Originally Posted by
Kedsy
So if a guy with a great attitude is top 100ish with high major offers but none that I would consider top shelf, there must be a reason why he isn't ranked better.
It isn't that Jaylen Blakes hasn't shown himself against good competition, because Blair Academy is a high level high school program.
It isn't that he's too small, because at 6'2" with a 6'8" wingspan, he has decent size for even an NBA point guard.
It probably isn't his end-to-end running speed, because what few scouting reports I could find praised that aspect of his game (one said he was one of the fastest high school players in the country, end to end). Also, he can dunk at 6'2" (I saw it on his highlight reel), so it's not that he has no athletic ability.
It may be questions about his shooting, because his form looked funny to me on his highlight reel, but as a junior he hit 37% from three, so it's probably not that.
It may be questions about his point guard skills (ballhandling/passing), except as a junior he had 5 assists per game, which is pretty good (much better than #20 2020-21 PG recruit Jeremy Roach, for example). And on his highlight reel he seemed to get to the rim pretty easily (though he tended to favor crazy, acrobatic scoop shots once he got there).
Only other thing I can think of that's left is a lack of quickness, which would be a potential issue at a high-major program. If this is the issue, it may hinder his efforts to be a contributing rotation player at Duke as an upperclassman.
Unless the theory propounded above in this thread is true, that because of COVID scouts haven't had the opportunity to watch him enough to rank him properly. Though you'd think that would be less of an issue at a place like Blair Academy. The thing is, if this is the real explanation, and he's really a top 30 or so quality player, then the people who applaud recruiting this guy because he'll be patient and willing to be a practice player for at least two years without transferring away (or going pro) may end up being disappointed.
I think it's charming that you have faith in the abilities of the people rating HS players. I agree that the rating systems are much, much better than 20 years ago, when a player suddenly targeted by Duke or UNC back then would soar in the rankings. (Why not? It's validation.) But if the folks doing the ratings are so talented, why don't they have legitimate high-paying coaching jobs instead of working part time for very little in trying to dope out the abilities of mid-teens?
And, even if they are talented scouts, this is a tough, tough year to rate anyone. No AAU teams, limited schedules, many fewer travel games -- where players in different states can be legitimately compared.
Anyway, not meant as criticism -- just balance. I read all your posts.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013