Peach Jam Recaps: Boo Williams and Team Final

A Boo Williams vs Team Final matchup allowed me to check out Rondae Jefferson, Austin Colbert, Cat Barber, and Troy Williams again. I also got to see top 100 guards Allerick Freeman, Jaren Sina, and Davon Reed for the first time. I caught Boo Williams later on that day as well, but this was my only look at Team Final.

In this one look, Rondae Jefferson did more than enough to land solidly on my radar. I liked his defense and intensity at the Nike Global Challenge, but getting to see him in a team setting like this was special. He led Team Final to a 66-60 win against Boo, who most would agree has more talent. It was especially tough for Team Final when Cat Barber decided he would shut down Jaren Sina the entire game.

After that, it was up to Jefferson to take over. Sina couldn't get it over the halfcourt line thanks to Cat's defense, so Jefferson took over ball handling duties. While he plays with two top 100 guards in Davon Reed and Jaren Sina, Jefferson appeared to be the best point guard on the team. This rang true the entire event as Jefferson finished the weekend tied for fourth in assists. The only guys he was behind? Tyus Jones, Joel Berry, and Wesley Clark.

Jefferson is an unselfish player who has uses his size to see over the defense to make passes. He is a good driver that combines a solid skillset with a good first step. He can drive and dish as well as make tougher passes to 3rd read guys. His 3-pt shot has a long way to go, but he knows this and chooses to avoid taking long range jumpers. He prefers to catch the ball around the foul line extended area and go to work from there. He is a solid free throw shooter and does a great job getting to the line. He can finish with contact - finishing is a big strength of his.

Fortunately, I was able to see his man to man defense in Alexandria because Team Final didn't dare "d" up Cat Barber with man to man defense. You could still see Jefferson's intensity out there and he managed to get a block and two steals, but it would have been hard to tell just how much he brings it on that end of the court. He is a very well-rounded player. It is great that he gives equal energy on both ends of the hardwood.

The 2-3 zone that they ran stifled Barber and the rest of Boo Williams and other teams took after their strategy. I saw Team United slow down Cat the same way. The Oakland Soliders tried to man up against them for awhile, allowing Boo Williams to hang into the game until halftime, but smartened up and zoned it as they pulled away in the second half.

Barber struggled against the zone, showing my concerns about his ability to operate in a halfcourt offense, but he did show some good things that I didn't see at the Global Challenge. The first was the jumper. Barber was comfortable spotting up for three, which I knew, but I finally saw him hit a three off the dribble. And he was hitting mid-range jumpers off the drive as well. His jumper looked good - good form and nice rotation. Barber ran this team much better than the East squad. You could tell he felt more comfortable taking ownership of this group of players. He gave off much more of a leadership and mature persona. He still doesn't appear to be a top notch leader, but it is far from a negative.

More than that, Barber lled by example with his effort on defense. He completely shut down Jaren Sina. Barber has elite lateral quickness and great length for a point guard. He also plays the passing lanes extremely well. Sina finished the game 1-4 with 4 points, 1 assist, and 4 turnovers. The 4 points came at the beginning of the game...after that Barber decided to put him on lockdown and man was it impressive.

Barber still struggled to make plays, often deferring to Al Freeman, but the energy and maturity in his game I saw is promising for his development given his excellent physical tools. 

Troy Wiilliams continued to be an enigma. Maybe Barber looked much more mature this time because I was comparing him to Troy. Troy gave little effort on defense - even Cat's mom was getting on him from the stands - and when his coach tried to address the situation after a man blew right by Williams, Troy answered back with an excuse. This is common for Williams and his body language tells the same story as his mouth does.

At times, Williams can be impressive on defense. Boo Williams will employ him at the top of a modified 1-3-1 zone and have him create havoc. With his long arms and ability to move laterally, Williams is great at deflecting passes when he tries. He likes to create a disruption so he can get out on the break for an easy basketball.

In transition is where Williams shines the most, as his athleticism is put on full display. He has great speed and excellent leaping ability. He looks like a young Tracy McGrady athletically when he is soaring through the air. Williams also shows quick moves in transition, displaying crossovers that guys at his size shouldn't be able to do. He also likes to do a spin finish like a point guard.

Troy Williams has some nice, quick, moves with the ball in his hands but when he tries to use them in the halfcourt offense you either see a spectacular play or a turnover. Williams struggles to control his body once he gets going and his moves are often too drastic for him to maintain control of himself and the ball. When he does, its a highlight reel at the rim waiting to happen. Williams isn't good at setting up his teammates and his inability to slow his game down is a big factor. Right now he is a huge with a negative assist to turnover ratio and while that is more common in AAU ball, I doubt it will change for Troy in college.

