2021 Men's Basketball Recruiting Thread

[JasonEvans]

Particularly against smaller, quicker teams, how would we do defensively with Banchero and Williams out there together? Williams seems pretty quick for his size but still isn't going to be guarding 6-6 guys.

Williams and Bachero are both very quick for a big and (based on what I have read and seen of Paolo) I don't think they would struggle if forced to guard a slightly smaller PF-type player. Most folks project Banchero as a PF in the NBA and think that he is more than capable of playing a PF role in college. I think Williams' presence is one of the reasons he is coming to Duke as he does not want to be limited to the post in college. Duke has a ready-made big who will allow Paolo to use his great mid-range skills. He and Williams are going to be devastating in the high-low post game.

[Kedsy]

Williams seems pretty quick for his size but still isn't going to be guarding 6-6 guys.

How many teams will we play that field lineups with nobody taller than 6'6? And if do they try to go that small, good luck guarding Big Mark inside. Mismatches like that go both ways.

[CDu]

How many teams will we play that field lineups with nobody taller than 6'6? And if do they try to go that small, good luck guarding Big Mark inside. Mismatches like that go both ways.

The issue is when we get caught on switches off ball screens. If we can avoid that happening, Williams won't guard littles. But that was a big part of why Notre Dame went off on us in the second meeting: our bigs kept getting stuck switched onto littles and getting roasted.

[CDu]

Williams and Bachero are both very quick for a big and (based on what I have read and seen of Paolo) I don't think they would struggle if forced to guard a slightly smaller PF-type player. Most folks project Banchero as a PF in the NBA and think that he is more than capable of playing a PF role in college. I think Williams' presence is one of the reasons he is coming to Duke as he does not want to be limited to the post in college. Duke has a ready-made big who will allow Paolo to use his great mid-range skills. He and Williams are going to be devastating in the high-low post game.

I actually don't think Williams is very quick. He seems pretty slow to me actually. He makes up for that in some cases by being really long though.

As for Banchero, I would still expect him to play a lot of center next year.

[DavidBenAkiva]

https://247sports.com/LongFormArticl...6/#161062326_4

Eric Bossi has logged a Crystal Ball pick for Keels to Duke (although, with a 4/10 confidence rating)

He also picks Baldwin to Milwaukee (6/10)

This is good news. Bossi seems to be connected to the recruiting world about as well as anyone at 247Sports since Evan Daniels left for the NBA.

I really like Keels and how he might fit in at Duke. I like Baldwin, but I really, really like Keels. He averaged nearly a triple-double during his senior season.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

The issue is when we get caught on switches off ball screens. If we can avoid that happening, Williams won't guard littles. But that was a big part of why Notre Dame went off on us in the second meeting: our bigs kept getting stuck switched onto littles and getting roasted.

Exactly. That is what I was thinking of. What I was referring to in terms of 6-6 guys is that if a team plays one big and the next biggest guy is 6-6, one of our two bigs has to guard the smaller guy. Based on what others have said, it sounds like Bachero might be able to do this. But switching could be difficult. I'm not complaining - I was just curious. I was thinking back to Bagley and Carter where we had two bigs and it took some time to figure out how to make them co-exist defensively. The hope is that the offensive benefit of this outweighs any potential challenges defensively. And I think it likely will.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Exactly. That is what I was thinking of. What I was referring to in terms of 6-6 guys is that if a team plays one big and the next biggest guy is 6-6, one of our two bigs has to guard the smaller guy. Based on what others have said, it sounds like Bachero might be able to do this. But switching could be difficult. I'm not complaining - I was just curious. I was thinking back to Bagley and Carter where we had two bigs and it took some time to figure out how to make them co-exist defensively. The hope is that the offensive benefit of this outweighs any potential challenges defensively. And I think it likely will.

At least the prospective roster offers hope in defending smaller teams by playing Griffin+Moore together at the forward position with either Banchero or Williams as the big.

[tommy]

I agree that the jury is still out on Brakefield's shooting, but the early results seem promising. I think we would all agree that the sample size is still too small and that he's obviously still learning the rigors of the college game. He also has been dealing with having a pretty short leash when he's on the floor, which has to effect him mentally on the court (with the relative depth and youth of this team and since he's a frosh, I don't think the short leash is unjustified)

However if we start removing or adding games, especially with such a small sample size, it just seems like a poor argument. By this logic I could just as easily remove 2 (of his 3, overall) 0-2 three point nights and say without those games he's at above 47% on the year and our best 3 point option.

