Tari Eason and Amen Thompson: Terror Twins | Youth Movement NBA Junior Rank
Our own Nathan Grubel evaluates Tari Eason's defensive impact for the Houston Rockets along with standout teammate Amen Thompson. PLUS: Youth Movement NBA Junior Rank 1.0.
Greetings, basketball fans, and welcome to another edition of Youth Movement NBA!
This week, it’s time to shed a spotlight on the NBA’s juniors before we pivot to check in on what’s happening throughout the G League.
There’s a lot going on with this particular group of players, as a number have emerged as legitimate superstar talents, while others are finding their stride as surefire starters.
Basketball development isn’t linear (a phrase you’ve heard me echo a lot for No Ceilings), so it’s to be expected that some players take some time to pop off the screen. Luckily, the breakout stories run rampant across the 2022 NBA Draft class, and I’ll be writing about quite a few over the rest of the season.
This time around, I want to focus on the Houston Rockets, one of my favorite NBA League Pass watches so far into December.
The Terror Twins highlight this week’s feature column (I know I’m cheating, but this story isn’t complete without both players), AKA Tari Eason and Amen Thompson!
Let’s discuss some defensive chaos while also ranking the rest of the junior class for All-Junior purposes down the line, as outlined in my sophomore column last week!
*All statistics used are as of 12/4/2024 and are courtesy of Synergy Sports, Basketball-Reference, Dunks and Threes, and Cleaning the Glass*
Tari Eason and Amen Thompson: Terror Twins
First off, how freaking cool is the nickname “Terror Twins” in comparison to others across the NBA??
Tari Eason and Amen Thompson have earned that identity and then some, as one of the most ferocious two-way dynamos in professional basketball.
Most analysts and observers (myself included) are almost always drawn to the offensive side of the ball first (unless you’re my astute colleague Tyler Metcalf, who has an eye for what works on defense).
But watching the Rockets requires an appreciation for that other end of the floor that sometimes isn’t quite talked about enough, yet is equally if not more important than how often a team can put the ball in the basket.
Rarely in NBA history have teams won a championship without rating at least Top 10 in defensive efficiency, let alone Top 5. Go back even in recent history with the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Over the last decade, each of these squads has had an unstoppable force leading the way offensively, coupled with excellent team defense.
Houston doesn’t have a generational offensive superstar like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, or Giannis Antetokounmpo. There isn’t a two-way unit on the roster as tightly knit and complementary to one another as what Boston has built (a juggernaut) led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Nor am I writing this column to suggest that the Rockets are in for a deep postseason run and possible title chase.
I’m simply highlighting how good this team has been defensively, and it’s in large part due not just to the contributions from Dillon Brooks, but the Terror Twins themselves.
Since this is the junior ranking edition of Youth Movement NBA, I want to focus the most on Eason, but I can’t tell the story without Thompson as well.
As it stands, the Rockets are FIFTH in Net Rating, and SECOND in defensive rating. That’s a massive jump up from the last few seasons, and it’s no coincidence over that time the team has added a number of weapons on that end of the floor, most notably Eason and Thompson. Oh, and I suppose having a tough-nosed, no-nonsense coach like Ime Udoka helps too.
Who am I kidding—Udoka has massively helped shape and mold the identity of the Rockets along with veteran additions in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. The Rockets want to run the offense through a pair of up-and-coming stars in Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green, but having a defensive backbone has helped take a load off both of them in different ways.
With defensive playmakers like Eason and Thompson on the floor, there are more opportunities for transition offense, which benefits an athletic wing scorer like Jalen Green who hasn’t always created at a high level in the halfcourt.
In turn, that also provides easy scores and possessions that don’t require Sengun to create everything offensively for his team to put up points.
