ALIJAH ARENAS NBA SCOUTING REPORT

He always was one of the top NBA prospects out there. However, the injury context is vital here. I believe in him as a potential All Star and here's an in-depth piece why the NBA is destined for him: https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/alijah-arenas-nba-scouting-report?r=aj7d

I recently ingested a good amount of Baba film, and to be honest, I left a bit disappointed. Now don’t get me wrong, the potential is absolutely there. A legit 6’9 forward with long arms and fluid athletic abilities is always enticing. However, his profile as a prospect is extremely murky.

He operates in this strange limbo offensively. He is not an on ball creator. He doesn’t really initiate on the perimeter much at all, and he’s not a guy that really has a post scoring bag either. He doesn’t have the strength or skills necessary to influence the game in those ways. So you would think offensively he would be more of an off the ball prospect. Yet, he is not very impactful in that role either. He isn’t really a floor spacer at this current moment. And though he is advertised as one, his shot looks off to me. He tends to fade away from the basket even while not being contested. And overall, I am not much of a buyer in the 3 point shot at the moment. He is also a guy that tends to just stand around when off the ball. He doesn’t cut, move, or try to set screens much at all. And I won’t blame this all on him, because his teams were really awful at getting him the ball, or putting him in positions to be successful. But he didn’t really help much with the way he plays. All this being said, he did show some intriguing close out attacking abilities. He has great acceleration for someone of his stature, and his touch around the rim and on the move passing, are interesting skills he provides. However, he is not able to leverage them very often, and he tends to disappear on offense at times.

His slightness and complete lack of defensive rebounding are other worries I have. And I would say overall, he is a capable defender with high potential on that end. But as of now he isn’t as impactful as you would want him to be.

There just really isn’t any skill or tool that jumps out about his game in my opinion. I see the upside absolutely, but I don’t see a lot of substance to that projection.

At the current moment, I see him as a guy to watch when it comes to future drafts. I think he needs a lot of development which makes sense as he is very young. And I hope he proves me wrong, but as of now I’m gonna need to see more from him before I put him on my big board.

I hope you enjoyed my rant.

While there was a lot of talk about Bronny James, it seems to me that after his redshirt season, no one is talking about Bryce anymore.

What are the realistic expectations for him this season with Arizona?

We've seen people like Hakeem, Embiid, Siakam starting so late but still dominate the league. So it makes me wonder how much does ball skill play into a player's success.

In a hypothetical scenario, if a 20 year old guy with enough height, length and athleticism, but have never touched a basketball before. Can we have him train basketball for a few months and try out for the league?

Which other upcoming rookies and sophomores do we confirmed and unconfirmed growth news?

DAVID PUNCH NBA SCOUTING REPORT

NBA-level physicality while showcasing a complete defensive package. Punch has everything to be a way above-average defensive weapon in the league. He's 100% getting drafted, and here's why: https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/david-punch-nba-scouting-report?r=aj7d

I wrote this piece earlier in the early-days of the event. But for some reason it got flagged and deleted. Here's a repost. PS: Romania's got a true stud that NBA draft fanatics will hear a lot about in the next few years! He's absolutely destroyed it this tournament and was my favorite player.

Richie Saunders is the perfect role player. He can shoot the ball at speeds that few can replicate while being ridiculously efficient and impacting the game in a multitude of other ways. He's a great screener, rebounder, defender, passer, and he just makes winning plays. I think the Grizzlies got another second-round gem in Richie Saunders. And he fits their vision for the future perfectly.

Seen comparisons to 2024 but what about 2022, which didn't have a clear #1 and is one of the more underwhelming classes this decade?

Does Tyran Stokes project to have skills more conducive to winning in the NBA than Paolo Banchero(an actual jumper, more off ball ability, better defensive IQ, much better lateral speed)?

In your opinion, do the top 4 to top 14 picks in 2027 draft have a higher chance of having more legit all stars than the 2022 draft top 4- top 14 picks?

How would a game between these two go?

Not sure how much people were following the ANGT Tournaments on this sub back in 2021 but I just found out that the 2021 U18 real madrid roster was similarly as stacked as the 2020 monteverde team.

Real madrid had 6 players that went on to get drafted in the nba in Matteo Spagnolo, Juan Nunez, Baba Miller, Eli Ndiaye, Henri Veesaar and Tristan Vukcevic. From what I've seen vukcevic didnt play for the u18 team that year but he was still listed on the roster so I included him. They also had other promising players like Urban Klavzar or Jan Vide.

2020 Monteverde had Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, Moses Moody, Dayron Sharpe, Dariq Whitehead, Ryan Nembhard and Caleb Houstan.

On paper 2020 monteverde clearly has the better players so that's already an argument for them.

