“Emergers”: Buford Showcase Breakouts

<p>The week leading up to Christmas had a slew of big tournaments going on, the Buford Showcase was 6 games deep with a bunch of intriguing young talents on hand.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Josiah Lawson, 6-5, Freshman, PF, Druid Hills</strong></em></span></p> <p>Impressed by playing on equal terms with 2021 Red Devil stars Jayden Kendricks and Jaden Lingo at the Buford Showcase, lots of all-around game (11 pts), confident in near the rim, quick release on his jumper and not afraid to pull it when open out past the arc as well as in the mid-range, really good size and body already gives him assertiveness on the glass, an absolute frontcourt beast to watch as he moves along.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="820307" first="Gora" last="Niang"] (2023), [player_tooltip player_id="820289" first="Jelani" last="Hamilton"] (2023), [player_tooltip player_id="820266" first="Christian" last="Bacon"] (2023), [player_tooltip player_id="1059027" first="Jermaine" last="Smoak"] (2022, pictured above), Cumberland Christian</strong></em></span></p> <p>The outstanding quartet for the GAPPS power got a bit of a schooling from a veteran and solid 7A South Forsyth team at the Buford Showcase, but to any scout the skills amongst them are evident - Niang displays such great lift at 6-7 and has come a long way since last year, so quick near the basket and off the floor makes him a tough guard for opposing bigs and a beast on the boards, shows so much room to grow offensively and that should open him up and take his game away from the basket a bit <em><strong>...</strong></em> Hamilton oozes the most tantalizing next-level potential, a smooth mover with incredible athletic gifts at 6-5, he’ll add polish to an in-progress, all-court offensive game which has no discernable ceiling to where it can lead as he matures, a shooter/slasher/lengthy defender, it’s all there, he’s the kind of player you normally see in development at public powers Grayson or McEachern <em><strong>...</strong></em> Bacon is a lightning-quick floor general who is a great fit for this lineup because he’s a pass-first PG who can also score when ignored, a solid on-ball defender even at just 5-9 and he too has some interesting upside as he develops alongside these other gifted weapons <em><strong>...</strong></em> Smoak (pictured above) is the lone junior in the group but is no less attractive from a scouting perspective for his impressive frame and knack for finding the bottom of the net in so many ways (as he did so impressively at out Top 250 Expo), at 6-3 he plays much bigger and turned it up in the 4th quarter with 8 points attacking the paint and rim and finishing with high quality. </p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="820269" first="Malachi" last="Brown"], 5-9, Sophomore, CG, Buford</strong></em></span></p> <p>Didn’t get a ton of minutes in a very tight and entertaining game for the hosts against Lithonia, but no list of emerging players in the ATL-Metro could exclude Brown, one of the top 2023 guards, he’s got natural talents that show even when he’s just handling the ball in a PG role, very confident with yet calm with the ball and as a scorer, knocked down two 3s in his limited minutes playing behind a veteran guard rotation, but that willingness to pull it when given the chance was noticeable and after a summer where his club AOT didn’t participate (and that’s the lone reason he fell in our rankings), this will be a good chance for him to continue to show his worth as this strong Wolves team makes a playoff push.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="820320" first="London" last="Williams"], 6-5, Sophomore, PF, Buford</strong></em></span></p> <p>Equally as confident as Brown is classmate Williams, calm, efficient, very comfortable near the basket, clearly well-schooled and coached for a young player, doesn’t necessarily have to score a ton for this team to be a factor but gives them a real post threat and something to worry about on the glass at both ends, already in our Top 20, a good-looking 2023 forward that will only get better as the season rolls on.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>