Both players in turn get the support they need while also having easier jobs on defense because both Eason and Thompson can scale up and down the lineup as needed (along with Brooks) to guard the other team’s best scorers.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Rockets lineups with both Eason and Thompson on the floor are +10.2 points better per 100 possessions in comparison to when both of them are off the court. Outside of where those lineups rate in terms of effective field goal percentage, the team overall is boosted dramatically across the other common "Four Factors” in basketball analytics (eFG%, turnover rate, offensive rebounding rate, and free throw rate) on both sides of the ball.
I’ve watched enough Rockets games this season to feel the impact of when the both of them check into a game, but seeing it up close last week in Philadelphia against the 76ers only confirmed what my eyes have seen on tape: these two are a freaking menace.
Coming into the league, Eason was viewed as a gambler of sorts on defense. Yes, he reads the game and can see plays emerging one or two steps ahead. It’s a big reason why he’s able to play passing lanes and swat away enough shots while helping around the basket as he does (currently first in steal percentage and 14th in block percentage).
But that gift also comes with a curse, as sometimes opposing players are able to read the body language of a riverboat gambler like Eason and adjust accordingly using passing fakes and sharp, quick movements upon catching the ball to fake out a forward like Eason. Those gambles then appear to be mistakes as they can lead to quick scores by the opponent.
Those gambles were certainly nitpicked by scouts during the 2022 draft process, and I myself wasn’t quite sure what to do with a player who had offensive questions of his own, while also not showing restraint on the defensive end.
Boy, was I so, so wrong about Eason.
This isn’t to say I missed the mark by perception at the time of the draft. On my personal board, Eason was rated exactly where he was selected at 17. What that tells me is that NBA teams had as much apprehension about his potential outcomes as I did, but at some point, you have to make a bet on the talent.
Eason wasn’t a starter in college either at LSU. He came off the bench, but was the most productive player per minute I’ve seen at his position in quite some time who played a similar role. When I think about per-minute monsters like Zach Edey and Zion Williamson, those guys started and played heavy, heavy minutes. That, to me, is the definition of dominance, to withstand the brunt of responsibility and minutes share while still outperforming the competition by a significant margin.
Eason did just that; it just wasn’t quite the same. He was brought off the bench for a specific purpose, and that was to throw a curveball at opposing offenses.
His relentless motor on the glass, defending in space, rotating and helping along the baseline, and grabbing to go in transition completely changed the LSU Tigers’s two-way performance during his minutes on the floor—so much so that he skyrocketed up draft boards thanks to keen insights from other media scouts like Chuck over at the Chucking Darts podcast (love ya, buddy).
Now Eason clearly wasn’t a perfect prospect. There were concerns about his spot-up jumper, turnovers in halfcourt traffic, and some questionable finishing in those same situations around the basket.
But where I went wrong was underrating just how athletically gifted of a player Eason actually is.
This guy not only creates opportunities out of thin air, but he does so with open runways off of strategic baseline cuts or transition runouts off some of those aforementioned gambles.
What if a player couldn’t finish or control the game well in a crowd, but was so quick off the jump that he could beat the crowd at his own game by getting to spots before the masses?
That’s Tari in a nutshell, but also describes what Thompson brings to the table.
Thompson reads the floor arguably even better than Eason. His processing speeds rival those of some of the best creators we have in the NBA today, even if he’s still figuring out how to utilize those mental gifts with his immense physical talent.
Those who have watched Thompson operate have seen some flaws in his perimeter game, both in his jump shooting and handle in traffic. There have been some limitations, but he’ll have as many wow plays as dull moments in some of those situations.
Back when Thompson played at Overtime Elite, I was able to scout him up close and personal in Atlanta, GA. He made some plays I didn’t even think were possible on a basketball court, some of which I truthfully had never seen before—all due to his speed, vision, and verticality.
Now put both of those players on the court together, and it’s a beautiful symphony of chaos.
Eason and Thompson combine together so wonderfully on the floor. If Thompson plays the perimeter, Eason has support generally on the wing or the baseline behind Thompson to help play a fun cat-and-mouse game. If Thompson is the low man while Eason is guarding the ball in different actions, same concept.
