A Scout's Eyes: The 2025 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament Eight Question Guide

With his favorite pre-draft event on the horizon, Jam is back with questions to guide your viewing, evaluation, and prep for the 2025 PIT.

The 2025 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT) week is here! Scheduled for April 16th to April 19th, the PIT is my favorite pre-draft event of the draft cycle and a real Draft Sicko dream! Since scouting my first PIT in 2017, the year that saw Derrick White thrive and rise up draft boards, it’s been an annual must-attend event for me, and I can’t wait to make the trip this week to Portsmouth, VA.

The event is always filled with impact talent for NBA evaluators and decision-makers to mine. This year’s field of prospects won’t be any different. Due to the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA because of COVID and the addition of NIL leading to more players staying through their senior seasons, the PIT field is loaded with depth across the board; it is widely regarded as one of the best PIT groups in recent memory. With the opportunity to raise their draft stock and earn invites to the G-League Elite Camp and NBA Combine, expect a competitive and intense environment to kick off the pre-draft process.

Here are eight questions to guide your viewing, evaluation, and prep for the 2025 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

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1. Courtesy of BAM (Basic Athletic Measurement), the official testing service for the NBA Combine and a long-time PIT provider, we should receive the first official measurements of the pre-draft process. What prospect measurements/testing will be amongst the most intriguing?

St. Joseph’s Erik Reynolds II, Houston’s J’Wan Roberts, VCU’s Joe Bamisile, and Bryant’s Earl Timberlake are at the top of my list.

Listed at a lean 6’2” and 190 pounds, Reynolds II is an electric multi-level shot creator and tough shotmaker with playmaking upside (2.6 APG) and defensive event creation value (1.2 stocks per game). He shot a career-low from distance this season (29.8% on 8.5 3PA), but that lower number is backed by a history of good three-point shooting with significant volume and versatility over the past couple of seasons (38% on 8.4 3PA as a junior, 37.9% on 7.9 3PA as a sophomore). Ideally, Reynolds II measures at least 6’2” alongside a plus wingspan as teams consider him for a microwave-scoring ancillary guard role off the bench.

Roberts was an integral member of Houston’s multiple deep tournament runs during his tenure and someone that evaluators can envision as a rotational big because of his combination of feel, touch, defensive playmaking (career 1.6 stocks per game), second chance points creation (career 2.4 offensive rebounds per game), and toughness. Due to undersized big concerns, matching his 6’8” listing and/or recording a favorable wingspan would be a win for the crafty lefty.

Over the past couple of seasons, Bamisile was one of the best players in the Atlantic 10. There is some 3-and-D upside for the 6’4” guard, especially if his reported 7-foot wingspan and 42.5-inch max vertical leap are replicated.

The name of the game is versatility for Earl Timberlake, Bryant’s first-ever Portsmouth Invitational Tournament selection. Averaging 15.5 PPG, 8.1 RPG (2.3 offensive), 4.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.8 BPG, Timberlake had his hand in every phase of the game for the Bulldogs. Listed at 6’6” and without a reliable jumper (career 24.6% three-point shooter on 588 attempts), recording true wing testing metrics could help mask some of the shooting concerns and allow his versatility to translate easier. I wrote about Timberlake’s potential NBA path earlier this cycle.

2. Shooting is arguably the most coveted and translatable NBA skill. Who are the top three-point shooters at Portsmouth?

• Chance McMillian (43.3% on 5.3 3PA)

• Zeke Mayo (42.2% on 6.2 3PA)

• Patrick McCaffery (41.6% on 5.3 3PA)

• John Poulakidas (40.8% on 7.9 3PA)

• Darius Johnson (39.6% on 6.4 3PA)

• Sean Pedulla (39.2% on 6.2 3PA)

• Max Shulga (38.7% on 5.3 3PA)

• Steven Ashworth (37.4% on 8.4 3PA)

• Gabe Madsen (32.2% on 9.5 3PA, but career 36% on 7.2 3PA)

Each one of those prospects offers a blend of pure shooting, shooting versatility, and tough shot-making ability. The pairing of shooting and size is significant, though. Out of that group, only Shulga (6’4”), Poulakidas (6'6”), and McCaffery (6’9”) are at least 6’4” or taller.

3. Speaking of the pairing of size and shooting, who are the top stretch bigs to monitor?

There doesn't appear to be a true stretch big without any major questions in this year’s field, but there are a number of fascinating bigs with shooting upside that could become reliable open shooters.

