3SSB: Local Backcourt Studs (17u)

New readers: Use code Proia30     I drove out to Mishawaka, Indiana to take in Adidas 3SSB's second session full of talent from the high school age groups. I got a chance to see each local group and will cover the top backcourt standouts from the event that stood out for a variety of reasons. Some impressed at the defensive end of the floor, some stood out with improved aspects of their game, and others' star shown brightest at the defensive end of the floor. Let's dive in!    -Continue to come away impressed by the two-way impact from Smith-Bey as he gave us his typical hard-nosed defensive performances interspersed with flashes of improved ball skills. He did a little bit of everything this weekend for a New World team that battled through several injuries. Smith-Bey led the break in transition and has improved the fluidity of his passing off the bounce whether it's bullet passes through traffic or baseball passes over the top, battled on the low block with two 6'9+ 5-star bigs in the Compton Magic game, swiped away steals to prevent offensive rebounds for the other team, kept the ball moving around the horn to force the defense to shift, hit open perimeter jumpers, and drew a ton of free throws by muscling through contact at the rim from opposing bigs after getting past his individual matchup.     -Briscoe flashed the shot-creating skillset as a wing that can create over either shoulder on the baseline or at the elbow to knock down pull-up twos or quick jumpers after snagging an offensive rebound. Briscoe pushed the pace well in transition to finish at the rim and earn trips to the free throw line that got the shooting touch into a good rhythm. The handle has improved to deliver designed reads in the short roll or in middle ball screens to add another dimension to his offensive game. The body and defensive intensity have also continued to improve to allow him to play for longer, more impactful spurts of game time. Want to see him pass out of difficult shots on dribble pick-ups in the key, finding an open teammate on the perimeter to relocate and get another catch to create better actions for his team. But he was the brightest spot for a Warriors group that didn't have their best weekend     -There are three things in life that you can count on: death, taxes, and [player_tooltip player_id='1782691' first='Jordan' last='Hunter'] getting to his spots in the paint. The dynamic downhill driver was a blur in transition that filled it up offensively by bullying his way to the rack. I liked the progression in his pace coming off of ball screens as the game has slowed down for Hunter. He has improved the little details of waiting for cutters to cut through, retreat dribble waiting for the screen to be set and coming off it shoulder to shoulder before turning the shoulder to get downhill in a beeline to the rim. He's starting to see and execute designed reads off the bounce to backdoor cutters and is improving his patience to let the play develop and the shooters to get to their spot before delivering sharp passes. The jumper has also improved beyond the arc off the catch with more consistent elbow placement and follow-through. Like his upside defensively as a disruptive POA defender that uses his quickness to get into passing lanes and disrupt his opponent's tempo with how he fights over ball screens. Physical, assertive guard that is developing into a more well-rounded prospect.       -It's all coming together for Graves as a dynamic combo guard prospect whose explosive scoring performances has led to recent offers from LSU and Seton Hall. Graves is at his best in transition as a shifty, strong guard that can either bully or maneuver is way to the rim to finish or draw free throws. I like that he's finding opportunities to come off screens with pace but also reject or hide behind them to raise up for perimeter jumpers that splash through the net. Will be interesting to track his stock this summer with a New World team that really battled this weekend     -Although he's not an overly explosive or speedy prospect, Turner plays with a stop n start pace that makes it really difficult for opposing guards to prevent him from getting to his spots in the halfcourt. Love the way that he's able to burst through gaps in the defense to finish at the rim with either hand--whether that's in transition or when matched up with a set defense. While he has improved his ability to navigate screens on-ball, I want to see a more consistent attention to detail as an off-ball defender to see man and ball to avoid losing his matchup on backdoor cuts or confuse rotations on long closeouts for his teammates. But Turner served as a consistent scoring output for his team through shooting droughts and opposing runs.

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