Both are excellent in not only making a play at the ball to create a deflection but also at reading what the other is doing to offer support and fill a gap or run out in transition should the other actually corral the ball and force a possession in transition.
When both are out on the break, forget about shutting them down. Either one can hit the other on a full-speed bounce pass or alley-oop for a big-time slam.
Having two plus-sized wings with length, speed, and playmaking ability opens up the floor for so much to happen. And even in the halfcourt, both are great cutters and offensive rebounders, which offers some release valves for spotty and inconsistent shooting.
Some are going to respond to what I’m saying and knock the Rockets, as well as Eason and Thompson, for not providing enough shooting on the floor at all times. And yes, I understand the NBA has transitioned most nights to solving a math equation of more made threes equals more wins.
But last time I checked, the name of the game of basketball wasn’t JUST putting the ball in the hoop. A better way to categorize success on the floor is in how many possessions one team can both end and convert off of.
Forcing defensive turnovers is an excellent way to end possessions, along with cleaning up missed shots on the glass. When converting newly created possessions, including threes, interior finishing is paramount to generating efficient offense (along with getting to the free-throw line).
Eason and Thompson embody what playing NBA-level defense means in modern basketball: having multiple players on the floor who can guard a number of positions, scale up, help fill gaps in passing lanes, and protect the rim. All of that, and a bag of chips in terms of rebounding the ball.
As Thompson further develops his ball handling and shooting, he’s likely to keep getting minutes in the backcourt as a primary distributor, as his passing craft and creativity pair incredibly well with Sengun’s game out of the high post and even when he’s on the block. For now, Thompson remains one of the game’s most lethal corner cutters, and has done a fair amount of damage in two-way actions working downhill.
In regards to Eason, I saw something in the Philly game last week I’d like to see more of, which is him working as a small-ball center.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Eason has played about 19 minutes at center this season, and in that time the rockets rated +11.9 points better per 100 possessions, with a defensive rating of 92.7.
Eason was able to match the physicality of the 76ers, and did his part in neutralizing the benefits of having a stretch forward like Guerschon Yabusele slide up the lineup.
Yabusele has been a lethal shooter for Philadelphia this season, so in having him space and take advantage of forcing defenders out of the paint to close out on his shots, the 76ers, in turn, gain somewhat of an advantage with more space for guards like Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain to operate. Eason, however, is a poor matchup in that regard because he’s quick enough to cover ground and contest shots from the perimeter if needed, while also having the strength to play down low in the post.
Not every forward Eason’s size is an actual small-ball big, but with how good Eason is at anticipating opposing player movement and action, not to mention having the physical tools to do so, I am curious to see more of what that looks like in higher-leverage matchups when it’s in the other team’s best interest to try and tilt the game in a smaller direction.
Above all else, Eason has to stay healthy and improve as a shooter. Both are non-negotiable to the Rockets’ future success. But Houston has something with the Terror Twins, something that’s difficult to replicate and combat across the league.
A lineup of either VanVleet or Green sharing backcourt time with Brooks, filled out with Thompson, Eason, and Sengun, offers so much effectiveness on both ends of the floor. You have shooters in the backcourt that can launch from above the break or the wings, two excellent cutters that can also come up and screen for others, and a hub who operates well out of handoffs and short rolls to find the open man or take a mismatch one-on-one.
Is there an upgrade or two to make to the roster for the Rockets? Absolutely. But should it come at the expense of possibly trading one or multiple young pieces? I’m not so sure.
Accelerating timelines is always a tricky proposition, especially when the current direction looks as bright as ever for a team like the Rockets.
What this young, scrappy squad does have though is an identity. Play defense first, create easy offense, and fight until the last second ticks off the clock.
No two better players to captain that identity than Tari Eason and Amen Thompson under the leadership of Ime Udoka and Dillon Brooks.