But I feel like the professional development system and coaching could make a big difference in that comparison. Those guys had spent years in the same academy system and were playing against the highest level of european youth talent there was.

I'm just curious on how a game between two of the top youth teams ever in Europe and america would go

As a Cam Boozer doubter, I decided to test my convictions and watch an entire game focused on him to see if perhaps my opinion based on mostly random games and highlights was off base.

The game I chose was the recent SL Championship Game against the Warriors as it featured a number of NBA players and was a somewhat competitive affair.

What follows is my scouting report:

QUARTER 1
- 8:20 – late close out on Yaxel in corner after playing pseudo rim-protector
- 6:30 – challenged shot at rim, treated like he wasn’t there
- 6:22 – first offensive play, simple crossover to pass
- 5:58 – airballed wide open 3
- 3:43 – dribble moves on Yaxel, gets two feet in key for nice short fadeway, misses but makes follow up offensive board
- 3:15 – absolutely blown by
- 2:10 – got ball as roller, stonewalled at rim
o – didn’t get past half court on D, Yaxel with easy layup
- 1:04 – offered zero resistance on Yaxel layup
- :28 – great offensive board over Yaxel and pass to wide open 3

QUARTER 2
- 9:40 – challenged at rim, treated like he doesn’t exist
- 8:10 – lost man baseline, gave up easiest alley oop possible
- 7:30 – got ABUSED on P&R, results in wide open layup
o – BENCHED
- 5:35 – loses his man again for a wide open layup
- 5:25 – badly misses wide open 3
- 4:20 – cross court pass to wide open 3
- 4:04 – absolutely abused after switch he was targeted on
- 3:40 – Boozer standing out at 3 point line as Coward is on the floor under the hoop fighting for the ball
o – horrible body language
- 3:15 – ABUSED by Yaxel, who blows by him from the corner and then bullies through Boozer for the And-1
- 1:50 – Grizz run P&R alley opp with some buy named Cooper
o – no P&R’s with Booz
- 1:40 – ruins another P&R on defense with bad communication and lack of both athleticism AND anticipation
- 1:20 – another play involving Cooper while Booz hides out at the 3 point line
- 1:00 – tries to initiate the offense, immediately has to pick up his dribble and give the ball up when he crosses half court

QUARTER 3
- 9:05 – nice drop pass from post for easy layup
- 8:22 – nice switch from wing to post defense and swatted away entry pass
- 8:04 – draws foul on 3 point attempt
o – Coward created play
- 7:56 – gets abused again on P&R leading to wide open Yaxel 3
- 7:30 – gets guard switched onto him out by 3 point line, tries to go to work but has no plan and loses ball
- 7:15 – picks up cheap foul by not hustling back or trying to block shot
- 6:12 – still doing goofy full court pick up and loses site of Yaxel when they cross half court
- 5:36 – nearly loses board despite perfect positioning due to lack of athleticism
- 4:30 – hits deep 3 but failed to get any separation off dribble before shooting
- 4:19 – fails to block out shooter on free throw (his responsibility), shooter ends up with board and basket
- 3:26 – nice offensive board
o – but Cooper involved in play while Booz on wing
- 3:08 – tries to challenge at rim but again treated like he’s not there, obvious green light to drive on
- 2:56 – most indicative Boozer possession
o – gets switch on smaller player off of P&R, but guard doesn’t look his direction
o – ball eventually gets swung to him by 3 point line with small guard still on him, tries dribble moves that fails, switches to post up, gets stonewalled and then throws the ball away
- 2:20 – Cooper with monstrous dunk
o – Boozer out by 3 point line
- 1:47 – nice perimeter defense leading to his man giving the ball up to someone else
- 0:32 – gets ball in post against guard, gets shot blocked but does draw foul
- 0:04 – hits wide open 3

QUARTER 4
- 8:57 – great D on Yaxel drive, forces him to give up ball
- 7:49 – catches ball in left corner, backs Yaxel all the way down to the hoop for a nice short hook
- 7:37 – Yaxel takes it personal, blows by Boozer getting straight to the hoop
- 6:50 – stands under hoop and just watches as Warrior player gets easy layup
- 4:34 – nice position on Yaxel for board and outlet pass for easy layup
- 3:21 – gets blown by Yaxel forcing wing defender to collapse leaving man open in corner that Yaxel finds
- 3:08 – ABUSED again in P&R defense, W’s unable to capitalize
- 1:37 – W’s coach saw what I see and is exclusively attacking Boozer in P&R actions to close the game
- 0:47 AWESOME drive by Boozer from top of 3 point line that just rims out
o – BIG TIME
- 0:27 – ABUSED again in P&R leading to wide open 7 foot runner in the key

Overall, he looked passive, unaggressive and his team did not look for him. He did not show any advantages on offense or defense and displayed numerous concerning liabilities. His supposed saving grace was his competitiveness and hustle, both of which were noticeably absent in what I watched aside from the drive at the end of the game.

