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Peach Jam is a great opportunity to see the nations top players, and this year was no exception. My main focus was on players linked to UK and all reportedly have active offers. The opinions presented are mine and mine alone. They are based on watching multiple games at both the Peach Jam and the EYBL Hampton VA event. Others may have seen different games or come to different conclusions, and their evaluations may be totally accurate. Please read and take whatever information you deem valuable but keep in mind that this an opinion.
For ease I'm going to present this position based.
Point Guards:
Trae Young-Had a strong showing in Augusta, good enough that I expect him to move up in rankings. For the event he averaged just over 27 points per game while shooting over 40% from long range, hit an outstanding 96.4% of his free throws and handed out nearly 6.5 assists per game. He has excellent ball handling skills and handles contact well despite a small frame. He was listed at 6'2" but that is generous. He shows a mental toughness and a "cocky" swagger that makes his floor game one of the best in the class. He has the killer mentality but is more of a scoring point who sees the floor remarkable well and can get the ball to open players for easy baskets. When he gets it rolling he can take his game to another level and its best to just stand back and watch because you will enjoy it. The only drawback is he sometimes shoots quick, but then he usually makes it so I guess its not an issue. Expect this to come down to UK, Kansas and Duke but I think Kansas is our main competition.
Tremont Waters-Best I can describe him is solid. Plays well in all aspects but didn't wow me. I see him as a stabilizing point who does lots of things well. Averaged over 15 points and 5 assists per game but shot only 28% from long range and 76% from the free throw line. Is still an elite point but more the Anthony Epps rather then the John Wall. UConn appears to be the favorite but UK and Duke are in this as well. One point of note is that his teammate is Nick Richards who UK has offered.
Quade Green-was the I had not seen prior to Augusta so was looking forward to his game. By far and away leading the league in assists with over 10 a game coming to Augusta which shows he knows how to deal the ball. He can also score as shown by his 14 points per game average. His percentages were 77% from the line, 44% from behind the arc and 50% overall from the field. He involves everybody on the floor and is a pass first point however is also clutch when you need a basket. Very smart player who has a natural feel for the game. Suspect this is the type of player who others want to play with. Duke appears to lead this race.
Shooting guards:
John Petty-I'm hesitant as to where to place him since he really can and does play both the SF and the SG spots. For ease I put him in the SG spot because the SF forward section players are much more similar and Petty doesn't fall in the same category in how they play. He has much greater variability by being more a wing 2/3 with either position equally effective. The SF below are more 3 who can play on the wing but wouldn't be able to effectively play the SG spot. I'm sure some will have issue with that but go classify them however you want then write about it. Coming in I was looking forward to seeing him play, hoping for a better performance than I saw in VA. After SC my opinion hasn't changed much. I was a bit disappointed to be honest. 11.6 points per game on 33% shooting, and 21.4% from long range wasn't what I expected. What I did love was willingness to crash the boards, handle the ball and do whatever was asked. He seems to be most suited in an uptempo game and would pair well with Trae Young. He has all the tools and I do believe in the end UK gets him which will make me happy. I sense that being on a good team hindered some of his stats so I want to overlook the PPG but the shooting percentages are troublesome. But then I looked at his overall EYBL stats and they are much better (16.7 points per game on 58% shooting, 88.5% on FT and 49% from trey land). I do recall him playing much better in VA so I'll file Peach Jam as nothing more than a poor showing of an outstanding player. After all, those gurus can't be wrong!
Lonnie Walker-Somehow I missed this kid in VA and am sorry I did. Initial impression was that he doesn't look the stud athlete but that was way off. He can do it all. He is really a triple threat in the he can pass, he can score and he can rebound. He averaged over 16 per game by shooting 43% overall, 35% from long range and 71% FT, while grabbing 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Like Young, he has the ability to get on a roll where everything falls for him. Really a fun player to watch. However I sense we are a long shot with him. I do expect him to be a Wildcat, just not a Lexington one.
Gary Trent-I admit I didn't watch a lot of him this weekend but did up in Hampton, plus I watched him several times last year. Kid has a complete game, big time scorer and can crash the glass. Like the other two in this category, he can easily make a transition to the SF due to size and athleticism. His numbers were outstanding with a event leading 30 points per game on 43.5% shooting but only 18% from long range. Expectation are he is Durham bound.
Hamidou Diallo-is the most athletic of the SG but also the least versatile. One should see him as a SG and not much much more. His game is more going to the rim though. He only took 7 threes in pool play, making 3. However his shooting percentage overall was an outstanding 64% but then dunks are high percentage shots. He is fierce going to the rim offensively, always looking to make the dynamic play. UK is sitting strong with him and I could see a Petty/Diallo/Young lineup as being fun to watch.
Small Forwards:
Kevin Knox-He is a player I've seen several times over the last year. I'm not as sold as most. 15 points and 8 rebounds are solid numbers for the weekend but I wish he was more physical. Is one of several slightly built SF, like Vanderbilt and Porter. Has a good motor and does run the floor very well. Also has great jumping ability to go with very good timing defensively. Shooting numbers were 47.5% overall, 73.3% from the FT line and 10% from the arch. During league play he did connect for 32% on the last number so I'd ignore that small sampling.
Jared Vanderbilt- was injured for Peach Jam so did not play. I did see him in VA though. Like the other two in this group he is thin, especially in the lower body. Unlike Knox and to a lesser degree Porter, Jared handles the ball quite a bit and has the best perimeter ball handling skills. Unfortunately shooting from long range was an issue as he made only 19% in the four league sessions. Biggest issue is weight and strength.
Michael Porter-Easily the best SF in the class. I watched him quite a bit last year and his improvement has been steady and predictable. He isn't one of these get good overnight so you can basically bank on what you're going to get. What sets him apart is his quickness off the floor and his shooting ability. He averaged 23 points in pool play while shooting a blistering 54%. He has the best size as far as strength goes of the SF group.
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