats up quickly … Draws fouls at a good rate. Shot 6.6 free throws per game over the Grind Session in 2021-22 and 5.1 per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022. Reliable free throw shooter. Shot 81.1% FT% over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … His jump shot keeps the defense tense and opens driving opportunities. Quick with the ball and fits into tight spaces with solid creativity. Breaks down the defense with his dribble. Shifty with natural ability changing speed and can stop on a dime. Creative finisher in the paint and good body control in the air … Shows nice passing ability and finds opportunities to throw lobs. Assist/turnover stats: 6.2 APG/1.3 TOPG U16 Americas Championship 2021, 5^th best 5.6 APG/2.6 TOPG Grind Session 2021-22, 3 APG/0.5 TOPG NBPA Top 100 2022, 4 APG/2 TOPG EYBL 2022 … Quick hands, feet, and lateral movement as a defender. Gets skinny fighting through screens. Averaged 3.2 steals per game at the U16 Americas Championship in 2021 and 1.5 steals per game over the Grind Session in 2021-22 … Highly confident …

Weaknesses: Doesn’t have great size and length. Slight frame and lacks strength. His lack of physicality hinders his projection as a defender at the next levels … Good athlete but isn’t real explosive and doesn’t display it much in the half-court … Can improve scoring efficiency as he’s reliant on hitting tough shots at a high-volume that’s not ideal at higher levels. Settles for deep and contested shots at times, can look to get to the rim more often. Scoring stats: 15.7 PPG 45.3% FG% U16 Americas Championship 2021, 20 PPG 41.6% FG% Grind Session 2021-22, 10 PPG 38.1% FG% NBPA Top 100 2022, 18.2 PPG 44.9% FG% EYBL 2022 … Can also improve 3PT shooting consistency: 31.3% 3PT% 5.3 3PTA U16 Americas Championship, 30.4% 3PT% 7 3PTA Grind Session 2021-22, 20% 3PT% 2.5 3PTA NBPA Top 100 2022, 29.1% 3PT% 5.6 3PTA Nike EYBL 2022 … Favors his right hand as a finisher no matter which side he’s driving … Despite having a good assist/turnover count, his role and natural read on the game comes as a scorer, rather than true point, which he lacks ideal size for and his lead guard skills aren’t enough to override a bad shooting night at his shot volume …

Outlook: Kentucky commit … Transferred to Donda Academy after his sophomore year of high school … Earned MVP and won Gold at the U16 Americas Championship in 2021 …

Evan Tomes 10/8/22