NBA Junior Rank 1.0
1. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
Jalen Williams continues to impress scouts, evaluators, and fans across the NBA with his two-way play for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It’s not just in his ability to guard down the lineup, or handle the ball and make plays for others, or score in a multitude of ways. Williams does ALL of these things every single night for the Thunder no questions asked, and does them well. He’s stepped up as a small-ball big in different lineups, brought the ball up the floor, cut and set screens in the halfcourt, and has hit his fair share of big-time jumpers.
I’m not sure anymore what the ceiling is for Williams, an incredibly efficient wing who continues to improve across the board in every facet of his game. He has All-Defense, All-NBA potential, and even though he’s on a team with two other excellent players in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, I can’t rule out a future where he could even snag an MVP award.
Williams is sixth in estimated plus/minus per Dunks and Threes, tied for fifth in box plus/minus, with clean shooting marks across the board while also chipping in on the glass and in the assist department. Low-mistake player who sees everything on the floor and knows how and when to react and help his teammates.
This is the kind of player every team wishes they had on their roster in spades. Williams has done nothing to drop from the top overall spot in the junior class rankings, and even if a few of the players below who are in a special category due to injuries had played the season at full strength, it’s hard to argue against Williams who has upped his play and helped to captain arguably the best team in the Western Conference on both ends of the floor.
2. Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
At the time of the Dejounte Murray trade, I’m not sure many evaluators thought the Atlanta Hawks got an absolute steal in the deal and won the trade with the New Orleans Pelicans. But as the season has gone on, that appears to be the case, given the rapid ascension of Dyson Daniels.
Starting next to Trae Young, Daniels is in the midst of career highs in both minutes and usage rate, and making the most of every opportunity he’s been given on both ends of the floor.
There’s an argument to make that Daniels is the most impactful perimeter defender in the NBA, given his combination of size, length, and quick hands. Few players create anywhere near the number of deflections that Daniels does, and he’s great at turning those turnovers into transition buckets.
Nearly all of his scoring output still comes on the break in transition, but there have been signs with Daniels improving his shooting in the halfcourt. Primarily a playmaker for others, Daniels has had some performances this year where he’s made his presence felt in the scoring department against quality teams.
A voting candidate for Most Improved Player and on a list for Defensive Player of the Year, Daniels has helped to shape the future for the Hawks with or without Young in the mix. His play alongside Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher gives Atlanta fans plenty to be thankful for as Landry Fields and the rest of the front office continue charting the direction of the organization for years to come.
3. Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
Perhaps no other NBA junior has seemingly taken their scoring skills to as high of a level from year prior to present quite like Jaden Ivey has.
Sure, I stated above that Jalen Williams has managed to improve across the board, but what Ivey has done in terms of shooting the basketball has helped provide a necessary spark in the backcourt for the Detroit Pistons next to Cade Cunningham.
Our own Tyler Metcalf wrote a brilliant article explaining what’s leading the main charge in Ivey’s offensive upswing, and I wholeheartedly agree it comes back to his overall confidence in the halfcourt. Ivey has been much more decisive in finding gaps getting to the basket and drawing contact, and in turn, has made defenders think twice about whether to play up on him or sacrifice a little more space to withstand the explosive first step Jaden possesses.
When defenders have given up that space to Ivey, he’s been quick to let that shot fly from outside the arc, something we did not see from him in college at Purdue or in his earlier days in the NBA. It’s certainly helped his shooting results to speed up his release, and his confidence has been through the roof on offense.
Defensively, Ivey’s improved effort and screen navigation have also been a welcome addition to Detroit’s noticeable emphasis on that end of the floor. Alongside players like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley who haven’t been known for their defensive outputs, Ivey has taken a jump and looks much more attentive and determined to utilize his length and lateral quickness to shut off drivers or recover to help make a play on the basketball.
Ivey is playing like the guy many scouts projected before the draft just a few short cycles ago. Should his shooting and scoring outputs sustain with even greater usage and some more W’s in the wins column, Ivey should also find himself in the Most Improved Player conversation by season’s end.
