Wing Prospects that shined in Richmond

New readers: Use code Proia30 for discounted subscription    -Really athletic forward prospect that stood out as a player that understands and takes pride in his role with CPSA. Irving gets off the ground exceedingly quick and uses an explosive second jump to complete putbacks around the basket or block shots around the hoop. Irving does a great job of staying out of ballhandler's driving lanes to the hoop but also knows when he needs to crash to snag a key offensive rebound. He makes good decisions on offensive rebounds to kick out to get another shot or to go straight up in traffic to score around the basket. His willingness to alter his playing style to fit whatever the coach or team needs from him combined with the physical tools and long-term upside should make him very valuable at the next level.     9p 7r 2s 3b vs SA Future   -It's extremely rare to see a prospect block a hook shot at its peak-- especially in a prospect around the same size-- but Deng did that from the low block early in the game to grab my attention. Deng does a great job of keeping the ball high and giving his opponent enough up-fakes to get them off their feet before he rises up for a big 2-handed dunk. An injured hand hampered his offensive production a bit in this but it did not slow down his activity level as Deng served as a roaming shot-blocker that did a great job of protecting the paint for his team. His near double-double performance was punctuated by a block at one end and a two-handed lob finish at the other to seal a come from behind victory for his team.     -Tambedou always seems to impress me as a whirling dervish of physical activity at both ends of the floor. The motor runs extremely hot at both ends of the floor on the glass, he works hard to blow up ball screens in the half court, and he's an effective defensive post presence that takes pride in protecting the rim for his team. Love the way that he runs the floor hard to serve as a lob target in transition, to set secondary break screens to free up teammates, and to race back in transition to protect the paint. Want to see if he has a soft touch around the rim and as a C+S midrange guy, but the form looked good on FT attempts throughout the two games I saw.     -The skill level is coming along but the effort and athleticism bridged the gap as Christion was effective for Prominent Elite at both ends of the floor on the low block. Christion runs the floor hard, has enough skill to lead a break and finish in traffic above the rim, and cleans up the glass effectively for his team. Love that he played his role as a screener, lob target, and roll man in the halfcourt and didn't try to do too much on the perimeter. If he can can continue to move well off the ball as a cutter, add more weight to his frame and prove that he can knock down an open 18-footer-- I think we have the ingredients to a productive D1 sleeper.     19p vs Oklahoma Wolfpack   -He's always had the outside shooting ability but he's added more production in and around the paint to make himself a more well-rounded prospect. Pendergrass hit two 3s, scored on mid post faders with his back to the basket, and finished with double digit rebounds as he batted in putbacks with either hand around the basket through the 3 games I saw. Liked that he didn't let his offensive outcomes affect his defensive effort as he recovered well to get back in the frame to block shots around the rim on several occasions throughout the two days. Although he's lost the baby fat and gotten both faster/stronger, I want to see him improve his hip fluidity to allow him to slide better laterally to take advantage of good positional size.

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