2019 Rankings: Post Player Breakdown
There are 9 ranked post players in the 2019 class. Here is a breakdown of the group. -Strengths- 4 Year college potential Though a small class of players with 9, each of them should play 4 year college basketball at…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThere are 9 ranked post players in the 2019 class. Here is a breakdown of the group.
-Strengths-
4 Year college potential
Though a small class of players with 9, each of them should play 4 year college basketball at some level, which is rare to say about any position group. While there is development that needs to take place over the next two years of high school, all of these players possess the height to play at least at the lower collegiate levels. Dischon Thomas, Andre Harris, Ethan Spry, Jalen Graham, and Lucas Elliott look the part of sure Division 1 prospects.
Agility
With the tallest player on this list being Lucas Elliott, standing at 6’8”, and everyone else being 6’6” or 6’7”, it is important that they be able to move, and this group can. There is no lumbering player in this class, so they all can cause matchup problems when facing a player with more girth. When a post player possesses a good level of agility, it also serves as an impediment to opposing teams playing small ball, as they are able to play a faster paced game and guard perimeter wings, while making their presence felt on the glass and in the paint on offense.
Pedigree
It is often an understated asset, but having basketball pedigree can be valuable in many ways. Aside from the obvious physical tools that are usually associated with athletic families, having a relative that played at a high level usually means that you have a resource of knowledge and experience at your disposal that other players do not. Andre Harris is the cousin of former NBA veteran Jason Richardson, while Lucas Elliott is the nephew of Arizona legend and NBA champion Sean Elliott and Jalen Graham is the son of Anthony Kyle, who played over ten years professionally around the world. Look for these players to adjust to new roles quickly as they fill out and catch up with their bodies.
-Weaknesses-
Position Depth
While this list may grow over the next couple of years with new players moving into the state and some players emerging as prospects to watch as they develop, right now the class lacks depth at the post position. This can become an issue when evaluating them during school season because they will rarely face opponents on their level in their class. The bright side is that these players will often face defenders who are much shorter than them and not used to guarding a post player, or players that are not yet at the same stage of development, leading to some big performances.
Height
Even with all of these players possessing the height to play at some level in college, this group lacks the ideal height to play at the higher division 1 level. While there are players who have the requisite skill set to make them a mid-major D1 prospect, such as Harris, being 6’6” limits the perceived ceiling on a prospect when there are 6’9” guys that may have comparable skills.