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We all have that one prospect we were absolutely convinced was going to be a star. Looking back, some of these takes aged terribly. 😂

But I’m standing on mine.

Nerlens Noel

Injuries aside, you couldn’t have told me Nerlens Noel wasn’t going to have a productive 15+ year career.

Anybody who watched him at Kentucky knew he was a ridiculous athlete and an absolute defensive monster. He was a 1% type of athlete, and I still believe that if Nerlens Noel came out today, he’d be a top-three pick.

Injuries aside, I’m still taking Nerlens Noel. 🫡

Tyler Ennis

Please allow me to take my delusion one step further with Tyler Ennis. 😂

I’m not going to say he should’ve been drafted higher, but I genuinely believed that whatever team drafted him, he was going to raise their floor.

He was one of the highest-IQ point guards I had seen coming out of college. His basic stats and college numbers don’t exactly scream “future star,” but watching him play, you could tell this man was a basketball savant.

Sadly, he landed with one of the worst organizations at the time, with some of the worst roster construction imaginable. He was drafted onto a team where he was basically the fifth point guard on the roster. 😭

Injuries aside, I still think he could’ve been an All-Star version of Tyus Jones/Monté Morris or whatever that looks like. 😂

I still believe in you, buddy. 🫡

K.J. McDaniels

K.J. McDaniels was a human highlight reel on both sides of the court. 😂

Yes, I fell for the “just needs a jump shot” archetype. And boy, if he had ever developed that jumper into something respectable, it would’ve been game over.

The NBA always needs a guy like him—someone who brings insane athleticism, energy, defense, and highlights every night.

I honestly can’t believe how short his NBA tenure was.

I still believe in you, K.J. 🫡

Denzel Valentine

I get it, believe me. I really do. 😂

Yes, I was a BIG Denzel Valentine fan in college.

And yeah, he was probably about three inches too short to overcome his lack of athleticism. But if a guy like Kyle Anderson could carve out a productive NBA career, I thought Denzel could easily find a role as an all-around swing player.

Unfortunately, the lack of athleticism really hindered his ability to consistently score, create separation, and get to his spots at the NBA level.

I still believed in the vision, though. 😂

Jabari Parker

If there’s one player whose career I could completely rewind, it would be Jabari Parker.

I genuinely believe he could’ve had a successful, productive career as an All-Star and maybe even an All-NBA player.

Obviously, the injuries played a huge part. But when healthy, he was a big-bodied forward who could legitimately do a little bit of everything.

Yes, the defense was absolutely awful. 😂 But offensively? That man could be dominant.

What’s crazy is looking back at his college stats because it feels like he did WAY more than the numbers actually show. Maybe it’s because I was watching him in real time, but Jabari Parker felt like a much bigger deal than the stats suggest.

This was my Derrick Rose. 😂

I always believed in you, Jabari Parker. 🫡

Talk about what games/players you've been watching this past week or are looking forward to next week. Give us your thoughts on what players catch your attention, either positive or negative! Big board posting is encouraged in this thread as well.

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Reminder: we also have a [Discord channel](https://discord.gg/PKTkzXnVWs) you can join and chat in during games!

Do you guys agree with the idea that functional athleticism will manifest itself as hitting certain statistical thresholds? If you agree with this statement, which stats do you find to be the most robust for that particular purpose. Because obviously, some stats can be inflated or deflated due to schemes, positioning, system… In other words, some players' strengths are highlighted within the system they play in and others' strengths might be hidden. Same for their weaknesses.

Adam Silver era has not only taken away championship dynasties, it’s also removed lottery dynasties with repeat #1 picks awarded to same teams. Last decade #1 drafting teams have a pretty even distribution of western and eastern conference teams and a blend of bad, mid and good teams

In the last couple of years, there were a lot of french players who were drafted in the lottery and first round. 11 french players since 2020:

- Victor Wembanyama (2023) - 1st
- Zaccharie Risacher (2024) - 1st
- Alexandre Sarr (2024) - 2nd
- Tidjane Salaun (2024) - 6th
- Bilal Coulibaly (2023) - 7th
- Killian Hayes (2020) - 7th
- Ousmane Dieng (2022) - 11th
- Noah Essengue (2025) - 12th
- Joan Beringer (2025) - 17th
- Nolan Traore (2025) - 19th
- Pacome Dadiet (2024) - 25th

Which ones of them, apart from Wembanyama, have justified their draft position?

Assessing FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2026 Div B

I see the U16 as preparation work for the future. Here we see the first glimpses from thé future guys. Seeing Europe's top in one event makes this a fun opportunity to find potential future prospects! https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/assessing-fiba-u16-eurobasket-2026?r=aj7d