Royal was completely new to me, so him getting out and showing that he could compete no matter who he’s up against let me know that I should keep tabs on him moving forward. His size already naturally stood out, but I was more interested in how he understood how to use it. Royal shielded defenders on finishes, worked different angles around the basket and set screens that actually created space for his guards. Those are translatable plays. He wasn’t doing anything overly complicated, and he didn’t need to which is typically difficult for young players to understand. Those are useful habits for a developing frontcourt player. Now I want to see how his game responds to bigger and more physical players. If he can become a dependable rebounder and defender while continuing to develop around the basket, there could be more here that could make him a very dangerous player. I’m curious to see what kind of prospect he develops into.

Royal is a player I had not seen play before, but came away impressed with how he used his size. He was an inside presence who had a couple of drives where he was able to get inside the defense and then extend or use his frame to keep the defender away from the ball. He set screens that got teammates open, he shielded the ball and had a few smooth finishes, and he seemed to work angles. It was a relatively simple thing, but it stood out because Royal understood how to use his body on finishes and keep the ball away from defenders. He’s a player I’m curious to see more of after what we saw at the event.