4. Tari Eason, Houston Rockets
As I wrote about in the main section of this column, Eason’s defensive playmaking has terrorized the rest of the NBA to no end. What he does in terms of getting his hands on the basketball and making a play any way he can just elevates the Houston Rockets to new levels on a nightly basis. Few forwards impact the game on a per-minute basis like Eason, and the tandem he forms with Amen Thompson as the “Terror Twins” is worth the price of League Pass admission as often as possible.
5. Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz
It’s been rough sledding for the Utah Jazz this season down the NBA mountain, but it seems like things have stabilized as much as they will during another tank-filled campaign. And in that, Walker Kessler has hit his stride coming off of a sophomore season that went in the wrong direction from where he ended his stellar rookie year.
Currently averaging a double-double with a block rate near the top of the league, Kessler’s presence defensively is as reliable as they come in the paint. Few players deter scorers from entering the lane as often as Kessler, who is ready to get his hand on the ball anywhere around the basket.
I’m not going to hold Kessler primarily accountable for the on/off numbers in terms of net ratings in regards to the Jazz. That team is constructed poorly in a number of areas, and he’s ironically put in similar positions at times to former All-NBA Utah center Rudy Gobert.
Still, it’s worth noting that despite how well he cleans the glass and clears the lane defensively, he hasn’t taken meaningful steps forward offensively since he’s been in the NBA. Still very much a catch-and-finish player, Kessler doesn’t have a go-to post move or outside shot to point to, meaning there’s only so much value he can provide in the scoring department.
I get that he’s on the floor for two main purposes, and scoring isn’t one of them, but in a league where big men are as heavily involved in 5-Out concepts as ever, seeing Kessler continue to grow on that side of the ball is where I want to see him take his game as this season and his career progress.
6. Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
Welcome back into the fold, Bennedict Mathurin!
After an injury-shortened sophomore run, Mathurin is lighting it up offensively for the Indiana Pacers as a starting wing, and doing so in an efficient manner.
Mathurin is in the midst of his most efficient stretch of his career, is hitting the glass harder, and just seems much more content to score within the flow of the offense as opposed to getting the ball, dribbling the air out of it, and firing up a shot that was nowhere near the correct look for the team.
I wouldn’t say Mathurin’s game has matured as much as it could, as he still isn’t a sharp passer, nor does he defend up to the standards of his frame and athleticism. But seeing him grow as a scorer and get back to what made him a standout rookie is encouraging to see, to say the least.
The Pacers have had a turbulent start to the 2024-25 season, but Mathurin has been a bright spot up to this point. If he can show some improvements defensively and help Indiana gain a foothold on that side of the ball, it could really push this group forward to where it was last year during the playoffs.
7. Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets
Christian Braun’s firm roots as a role player have truthfully stood out as much as the Denver Nuggets could’ve possibly expected since the loss of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency.
Braun had big shoes to fill coming in for KCP, as there’s no denying Caldwell-Pope was a key cog in the Nuggets’ championship run a few seasons ago.
What Braun does bring to the table that’s a bit different, though, is the chaotic energy he plays with.
I’m not ready to say Braun is a better defensive player than what KCP was with Denver, but you can feel Braun’s intensity as a competitor when he steps on the floor and picks up his man. He stays locked in with his matchup, while also keeping his head on a swivel hunting for opportunities to create deflections and force turnovers. Don’t underestimate how high he can sky either as a help-side shot blocker!
Braun’s offense has come primarily in transition for the first two years of his career, but he’s improved pretty significantly in his halfcourt offensive efficiency getting more reps alongside Nikola Jokic. Yes, Jokic makes every player’s life easier on offense. All you have to do is move and find a gap, and Jokic can deliver a pass at any angle at any time.
But Braun is so perceptive at playing off others while also having the passing chops to redirect the ball where it needs to go. A reliable finisher, playmaker, and defensive threat, Braun’s game is well suited as a role player for today’s NBA.
IF (and I mean big IF) Braun can maintain his shooting percentage from deep anywhere close to the current mark of 46% (think around 35%), Braun could be in line for even more scoring opportunities and potential consideration for the NBA’s Most Improved Player.
8. Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
It’s hard for me to come down too hard on an athletic big man who continues to improve as a passer and show some range on the defensive side of the ball (while averaging 14.2 rebounds per 36 minutes), but Duren hasn’t felt as impactful as I’d expect at this point in his career.
Similar to the argument above for Walker Kessler, I can’t completely hold Duren fully accountable for the on/off splits off a small sample size this year. But the net ratings differences have plummeted compared to last year with improved two-way effort around him (+3.5 points per 100 possessions better in 23-24 compared to -6.8 this year per Cleaning the Glass).
Again, I’ve seen more of the flashes come together when Duren is used as a passer in different offensive schemes. He’s a positive AST/TO big man who can roll, catch, and finish while offering said playmaking utility.
That player, coupled with his outstanding verticality to protect the rim and crash the glass, is a starting NBA center. But has he been more valuable than others who I have ranked ahead of him currently? There are some challengers littered throughout this column who could take this ranking away from Duren in the coming months as they get more games under their belts when healthy.
Duren is not a bad basketball player by any means—far from it. But there’s a level of growth that still needs to be seen from him on one side of the ball or the other. Either Duren needs to get better at covering more ground outside of deep drop on defense, or his ball handling needs to take another step so he can score more consistently in face-up situations a la Bam Adebayo as an example.
9. Ochai Agbaji, Toronto Raptors
As Tyler Rucker has said over and over at No Ceilings, sometimes it just takes time.
That’s been the case for Ochai Agbaji, who didn’t get off to a great start to his career for the Utah Jazz, struggling to find minutes to play and get shots when he was in the lineup.
After being in a trade to the Toronto Raptors, Agbaji has found his groove getting more consistent stretches up North to prove what type of role player he can be in a competitive environment.
Because that’s what Toronto has been in recent weeks. No, the Raptors are far from contending in the East, but this has been a scrappy bunch, landing punch after punch against some good competition on any given night.
Scottie Barnes has looked much more assertive since coming back from an injury, Gradey Dick has taken a leap in his sophomore season, and productive rookies like Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead, and Jamison Battle have found ways to contribute.
Agbaji has been tasked with guarding the other team’s best perimeter scorer on one end, and making shots he’s set up for on the other. And boy, has he done both of those things when called upon.
His shooting splits (apart from some struggles at the free throw line) have been scorching hot, over 50% from the field and over 40% from beyond the arc. Per Synergy Sports, Agbaji rates in the 93rd percentile in terms of overall offensive efficiency. That would include “Excellent” ratings on spot-up shots and cuts in the halfcourt.
Every team needs more wings who can scale up the lineup defensively while playing to a pattented role on offense. Agbaji is doing his job, and has earned recognition among his peers.
10. Jake LaRavia, Memphis Grizzlies
Has anyone taken notice of what Jake LaRavia has been doing for the Memphis Grizzlies?
Over 20 games, LaRavia has only had a negative point differential in five of them. That means for 75% of the early season he’s been a very key contributor for the Grizzlies off the bench in his third year.
Coming into the league, LaRavia was viewed as a connecting wing who could hit his fair share of outside shots while getting the ball where it needs to go within the flow of the offense, hitting the glass, and doing his part defensively as a help man along the baseline.
I’d say LaRavia has done a number of those things before this season for Memphis, but the outside shooting results have been far from what the organization likely expected when drafting LaRavia.
The good news is that he’s been a much more effective shooter up to this point—just shy of 40% from deep and at 50% from the field overall. He’s been much more content at taking opponents off the dribble and getting more shots closer to the basket as opposed to solely living and dying behind the arc.
And it’s helped his confidence overall, as he’s more decisive with what he needs to do as that connector on the floor for the Grizzlies. Having a 6’8” forward who is in large part a positive impact player on both sides of the ball is a massive bonus for a team like Memphis that has had its battles with injuriese. Being able to go down the bench and sub in a guy like LaRavia when needed only helps make the case for Memphis as a legitimate threat in the West.
