By Darnell "Tate" Johnson
June 16-20, 2015 Charlottesville, VA
The NBPA Top 100 is the only camp held in the spring or summer, gathering top prospects, regardless of sneaker affiliation. Run by coach John Lucas, it is a privilege to be invited to this camp and players get incredible coaching, experience and competition against their peers. While many players who do well at this camp as an underclassmen choose to forego the camp going into their senior season, it is great to see those who give it their all to battle the finest among their peer group. This camp had some big time returnees and as always, some players who really burst onto the scene with their performance. Below are some of the standout NBA prospects that I felt were in attendance at this year’s NBPA Top 100, chosen mostly based on their performance at this particular camp.
2016 PF/C Edrice Adebayo (6’9/240)
“Bam Bam” was not able to attend camp until the second day. When he arrived, he was an absolute monster. What stands out most is his seemingly NBA ready body. He runs the floor like a gazelle, while remaining physical with no fear of banging in the paint. He is a tenacious rebounder on both ends of the floor. His awareness out of the double-team was on display during the week, as he was able to get out of the post quite quickly. He is no longer tentative when getting the ball in the paint, he catches it and immediately goes into his move.
Another thing that has improved is his timing as a shot blocker. Adebayo also has soft hands and really quick feet for his size. He always has a glowing smile is very polite, which is a credit to those around him. He still has work ahead of him, as he needs to play with more consistency and expand his range. However, he showed a much more consistent shot out to 15-feet and really is coming further into his own. Once he gains further awareness of what his physical tools can do for him and develops greater ball skills, he has some major upside.
2016 PF Thon Maker (7’0/217)
Maker’s career has been an absolute whirlwind, with incredible highs and lows, along with a great deal of exposure at a young age. Almost against the norm for top ranked prospects, Maker has performed in a large number of events. After being heavily scrutinized during a bit of a rough showing during the spring, the NBAPA camp was a major bounce back! He showed all the tools that had him ranked as an elite prospect, with his long-range shooting, ball skills and great energy. He was one of the camps leaders in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, while leading his team to a runner-up finish in a close loss to the eventual camp champions. This all-around performance earned him the 2015 NBAPA Camp MVP award.
He is still adjusting to shielding bigger players from getting into his body, but was great rebounding on both ends and contested shots constantly. On top of this, he has proven to be a great teammate. He is a great communicator and is incredibly willing to take accountability or blame. Even when on the bench, he remains engaged and offers encouragement. Thon knows he has to get stronger and learn how to keep more space between himself and his opponent. With his announcement that he will remain in the Class of 2016, he has time to work on these things and when he (hopefully) goes to college, this should be quite advantageous.
2017 CG Trevon Duval (6’3/185)
Next to Dennis Smith, Duval might be the best lead guard I have seen this summer, regardless of class. I know that is saying a lot, but it is my story and I am sticking to it! Trevon is one of the quickest guards I have seen this year from end to end. He plays with an up tempo pace, but he showed at times, he could slow it down and make plays for both he and his teammates in the half court. He almost brings to mind Derrick Rose during his junior season. He is a great athlete who continuously punished the opposition all weekend.
Last year, Duke signee Derryck Thornton made a major statement as a top-flight floor general. This year, it was Trevon who carried the torch. He is a physical defender, with great knowledge of how to use his hands and move his feet. He was unstoppable at times and got to his spots constantly. His team won the NBPA Top 100 Championship, with his leadership and tenacity playing a major part in getting them there. He won the Finals MVP and while he did have some up and downs, he was one of the superstars of this years camp.
2017 PF/C Deandre Ayton (7’0/230)
This was my first time seeing Ayton play in two years and I was very impressed with his growth as a player. He is someone who plays baseline to baseline without giving any ground in the paint. His ability to run the floor is fantastic for his size and he has developed a soft touch out to 15-feet. Another impressive thing was his level of activity on both ends, which is a rarity for most young big men.
Coming into the camp with a target on his back, he did not back down from the challenge. His footwork in the post is impressive and his hands are a vice grip around the ball. Also, he communicated with his teammates and fit in well with the other players in camp. He is really charismatic and seems to be prepared to accept the spotlight. The sky is the limit for Ayton and with continued skill development, he has the makings of something special.
2016 C Udoka Azubuike (6’10/270)
Azubuike is a full-grown man, and plays like it. He is great at carving out space, sealing his man and gaining postposition in prime scoring spots. Once he gets you sealed on his hip, you can only hope to contain him. He has surprising athleticism for his size, getting above the rim and finishing quite often. He is also progressing at using both hands close to the basket. He has also gotten better at defending position, with more knowledge as far as keeping opposing players from getting to their spots.
He really seems to be more conscious of using his strength to his advantage. His conditioning is still a major work in progress and he knows he needs to get in better shape. Nonetheless, he managed to do a great job running the floor and keeping up with other bigs. Azubuike has a tremendous go-to spin move and the next step will be getting range on his jump shot. If he can develop more of a face-up game, he will have one of the most imposing post games around.
