New England Top 25 prospects’ Player Comparisons: 1-5
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With ESPN set to be doing a similar type of analysis through their coverage of the NBA Draft over the next couple of days, we’ll take a look at the player comparisons for the top 25 prospects from around New…
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Continue ReadingWith ESPN set to be doing a similar type of analysis through their coverage of the NBA Draft over the next couple of days, we’ll take a look at the player comparisons for the top 25 prospects from around New England, starting with 1-5.
Andre Mills Andre Mills 6’3″ | CG Brimmer & May | 2024 State #116 Nation NLG – Brandon Jennings
With as high of a motor as they come, the energy Mills is able to bring to the court cannot be understated. He is looking to lead the break every time he touches the ball, and most of the time he’ll find a way to convert that break into points. Whether he’s doing the scoring or the distributing, he finds a way for his team to find large amounts of points through way of the break. Mills is also able to score from anywhere on the floor, with his preference being to rise up over you from three-point range, or find his way to the paint to rise up over you in the form of a short range runner. These are all intangibles that got former NBA guard Brandon Jennings to the league, and what made him one of the most exciting young players in the league while he was in Milwaukee. It also makes it easier to see the comparison when you take into account both of them are left handed, shot-creating point guards that could easily play the two if asked.
Bryce Dortch Bryce Dortch 6’8″ | SF Brimmer & May | 2024 State #114 Nation NLG – Johnathan Kuminga
When you see Bryce Dortch Bryce Dortch 6’8″ | SF Brimmer & May | 2024 State #114 Nation NLG on the floor your attention is immediately drawn to his wingspan and long legs. At 6’8, Dortch is able to hold an even bigger presence while on the court due to that imposing wingspan. He can finish over anyone, and effect any shot attempted in his direction. You add that to his tremendous leaping ability, solid handle, and elite shot-blocking ability, and you see Rutgers is about to gain a very similar player to the Golden State Warrior’s Johnathan Kuminga. Kuminga is always looking to be a high riser around the rim, as is Dortch; and the biggest hole in their game is an under developed jumper. Both can find it at times, but it needs to be much more consistent to be a true threat within their arsenal. This makes their playstyles extremely similar, with most of their time in the game spent with their heads around the cylinder either dunking, or swatting away shots.
Kayvaun Mulready
Kayvaun
Mulready
6’4″ | CG
Worcester Academy | 2024
State
#90
Nation
NLG
– Anfernee Simons
It is hard to find many things that
Kayvaun Mulready
Kayvaun
Mulready
6’4″ | CG
Worcester Academy | 2024
State
#90
Nation
NLG
doesn’t do well. He can shoot it with the best, leap amongst the trees, defend the perimeter at a high level, and finish around the basket. You see glimpses of star potential in Mulready’s game, but you wonder how he can set himself apart when going against the game’s best. This is similar to Portland Trail Blazer two-guard Anfernee Simons. Simons has all the talent in the world, and does everything on the basketball court you need him to do, but he often gets outshined or pushed to the background when the bigger names come around and share the court with him. That’s sometimes all you get with them, just a glimpse into that star potential. You see it in the form of their scoring ability, leaping ability, and speed, but you want to see it to stick around just a little more often.
Tyler Betsey Tyler Betsey 6’8″ | SF St. Thomas More | 2024 State #32 Nation NLG – Kyle KuzmaSpeaking of score-first sharpshooters, we have our number 2 ranked prospect in New England, St Thomas Moore’s Tyler Betsey Tyler Betsey 6’8″ | SF St. Thomas More | 2024 State #32 Nation NLG . Where Teng lacks in size, Betsey certainly does not; if he does not have an opposing matchup that is doubling him or compares to his 6 ‘8 frame, he’s looking to rise up as soon as he catches the rock. He also can create his own shot, and is willing to do so if his first look isn’t there. Where he compares to Kyle Kuzma is he is a multi faceted scorer with a very high talent level to match; however at his size there are times where he perhaps falls too in love with the perimeter and you prefer him to mix in some more inside looks. Players that have a tendency to fall in love with the perimeter too much struggle with shot selection at times, and both Kuzma and Betsey have fallen victim to that at certain points. Kuzma’s offensive efficiency rating ranked 102nd in the NBA Last Season (SB Nation, Kuzma), and this spring Betsey averaged .88 expected points per shot taken. Essentially, both of these players are extremely talented scorers with tremendous upside, while being reasonably effective on the defensive side, but both share similar struggles when going through cold spells shooting the ball.
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- Kur Teng Kur Teng 6’4″ | SG Bradford Christian | 2024 State #37 Nation NLG – JJ Reddick:
One of the best, if not the best knockdown jump-shooter in the 2024 class, let alone just New England, is Bradford Christian’s SG Kur Teng Kur Teng 6’4″ | SG Bradford Christian | 2024 State #37 Nation NLG . An inch of space from the free throw line extended and Teng will make it a long day for any opposing defense. The Michigan State commit is a pure scorer, causing opposing matchups to focus their entire defensive gameplan on him. He’s always in rhythm off the catch, and has enough of a handle to create his own shot if the initial look is not there for him. This is why he gets the JJ Reddick comparison. If he was a bit taller and a bit more filled out he’d be more of the Nuggets’s Michael Porter Jr, but at his size at 6’3, 180 lbs with his lights out shooting ability, and with his natural position on the court being a 2-guard, Reddick is the much more comparable player for Teng. We are talking about young Reddick though, Duke Reddick; because Teng is not just a shooter; he is a tough perimeter defender, puts the ball on the floor when needed, and runs the floor at an extremely high rate, something Reddick did not do in his later years.