Let's just say that clearly he has some talent and confidence in himself from deep, which is also true of the coaching staff and his teammates as well. I think it's fair to say that currently he's a "streaky shooter" who still has to fully acclimate to the college game. Perhaps the absence of JJ on our team will provide Brakefield with more opportunities to show us all what kind of shooter he can be.

I agree with you. I just made the "take away the Bellarmine" point to highlight the fact that 4 of his 9 made 3 pointers (44%) came in one game. I hope and think that Jaemyn is going to get more minutes and more shots without Johnson on the team. I look forward to seeing what he can do with those minutes as he could be a really good player for us.

Brakefield actually intrigues me as a player because I'm not really sure what he is. He's often referred to as a power forward, but I haven't seen him set up inside very much or do much on the inside. He guards bigger guys sometimes, but he doesn't seem like what is considered a true banger. He has had a couple of really nice spin moves for baskets earlier in the year that really was encouraging, but he seems to mostly be involved on the perimeter. I don't see him as a ballhandler or distributor really, and haven't seen him much in transition. He's interesting. Some might say this shows that he hasn't shown consistently observable skill in any one area, and be concerned about that. I see it the other way -- I think he can be good in a lot of different areas given his size and athleticism. I look forward to him expanding and displaying those skills the rest of this year and be ready to be a much bigger and more consistent contributor next year.

[Namtilal]

Brakefield actually intrigues me as a player because I'm not really sure what he is. He's often referred to as a power forward, but I haven't seen him set up inside very much or do much on the inside. He guards bigger guys sometimes, but he doesn't seem like what is considered a true banger. He has had a couple of really nice spin moves for baskets earlier in the year that really was encouraging, but he seems to mostly be involved on the perimeter. I don't see him as a ballhandler or distributor really, and haven't seen him much in transition. He's interesting. Some might say this shows that he hasn't shown consistently observable skill in any one area, and be concerned about that. I see it the other way -- I think he can be good in a lot of different areas given his size and athleticism. I look forward to him expanding and displaying those skills the rest of this year and be ready to be a much bigger and more consistent contributor next year.

Sounds like his potential is similar to Justise Winslow, maybe a better shooter and a lesser athlete.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Sounds like his potential is similar to Justise Winslow, maybe a better shooter and a lesser athlete.

And most certainly a lesser defender (at this point).

Brakefield would be an awesome 3-and-D type player next year. If he can build upon that, he could be All-ACC as a junior.

[CDu]

I agree with you. I just made the "take away the Bellarmine" point to highlight the fact that 4 of his 9 made 3 pointers (44%) came in one game. I hope and think that Jaemyn is going to get more minutes and more shots without Johnson on the team. I look forward to seeing what he can do with those minutes as he could be a really good player for us.

Brakefield actually intrigues me as a player because I'm not really sure what he is. He's often referred to as a power forward, but I haven't seen him set up inside very much or do much on the inside. He guards bigger guys sometimes, but he doesn't seem like what is considered a true banger. He has had a couple of really nice spin moves for baskets earlier in the year that really was encouraging, but he seems to mostly be involved on the perimeter. I don't see him as a ballhandler or distributor really, and haven't seen him much in transition. He's interesting. Some might say this shows that he hasn't shown consistently observable skill in any one area, and be concerned about that. I see it the other way -- I think he can be good in a lot of different areas given his size and athleticism. I look forward to him expanding and displaying those skills the rest of this year and be ready to be a much bigger and more consistent contributor next year.

"Power forward" in today's game isn't a post player. Most teams in college (and even most in the NBA) play 4-out. It ideally is a guy who can play and defend in the post as needed but is also comfortable on the perimeter. Basically, it's a near-exact description of what Brakefield is. Think Shane Battier from Duke 2000 and 2001, albeit Brakefield isn't nearly the player Battier was of course.

[Kedsy]

Sounds like his potential is similar to Justise Winslow, maybe a better shooter and a lesser athlete.

Justise Winslow shot 42% from three in his one season at Duke, on almost four (3.9) long-distance attempts per 40 minutes. Jaemyn Brakefield attempts more threes (5.3 three-attempts per 40 minutes), but it's difficult to say whether he's a better shooter or not.