I’ve taken notice of his improved play and will continue to keep an eye on what else he can bring to the table. One last thing to note: LaRavia’s assist rate has skyrocketed up past 20% on this early part of the season. He’s seeing the floor as a distributor, not just a play finisher offensively. And I’d expect that trend to hold firm as he keeps earning trust as a legitimate contributor even when the roster is fully healthy.
Special Honorable Mentions (Injury Related)
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
This is a special section of the junior column where I get to wax poetic over some players who have had battles with injuries derailing their current campaigns.
And boy do I miss watching Paolo Banchero hoop.
Now, it appears the Orlando Magic haven’t taken much sorrow in Banchero’s absence because the team has reeled off an impressive streak of wins coming into this week’s action. Franz Wagner looks like an All-NBA candidate at the forward spot. Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, and Wendell Carter have continued to play tremendous defense while scoring as needed. Orlando plays a disciplined yet angry brand of basketball that’s rooted in making the opponent grind for every little point on the board.
While Franz certainly looks like a number one option, make no mistake this team will need Banchero to come back strong as the season progresses. It’s one thing for Wagner to find his stride against regular season opponents, particularly in the weak conference that is the East as it stands, but in the playoffs defenses can take Wagner out of his comfort zone. Having a second All-NBA caliber forward will be what the doctor ordered come April and May.
That’s the level Banchero was playing at before he went down this season. Scoring at excellent rates while showing improved touch from beyond the arc, and determination to get to the free throw line in the halfcourt. Banchero is a bully with the ball in his hands, as what he can do to opposing defenders both downhill and on the block is just dirty.
Banchero still has steps to take as a defender, but his well-rounded offensive game can help propel Orlando to a deep playoff run in the East. This team is for real, especially with a trio like Banchero, Wagner, and Suggs.
Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers
Shaedon Sharpe suffered a tear in his left shoulder before the year started, so he’s had to work his way back onto the court, which is why he hasn’t quite played a requisite number of games to have him ranked just yet.
But his play on the floor alone, not taking a number of games or where he was at from an injury standpoint into account, would’ve gotten him a very nice spot amongst his peers.
There were rumblings behind the scenes over the summer that Sharpe was ready to take a monstrous leap as an on-ball offensive player, and I believe every word that was said after watching him light it up from a scoring standpoint early on.
Shooting from three aside, Sharpe has already upped his overall shot attempts and trips to the free throw line per game, displaying an aggressiveness that’s much more noticeable from his last two seasons. His handle looks cleaner and tigher, his frame has filled out well, and his decisiveness (common theme amongst other juniors in the class) is much improved compared to where it was.
Sharpe was already an acrobatic finisher who could score around opponents as well as he could over them with his gifts of verticality and explosiveness. But with a better handle to navigate traffic and play out of ball screen offenses, Sharpe is demonstrating he’s ready for higher usage roles within the offense. He’s even dropped a few dimes that have made me raise an eyebrow when reviewing his tape back.
Some evaluators have called Sharpe the most important long-term prospect for the Portland Trail Blazers, and for good reason. He’s the type of wing who can go off for 30+ points on any given night, while also possessing the physical tools to lock up his man on the other end.
Those types of players are far from a dime a dozen, and it will be interesting to see just how high Sharpe can raise his ceiling both this season and into the future.
Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs
Jeremy Sochan has recently missed time to injury, so I couldn’t quite get there in terms of ranking him amongst his peers. But he’s still worth mentioning here because of the strides he was making in terms of efficiency with the San Antonio Spurs.
To put it simply, Sochan’s role was scaled back to start the season compared to the “Point Sochan” experiment we all witnessed last year. With Chris Paul at the point developing a two-man game with Victor Wembanyama, not to mention Stephon Castle getting more touches in a secondary role, Sochan has been able to focus on just finishing whatever is in front of him on the offensive end.