Prospects that fit the mold are: Georgia State’s Cesare Edwards (43.5% on 2.1 3PA), Clemson’s Viktor Lakhin (37.5% on 1.9 3PA) and Ian Schieffelin (career 37.3% on 1.3 3PA), Appalachian State’s CJ Huntley (35.6% on 3.8 3PA), Tennessee's Igor Milicic Jr. (career 34.5% on 3.5 3PA), and Kentucky’s Andrew Carr (career 34% on 2.3 3PA)

4. In an ideal world, NBA teams want bigs to stretch the floor, finish at the rim, and block shots. If a big man can't shoot, doing the big man things as a play finisher and shot-blocker becomes an even bigger must. What prospects offer value in a translatable play-finishing/shot-blocking role?

• Jonas Aidoo (Arkansas)

• Obinna Anochili-Killen (Marshall)

• Oumar Ballo (Indiana)

• Daniel Batcho (Louisiana Tech)

• Moussa Cisse (Memphis)

• Samson Johnson (UConn)

• Nelly Junior Joseph (New Mexico)

• Viktor Lahkin (Clemson)

• Julian Reese (Maryland)

• Kadin Shedrick (Texas)

5. In the NBA, 3-and-D wings will always be in high demand. Are there any potential 3-and-D wings to monitor?

• Adama Bal (37.5% 3P, 0.6 stocks per game)

• Joe Bamisile, VCU, 1.8 stocks per game, shot 37% on 6.2 3PA as a junior)

• Bez Mbeng (Yale, 36.8% 3P, 2.2 stocks per game)

• Matthew Cleveland (Miami, 38.2%, 1.6 stocks per game)

• Kobe Johnson (UCLA, 36.2% 3P, 1.9 stocks per game)

• David Joplin (Marquette, career 34.9% 3P, 2.0 stocks per game)

• Jonathan Pierre (Belmont, 36.9% 3P, 1.2 stocks per game)

• Jahymyl Telfort (Butler, 36.1% 3P, 1.3 stocks per game)

If Telfort’s jump this season to a career-best 36.1% on 3.6 3PA is real, he’ll have one of the cleaner 3-and-D fits of any wing in the field. A two-year starter at Butler after transferring from Northeastern, Telfort leverages his strength, quick hands, and competitive spirit to defend multiple positions.

Mbeng, the reigning three-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, is a long and active guard who can defend at the point of attack and disrupt defenses both on and off the ball. On top of the defense being the main sell, he’s an improving shooter and capable playmaker.

Bal is certainly known for his offense and not his defense. However, I’m curious if his defensive tools (length and athleticism) can be leveraged more consistently if he’s operating in a 3-and-D role instead of as a primary scorer, like at Santa Clara.

6. Who are the top playmakers?

Chucky Hepburn (5.8 APG), Earl Timberlake (4.7 APG), Max Shulga (4.0 APG), and Deivon Smith (3.9 APG) lead the way for me. All are fantastic playmakers off their own scoring gravity alongside connective passing. Shulga, Hepburn, and Smith provide more consistent advanced passing and decision-making out of pick-and-rolls.

7. What prospects could be the biggest surprise of the PIT?

CJ Huntley, Jonathan Pierre, and Matthew Cleveland could all be big surprises following the PIT. Huntley is a mobile stretch big with post touch and functional ball skills.

Pierre, a late-blooming JUCO product (Nova Southeastern) with a stop at Memphis before breaking out at Belmont, is really fascinating. He brings positional size (listed at 6'9”, but probably closer to 6'7”), floor spacing, multi-level shotmaking, connective passing, pick-and-roll operation, and defensive tools.

Whether it’s the fact that Cleveland has been on the draft radar for so long or that Miami had a really down season, Cleveland’s productive season has gone a bit unnoticed (17.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.6 stocks per game, 38.2% 3P). With his NBA positional size and athleticism alongside improved shooting, there is a 3-and-D foundation in place for the former top 30 high school recruit.

8. Who will be the 2025 PIT MVP?

With the depth of the field, this is a really tough one to answer. If I had to bet on one, though, it would be the highest-ranked prospect on my board, Max Shulga. Shulga is a sharpshooting ancillary guard with shotmaking versatility and feel who can thrive playing both on and off the ball. He’s a reliable decision-maker who can comfortably operate pick-and-rolls as a scorer and playmaker. Defensively, Shulga adds value with his competitive spirit, quick hands, IQ, and anticipation skills.

Other prospects that will firmly be in the MVP race include Terrence Edwards Jr., Chucky Hepburn, Curtis Jones, Cam Carter John Poulakidas, and Erik Reynolds II.