Mamba Invitational: Point Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LOS ANGELES — L.A. Live played host to an outdoor Nike sponsored event which took place between the popular Los Angeles entertainment destination and Crypto.com Arena where the Lakers play their home games. The second annual Mamba Invitational brought together many of the country's top prospects for a two-day bracket-style event. Below we detail the strengths of each point guard in attendance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Jake West | 2025 | William Penn Charter (PA)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West is as steady-handed as they come as a ball-handler, decision-maker and scorer, which earned him a spot in this point guard piece. The 6-footer plays with great pace in open court and ball-screen settings and showed good patience and poise when picking apart the defense in those situations. The think I liked most about West was he didn't try to force offense actions and allowed the game to come to him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Jason Crowe, Jr. | 2026 | Inglewood (CA)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crowe is one of the premier scoring guards in the nation and he was quick to show that throughout this event. The 6-foot-3 lefty has seemingly unlimited range from three and his ability to create space from defenders off the bounce and get his shot off quickly is unmatched in his class. Crowe isn't just a threat from three either as he has the feel and pace to get to a fading mid-range jumper that is difficult for defenders to contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Jasper Johnson | 2025 | Overtime Elite (GA)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson is so crafty, smooth and savvy off the bounce and his ability to change speed and direction keeps defenders off balance and allows him to control the outcome of the possession. Johnson is an elite jump shooter off the bounce and has great touch when finishing around the basket. His use of the glass and use of the floater nullifies rim protectors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1225317' first='Jeremiah' last='Green'] | 2025 | AZ Compass Prep (AZ)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Green is speedster of a transition point guard and has to be up there as one of the fastest players I've seen with the ball in his hands. The 6-foot-2 senior is an automatic paint touch with his blow-by speed and he did a nice job of playing off of two feet and making the right play in the lane. Green also showed his long-range shooting ability off the catch and off the bounce.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Jerry Easter II | 2025 | Link Academy (MO)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This type of event isn't where Easter thrives because he's a guy who is best in a true basketball setting but he still showed what makes him such an intriguing signal caller. The 6-foot-3 senior has the ball on a string and that, combined with his elite pace, allows him to manipulate the defense and create the best possible offensive outcome for his team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956504' first='Joe' last='Sterling'] | 2026 | Harvard-Westlake (CA)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sterling wasn't the quickest or most explosive athlete on the floor but he stands out because of his basketball IQ, crafty shot-making and shot-creating off the catch and off the dribble. Sterling has deep and consistent three-point range in spot-up, off-move and off-dribble situations and isn't phased by the type of defender in front of him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Jordan Smith, Jr. | 2026 | Paul VI (VA)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Physical" is the best way to describe Smith's playing style as the 6-foot-3 junior seeks out contact on drives and uses that to either create a space advantage for a bucket or simply overpowers a smaller defender, goes through their chest and finishes at the rim. As an athlete, Smith has an uncanny combination of strength, quickness and explosiveness that allows him to get into the lane against any and all defenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='994689' first='Noah' last='George'] | 2026 | Bella Vista Prep (AZ)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>George has dynamic speed in transition, and while he uses that to put pressure on retreating defenses, he did a nice job of staying under control, seeing the floor and finding the right advantage to create an easy basket. George was one of the better passers and creators for teammates that I noticed and his timing and location of delivery was always on-point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->