Drayton makes the jump into top-15 territory as he’s been the focal point for DC Assault on the P32 Circuit. His combination of height, length and skill are at a premium in today’s game as a five-man who can extend his shooting touch out to the perimeter to provide further floor spacing. When he reverts to a role of being a rim presence at both ends, he can really change the momentum of a game quickly. The focus moving forward for Drayton is compounding those spurts into routine occurrences so that every time he takes the floor, the opposition knows no shot around the bucket will come easy. As he proves himself on bigger stages, Drayton’s recruitment should increase a significant deal.

Drayton had a very productive game with 14 points and 6 rebounds in a win over Wesleyan Christian. The rising senior is a mobile big man with high level potential and athleticism. He changes ends of the floor with ease and plays with a high motor. Drayton has good hands, shows flashes of skill on the offensive end.

Drayton joins Book Richardson at St. James and will be a prospect that college programs look to get a better feel on. The obvious size, fluidity and flashes of skill are what make him pop. Putting together those high-level plays that are ultimately the simple ones to make for someone of his ilk could be a catalyst that allows his name to trend quickly.

-The effort and 2-way impact were both apparent throughout a balanced performance for the rising senior in a nice win over Northeast Revolt. Drayton blocked 5 shots in the 2H alone, (two 3s and three layup attempts) as a much more active defender in the halfcourt that has really improved his help side rotations to be there before the pass is thrown or the drive has begun from perimeter players. He timed the jump for a putback dunk perfectly in transition, caught an alley oop and hit a finger roll with his back to the basket, knocked down a 1 dribble fall-away elbow jumper, and collected a few driving paint touches to kick out to teammates on drives from the wing. 

Enjoyed the spurts that Drayton put forth throughout the weekend especially when going against opposing 6’10″+ bigs where he allowed his mobility and versatility from the perimeter to help gain advantages. When guarding the more physical, big-bodied centers, Drayton did a nice job defensively avoiding contact to draw a whistle and instead, remaining vertical to disrupt looks around the rim or getting a finger on them to record the block. If he wasn’t finishing dump-offs on the offensive end, Drayton was getting his touches from the top of the key or high-post and looking to go to work from there. He beat his man off the dribble and got to the cup or on a few occasions, converted tough step-backs with soft touch.

Jahmai Drayton is a big man playing his club ball for DC Assault this summer. His measurables are impressive as a 6-foot-11, lanky big man. He’s shown some real signs of a face-up game and has real confidence in his jumpshot. He understands floor spacing and keeps the court balanced with timely relocations. He has some real hops and attacked the rim with nasty intentions numerous times. Defensively, he slides and contests nearly everything around the rim.He does that while keeping his foul count low.

Drayton is a mile long big who was ever improving and uses his his size and quickness to just be a mad man on defense. He’s a threat from the dunker spots and if his teammates are driving downhill they’ll dish it off to him he’s probably gonna be finishing above the rim. He can quarterback the defense and is an anchor down low. There’s a high chance that if he if you throw a shot up, he will contest it Drayton as a prospect that in the class of 2027 should be on mid plus and high major programs radars as a big they should be recruiting. He runs the floor like a deer in transition.

-If we were going off of upside for the prospects in this top 10, Drayton would likely be in the top 3. The athletic forward arrives in Forrestville as yet another weapon in the arsenal for Coach Jay Gavin and company. Drayton runs the floor hard, has improved as a straight line driver from the elbows, can block a ton of shots, and is pretty mobile on the wings defensively. Very interested to see how he’s used within McNamara’s offensive and defensive schemes this season but at the absolute very least he will provide high level rim protection and above the rim finishing ability as a lob /roll target that this team has been looking for.

18p 9r 1a 4b vs Beauchamp Elite

-Really came away impressed with Drayton’s motor despite how raw he is at this juncture. The young forward played much more aggressively down the stretch of what was a long week, using putback opportunities as a way to show off an impressive jump and + length. Drayton runs the floor incredibly hard, competes on the glass at both ends despite a slender frame, and uses his length to not only bother but block shots both on the perimeter and around the basket. Although his footwork on the low block is still a work in progress, he has the lateral mobility to slide well on the perimeter to bother guards on shows to blow up ball screens and keep the guard engaged until his teammate can fight over the ball screen. Really bright future ahead for this intriguing forward prospect.

Jahmai Drayton Jahmai Drayton 6'11" | PF The St. James | 2027 State MD is a high-potential Forward prospect who many people could see blowing up on a larger scale sometime soon. Jahmai has excellent size and moves really well at his size. He has the length that you look for in a big at the next level, and he has elite natural defensive ability at the rim. I’ve seen him block shots all summer league so loud you could hear it across the gym. Jahmai has good touch around the rim, and I’ve seen him knock down the occasional three. With Jahmai’s ability, he has the potential to consistently blow by opposing bigs who guard him and get to the rim. Jahmai is a prospect to look out for in the DMV moving forward. He had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.