At one point nearly 85% of his shots were being created for him by others this season. Playing as a transition threat, or rim runner and cutter in the halfcourt, Sochan hasn’t had to worry as much about driving in from beyond the arc and having to create for others getting downhill. Sochan’s role offensively is now either getting a bucket at the rim or on an open three-point attempt, or redirecting the ball where it needs to go to the next man.
Scaling back his offensive usage has also meant even more effort and energy on the defensive side of the ball, where he really wreaks havoc alongside Wembanyama in the frontcourt. With Wemby patrolling the paint, Sochan is very much either a ball-hawking free safety or a face-guarding menace on the opposing team’s best scoring option. Sochan is effective in either role, as his defensive chops are what got him on the floor during his rookie season in the first place.
Sochan plays the game with a high IQ, but just didn’t have the ball handling or perimeter scoring game to take full advantage of a point forward role. And that’s fine. That doesn’t mean he isn’t an impactful player on the floor, and I’m eager to see where his improved play heads next once he returns to action hopefully sooner rather than later.
Honorable Mentions
Jabari Smith Jr, Houston Rockets
The honorable mentions are always difficult to list off because I could make an argument for any of them to be up in the rankings. But for one reason or another, I’ve decided to leave them in this section for now with opportunity in the future to move up and take a spot where they would’ve sat in rookie or sophomore categorizations.
Because Jabari Smith Jr. is absolutely talented enough to rank higher than where he is. After all, he was the third pick in the 2022 NBA Draft for a reason. Few players, if any, in college basketball that year could match Smith’s spot-up shooting and defensive versatility.
And to an extent, that’s exactly what he’s done for the Houston Rockets. His defense has had some awesome stretches with lowlights mixed in, but it’s really the inconsistent shooting that plagued Smitih’s start to his career and hasn’t done him many favors this season either.
Thankfully, Smith has weathered the storm and has managed to settle in around 35% from behind the arc, but again it’s primarily been as a corner or wing spacer to make room for more dynamic ball handlers within the Houston offense.
Smith’s handle still hasn’t taken meaningful steps forward, and it’s hampered his ability to create shots for himself. Nearly every single one of his three-point makes is* assisted on, and he’s at his best when he can quickly catch, face, and fire inside the arc, too. And on those aforementioned corner threes, Smith is shooting a career-low 33.3% on those looks.
I’m by no means panicking about Smith. I still believe he’s an impactful player and young forward worth having in the mix with the Rockets. Even when looking at his raw scoring numbers, he’s gotten to double figures more often than my writing would lead to. But I can’t quite get him up higher in the rankings just yet. I want to see more from Smith every single night.
Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
Speaking of inconsistent shooting, Keegan Murry hasn’t looked anything like the sniper he was during his first two NBA seasons from beyond the arc.
Currently sitting at 28.7% from three on the year, Murray just hasn’t had the magical touch from range that he’s had going on three years now dating back to his sophomore college season at Iowa.
There are a lot of issues with the Sacramento Kings right now, truthfully, including figuring out roles and responsibilities within the halfcourt offense as the spacing has minimized given the addition of DeMar DeRozan. Both Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox are at their best working inside the arc, so adding a mid-range maestro hasn’t quite yielded results that favor the modern spacing practices of the NBA (even though the Kings have in fact been outstanding at the basket and in that mid-range area).
So, with all of that said, I can’t come down too harshly on a player who primarily acts as a play finisher, spotting up from beyond the arc and letting it fly based on what other players create for him. And to Murray’s credit, he’s rebounding the ball better than he has in his first two seasons, and there are some nights where he really takes a step forward defensively.
But if his primary role on the floor is to shoot the basketball, and he’s struggled in that aspect, it’s difficult for me to keep him high in the rankings when there are other players who are improving current skill sets or adapting to and excelling in new roles.
Murray’s drop is more about who has jumped him than what he’s done or hasn’t done to hold onto his spot. I’m not expecting a year-long slump from Murray, and he’s still a very coveted young wing prospect in the NBA.