Jaemyn doesn't pass nearly as well as Justise, either. Or, as several have pointed out, play defense nearly as well. Frankly, I don't think Justise Winslow is a very good comp at all.

And most certainly a lesser defender (at this point).

Brakefield would be an awesome 3-and-D type player next year. If he can build upon that, he could be All-ACC as a junior.

Yes, what appears to keep Jaemyn off the court is his poor D. He'll need to improve that immensely to qualify as a 3-and-D type player.

[Billy Dat]

Brake's best move is his post-up spin toward the baseline.

[azzefkram]

Brake's best move is his post-up spin toward the baseline.

Yep. He just needs to finish better.

[CDu]

Justise Winslow shot 42% from three in his one season at Duke, on almost four (3.9) long-distance attempts per 40 minutes. Jaemyn Brakefield attempts more threes (5.3 three-attempts per 40 minutes), but it's difficult to say whether he's a better shooter or not.

Jaemyn doesn't pass nearly as well as Justise, either. Or, as several have pointed out, play defense nearly as well. Frankly, I don't think Justise Winslow is a very good comp at all.



Yes, what appears to keep Jaemyn off the court is his poor D. He'll need to improve that immensely to qualify as a 3-and-D type player.

Yeah, Brakefield doesn't remind me of Winslow at all. Neither stylistically nor in terms of performance. Winslow was more physical, more athletic, much better defensively, and more versatile offensively. Brakefield's offensive game reminds me more of Shane Battier in style: not a strong dribbler or passer, but a good spot-up shooter and occasionally good in the post. Brakefield is probably a bit more advanced offensively than Battier was as a freshman, but obviously nowhere near (and that is still an understatement) the defensive player that Battier was as a freshman. But that's more the comp I see in terms of his offensive game.

[Kedsy]

Since we were talking about comps for Jaemyn Brakefield, here's a quiz for y'all. Below are stats for two Duke players in conference games this season. Guess which is Jaemyn Brakefield and which is Joey Baker?

Player	min	3pt%	eFG%	oRtg	dRtg	PER	ftr	%threes	asst%	stl%	blk%	TO%	usg%
JB	120	25.0%	38.9%	88.0	105.4	8.1	8.1%	44.4%	3.9%	2.9%	1.8%	12.5%	13.2%
JB	126	36.4%	45.5%	82.1	109.8	5.8	0.0%	66.7%	3.7%	1.4%	4.2%	19.5%	16.2%

* (not on the chart, but Jaemyn has rebounded much better than Joey this season, including in conference games)

[CDu]

Since we were talking about comps for Jaemyn Brakefield, here's a quiz for y'all. Below are stats for two Duke players in conference games this season. Guess which is Jaemyn Brakefield and which is Joey Baker?

Player	min	3pt%	eFG%	oRtg	dRtg	PER	ftr	%threes	asst%	stl%	blk%	TO%	usg%
JB	120	25.0%	38.9%	88.0	105.4	8.1	8.1%	44.4%	3.9%	2.9%	1.8%	12.5%	13.2%
JB	126	36.4%	45.5%	82.1	109.8	5.8	0.0%	66.7%	3.7%	1.4%	4.2%	19.5%	16.2%

* (not on the chart, but Jaemyn has rebounded much better than Joey this season, including in conference games)

Definitely Brakefield the first, Baker (0 free throws, Notre turnovers, but more blocks) is the second.

[Kedsy]

Definitely Brakefield the first, Baker (0 free throws, Notre turnovers, but more blocks) is the second.

Correct.

[DavidBenAkiva]

The news broke this morning that the McDAA game has been cancelled for the second consecutive year. I assume that the other games will be as well. The next time we see Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin in action will most likely be in Octboer, wearing Duke blue and white. Hopefully, we'll see a few other freshmen teammates and lots of returning players from this year's improving team.

[flyingdutchdevil]

The news broke this morning that the McDAA game has been cancelled for the second consecutive year. I assume that the other games will be as well. The next time we see Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin in action will most likely be in Octboer, wearing Duke blue and white. Hopefully, we'll see a few other freshmen teammates and lots of returning players from this year's improving team.

Is Banchero not playing HS ball? I know Griffin opted out.