Troy loves to drive, but he also has no problem posting up in the corner and jacking up 3-pt shots. He has a very quick trigger and never hesitates to put one up. He gets great elevation on his jumpers and makes them at a promising rate. With his shooting ability and athletic ability present, it is a recipe for a lottery pick. The only problem is the rest of his game. And while everyone would like to believe that Williams can improve, the scouts that have seen him for years seem to have more doubt. That is why Williams has dropped in the rankings. So while people late to the scene may drool over his potential, high school recruiting analysts may be moer weary to buy into it.

Allerick Freeman has a good body and skillset for a guard. He likes to score, but he makes smart decisions with the ball and does run some point even when Cat Barber is in the game. He is in between positions right now, but if he transform into a full time point guard, he is worth keeping an eye on. He should end up at a high level program.

Jaren Sina is a very good shooter and a smart passer. He appears to be good setting up his shots behind a screen as he can shoot off the bounce. His ball handling moves are slow and doesn't allow him the ability to get much penetration. He has a solid frame for a point guard, although his arms aren't especially long. His athleticism is below the NBA standard. He is heading to Northwestern and should fit their offense well.

Peach Jam Recaps: Texas Titans and Howard Pulley

My first full day at the Peach Jam was Friday, where I had no problem getting up for the 9am matchup between Howard Pulley and the Texas Titans. Highlighting this match were the names Tyus Jones, Matt Jones, Damian Jones, Akolda Manyang, Anders Broman, and of course Julius Randle. I already covered Randle's Peach Jam experience so check the link if you are interested in him.

The Texas Titans had Randle, but Howard Pulley had a top 10 player for his class as well in Tyus Jones. Jones is regarded as the #1 point guard of the 2014 class and only bolstered his stock here. He shot a tournament best 67% from 3 (10-15) and also led all participants in free throw percentage at 89% (31-35). Jones silenced any remaining doubters on his shooting ability here, and as you can see, it is actually a strength of his.

While shooting is a strength, it is his handling of the rock that makes him an elite prospect. Jones is very skilled and what stands out the most is that he plays completely mistake free basketball. He doesnt force anything and lets the game come to him. Jones is a very good ball handler and can finish with both hands. Combined with his shooting prowess and decision making, Jones is about as efficient as a guy who acts the the main facilitator and scorer can be. He has a confident swagger about him too.

His physical profile isnt the best and he isnt really flashy. Part of why he is so efficient is he makes the right plays and doesnt try to make the highlight reel play. Also, you don't see him connecting on alley oops on breaks because he is surrounded by shooters. Instead of him setting up nice plays at the rim in transition, he is usually just finding a man for an open 3. He gets his teammates great looks and has turned Anders Broman into a legitimate prospect by allowing him to showcase his beautiful 3-pt stroke.

Joneses' defense will never be anything special. He gives good effort and moves his feet well, but hes not a playmaker on that end. He gets comparisons to Chris Paul, but I think his ceiling is slightly lower than that. The good thing about Jones is that he should have a very high floor. He already does a lot of valuable things very well. He can pass, shoot, run the pick and roll, play smart and unselfishly. I just don't think he is an equal athlete in comparison to a Chris Paul. The CP3 smoothness is there, however.

Tyus Jones and his Howard Pulley squad won the game against the Titans 74-65, and although it was closer than the scorer indicated, it was an impressive win. The Titans overmatched them size wise and had 3 highly rated 2013 prospects as opposed to the 2014 Jones being the only major prospect on his team. Pulley's team is well coached and very unselfish. They didn't settle for bad shots, shot 10-25 from 3, and slowed down Randle by fronting the post.

Tyus's statline (29 points on 11-19 shooting, 8 assists, and only 2 turnovers) was particularly noteworthy considering he had Duke commit Matt Jones covering him all game. Jones acted as his team's defensive stopper all weekend, always covering the oppositions best perimeter scorer. I saw him try to lockdown both Jones and Andrew Wiggins in one day. In this particular game, Jones didn't show much offensively. He was so quiet, I thought he might have been nursing an injury.