2017 SF Michael Porter (6’9/195)
Porter is a player who seems to do everything right, with one of the most complete skillsets, regardless of class. With unlimited range on his jump shot, he also can work the drive and abuses bigger, slower defenders. He is also an excellent passer from the wing and in the paint. Control seems to be the name of the game with Porter and he brings to mind a much more physically developed version of North Carolina’s Justin Jackson.
Do not be surprised if Michael Porter’s name is one of the first announced in the 2018 NBA Draft. He has all of the tools to be a franchise type player. As talented as he is, the one thing that he should look to change is his tendency to defer. He needs to remain aggressive, whether in scoring or getting his teammates involved. This is a player who should have the game run through him and he should be assertive in doing so, because he has that level of ability.
2016 CG Frank Jackson (6’3/180)
Utah has been putting out some excellent players these last few years, but Frank Jackson is a player with national presence. Frank plays a grown mans game at the guard position. He punished opposing guards this past week and some big men that made the mistake of getting in his way. (http://youtu.be/bNWnS_6MAVo) For a kid with such a grounded foundation and humble demeanor, he sure is a real killer on the court. He can run a team, showing so this week, but it best in attack mode.
Jackson blows by bigger defenders and bullies smaller guards. If you play off of him, he can kill you from both mid and long range. At this point in time, his game is about as complete as one could hope, with continued strength being the most important thing to his future development. With reports that Jackson could take a two-year Mormon mission, the hope is that he will still remain hungry, because he will be a big time prospect whenever he hits the college ranks.
2016 SG Markelle Fultz (6’5/190)
Fultz attends DeMatha High School and brings glimpses of past alumnus and 2nd overall pick in the 2013 Draft, Victor Oladipo. While Fultz’s athleticism is not necessarily on Oladipo’s level, he is actually further along skill wise at a similar stage and is almost equally tenacious. He stays in attack mode from the moment the ball touches his hands and is smart enough to know how to use screens. His rise to this level has been steady and gradual, but you can tell he is a gym rat due to his continued progress.
Fultz has a knack for getting to the cup, and is an efficient finisher, while also getting to the line. Also, every time I have seen him, he seems to be adding range to his jump shot, now even out to 3-point distance. Even with his scorer’s mentality, he can hit the open man and looks for teammates when he is doubled. Playing for Mike Jones at DeMatha, you know he has no choice but to be a tough, hard-nosed defender. Really will be interesting to see his continued growth and he has flourished during these last couple years.
2017 SG Hamidou Diallo (6’4/180)
Before this camp, I had never laid eyes on this young man. Now, I have gotten numerous calls from people in the basketball arena that swear by Diallo’s talent. It would’ve been a travesty if he did not get invited to the NBA Top 100, and I owe him an apology for it ever being in question. Diallo really has all the tools you want in a shooting guard. Possessing NBA range, he can also put it on the floor and finish with either hand above the rim.
Diallo plays with a confidence that belies his age, remaining within the flow of the game. He has a frame that can add weight and he will get stronger. He showed the quickness to defend either guard position, with explosiveness to blow-by the opposition on offense. Really look forward to watching his future development. The next step will be how he reacts to becoming the hunted as opposed to the hunter, because this camp firmly boosted him to among 2017’s elite.
2017 PF Billy Preston (6’10/235)
Preston is wisely talented with all the tools to be a great player, possibly even a superstar. He can put the ball on the floor, post-up and get physical in the paint. He is getting more consistent behind the arc and has good vision as a passer. When he is engaged in the game, Preston a bona fide stud. Even though he has seemed to work on his body, he even has more growth in this area as well. The concern regarding Preston is that he sometimes loses focus, shifting in and out of the game. He is incredibly talented and hopefully will learn to be fully engaged consistently.
2017 WF Jarred Vanderbilt (6’8/195)
This highly ranked rising junior showed his versatility, periodically, during the week. He spent time playing all five positions. Vanderbilt needs to work on his jumper, but his skillset and feel for the game is something you simply can’t teach. He has a lot of potential on both ends of the floor, with an ability to absolutely stuff the stat sheet once he grows into his body.
2017 SG Gary Trent Jr. (6’5/195)
Trent Jr. is the total package at the SG position. He has “in the gym range” on his jumper. He also did really well posting up, bringing to mind his father, Gary Trent (aka “the Shaq of the MAC” and a former NBA lottery pick). He lets the game come to him and is a killer when the game is on the line. He led both the EYBL and the USA U16 FIBA Americas Gold Medal winning team in scoring, Trent Jr looks like a star in the making.
2016 PF/C Omari Spellman (6’9/270)
Spellman is a player who was in the running for camp MVP, faring well in his match-up with Thon Maker. The big man from Ohio, who plays at a prep school in Massachusetts, has great hands and feet. He also has a nice inside-out game and can even knock down the occasional three. He had a double-double in almost every game at camp. His main problem is he’s caught in the center position, being 6’9 in the NBA, at center, will not work for him. Spellman has to transform his body and work on his ball skills to turn into a true power forward. If he can do that, he can definitely have his name called in the NBA Draft after a strong career at Villanova.
*Michael Visenberg contributed to this report.
