Howell became a player we paid close attention to this summer, and his overall approach quickly stood out. He brings a natural feel for facilitating and leading, consistently making decisions that put teammates in position to succeed. Howell uses his basketball IQ to manipulate defenders, create advantages and deliver passes to open or cutting teammates. His unselfish style makes him a valuable piece, but he is far from limited to being a distributor. Howell can create his own looks and has the ability to score at all three levels. That versatility is a big reason we’re moving him up the rankings

Howell is a player we’ve seen more and more recently, and he gave us plenty to like at the showcase. He can put points on the board in a hurry, using a quick handle and burst to break defenders down and get into the paint. What really shines about his game is his ability to play the point, keeping teammates involved while still being a scoring threat. Howell has the tools to make things happen with the ball in his hands, and after this performance, we’re even more excited about what’s ahead for him

Pierce is a guard  I was unfamiliar with heading into the event but I saw him get more and more comfortable as the weekend went along. His second half against 7070 Athletics was impressive as the opposing team had a difficult time staying in front of him, and he kept his foot on the gas finishing with about 17 points in that half alone. When he was aggressive, he couldn’t be contained as he used the screen from bigs to break the defense down, get to his spots, and either finish downhill with solid footwork, creative layups or he’d be able to get some iso work and get a shot off for himself. Pierce pushed the tempo in games and found a rhythm, and the game seemed to slow down for him at times. I liked how he handled pressure, was a guard who actually feeds the post, and the team seems to go as he allowed them. It seems that Pierce came into the weekend looking to prove a point, and now that the weekend has concluded, point taken. He definitely earned another evaluation, and I hope we see him at our upcoming showcase to get another look.