With Matt Jones, you get a very smart player who is lethal from three (11-26 at Peach Jam) and has the length and fluidity to play great defense. He plays team basketball and fits the Duke image to the tee. He has no problem being a role player and has played second fiddle all summer next to Randle. He can be an Arron Aflalo type player in the league. He can handle the ball a bit and rarely turns it over. While he is great at catching and shooting, Jones separates himself from other shooters because he can put the ball on the floor and create his own 3-pt shot. He showed this multiple times in the game against CIA Bounce, where he avenged his measly 4 point performance from his earlier game against Howard Pulley.

Even after seeing Jones have a quiet game in my first ever look at him, I wasn't down on him. He just didn't really impose his force on the game. In the night cap and one of the most anticipated games of the event though, Jones shined. Randle was struggling so Jones knew he had to step up. And he did. He showed his competitive side and motor by defending Wiggins while dropping 26 points (and zero turnovers!!!).

Matt Jones won't post ridiculous numbers at Duke, but I'd take him on a NBA team anyday of the week when he eventually comes out. He has all the tools to be a great role player. He is one of those guys that goes mid-late first round and has no problem carving out a niche.

Damian Jones was another guy that drew a lot of attention last weekend. Jones is quickly rising up top 100 boards. He is very athletic and big, making him an extremely good and versatile defender. He has all the tools physically. NBA scouts will have an eye on him as a potential lockdown defender type, but I am not sold yet. For a guy like him to succeed, he needs to also be a great rebounder. Randle hogs a lot of the rebounds on this team, but I didn't like what I saw from Jones in terms of his hands and toughness inside. He is a little fragile, seemingly both mentally and physically. He had to be encouraged a few times after blown layups and fumbled catches. He plays efficiently on offense as he knows his role, but he is not a good finisher in traffic nor does he have much of an offensive skill set. Right now Jones is all potential. He seems like a good kid who will do what his team needs to win, but he needs a few more years to develop before we re-evaluate where he is at.

Peach Jam Player Recaps: Bluff City Legends and CP3 All-Stars

Getting to see Theo Pinson again, one of the most exciting player at the Nike Global Challenge was a must. Plus, I didn't get a good read of Nick King the first time I saw him so I wanted to focus on his game. King was joined by JaJuan Johnson on the wing and Pinson teamed up with Ja'Quel Richmond.

Theo Pinson didn't disappoint. He looked great on his way to 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and the win. I pretty much covered his entire game in my earlier report (see link), but being able to see him put together solid outings consistently is great reinforcement. He really has a great feel for the game. In the second matchup I saw him play, against Justice Winslow, he was outplayed in the 4th quarter, but Winslow is a special talent in his own right. Both are arguably top 10 players of the class of 2014.

Pinson's teammate Ja'Quel Richmond played well in my first look at him. He had 13 dimes and shot the ball well. He played really solid, just a point guard that you can count on that also provides some upside.

Seeing Nick King again allowed me to finally figure him out. In the game against Pinson, he really struggled. He tried to force his way to the basket, but King just isn't explosive enough to get there at will. He ended up shooting 2-13 from the field with only one 3-pter. Most his shots were awkward shots that were a result of not getting all the way to the basket.

I got another look at King against Marcus Lee and Cal Supreme though, and he played better. He had 13 points in 23 minutes while leaving 6 points at the charity stripe (he only went 2-8 from the FT line). King got the to basket, but struggled converting his free throws. It is weird considering he is a good 3-pt shooter, but it helps confirm my suspicions that King may be a trained 3-pt shooter and less of a pure shooter. He does like to catch the ball in that area though, operating out of the high post. Against Marcus Lee, this turned out to be effective  He took advantage of Lee playing off of him and hit some face up jumpers. He prefers to get to the hoop though, where he does a great job keeping his dribble alive and trying to force his way to the rim. King has a solid body, but he isn't a guy Id considering an imposing physical force or a great athlete. He is determined and displays great footwork and body control to find his way to the hoop. Overall, King isn't as impressive as some of the other wings I have seen.

JaJuan Johnson came out very aggressive in the game against Theo. King was struggling and he took over. Johnson showed some spot PG skills, bringing the ball up and being able to drive and dish. Johnson is a pure SG though, as he is the definition of a slasher with an eye to score. I love his ability to finish around the rim. He is very springy. He packs a lot more explosiveness then you would expect out of his slender frame. Creativity is the main name of his game, perhaps learning from his cousin Lou Williams. Johnson has a nice motor and will attack the glass and defend. In the second game I saw him in, he was a lot less aggressive for some reason. He could have just been tired, or he didn't feel the need to impose his will since Nick King and company were doing just fine against Cali Supreme. Either way, I am sure positive that Johnson generally is a very aggressive scorer and I like his mentality.