Scouting NBA Draft prospects at the ACC Tournament: Day 1
The ACC Tournament has come up to the Big Apple to display the greatest assortment of player talent and coaching in any conference in the NCAA this season. Likely 2017 NBA Draft picks will be on the court in every matchup over the next five-day stretch. We here at The Step Back want you to feel like you are watching it courtside right along with us so we’ll have these game-by-game diaries for each day with scouting notes on the players involved.
The notes for each game are presented chronologically.
GAME 1: Clemson vs NC State (Noon EST)
– Dennis Smith Jr. was one of the first players on the floor to warm up during pregame. If NC State doesn’t make a big enough dent in the ACC Tournament — read win the whole thing– these are likely to be his final collegiate games.
– Nets general manager Sean Marks was spotted hanging out by the State end of the court during warmups. With two first-rounders at his disposal this summer he’s likely out of the running for some of the bigger names players that will be here this week.
Read More: Where does Dennis Smith Jr. figure in the point guard class of 2017?
– The outcome of this game will likely be decided by which ACC first-teamer has the bigger game, Jaron Blossomgame or Smith. Smith settled for multiple jumpers early as Tigers had a focused game plan to keep him out of the lane. Blossomgame was attacking the hoop right from the start.
– Omer Yurtseven was one of only two players to come off the bench for the Wolfpack in the first half and his early stretch of play seemed to right the ship for State after Clemson jumped out and grasped the early momentum of the game.
– Weird choice by the already fired head coach of NC State, Mark Gottfried, to go with a Maverick Rowan as the main defender on Blossomgame. Clemson couldn’t find him on the block and ultimately it ended as a net positive for the Wolfpack as Blossomgame was held scoreless during that stretch.
– Unable to get the lanes he needed to attack, Smith kept trying to get his jump shot to fall, but to no avail. The likely lottery pick finished the first half shooting 1-of-7, with the one coming with under a minute left in the half. He played all but two minutes of the opening half getting his lone rest at the under-eight media timeout. For the day, his stat line of 7 points, 3 assists and eight 9 rebounds on 25 percent shooting from the field (including 0-4 on 3-pointers and 50 percent from the free throw line) was very pedestrian for a soon to be top-five pick to end his season on.
– If anyone looked like a high-round pick in this game it was Blossomgame. He completely dominated his matchup against Abu, getting to the rim whenever he wanted and even knocking down a 3-pointer. His second half was quieter than his first, but he would finish with a game-high 22 points.
– While the NBA will naturally provide more openings and space for him, this game has highlighted the struggles that Smith has had in college this season. Unlike Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz, he doesn’t have above-average height for the point guard spot — he also mentioned to ESPN’s Jay Bilas that he believed he was less than 100 percent healthy when State beat Duke at Cameron Indoor — and therefore it’s easier to stifle him on his attacks to the rim (he managed just four all game: twice he got an easy layup, one resulted in a foul and the other was blocked).
– His athleticism allows him to play bigger than his size, as confirmed by his team-high eight rebounds today, yet the team that selects him will need to account for his shortcomings by building the right roster around him.
GAME 2: Wake Forest vs Boston College (2:30 p.m. EST)
– Sean Marks was once again seen by the tunnel prior to tipoff of the second game of the day. This time it looked as if Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson had joined him. With Wake Forest big man John Collins being projected as a mid-to-late first rounder he’s a guy that Brooklyn would definitely want all hands on deck for.
– Boston College also had many eyes on Collins as they were double-teaming the Demon Deacons’ star every time he caught the ball. Collins was up-and-down when facing the double team. He faced up twice and was able to dish it off to the open man, but he also tried to force it against the double resulting in a turnover.
Read More: Wake Forest’s John Collins pits stats against the eye test
– This was a good showcase game for Collins as the Eagles had no player that could match his combination of size and athleticism. When the Deacons struggled to enter the ball to Collins in the post they resorted to lobbing it over the top of defenders for Collins to snatch away. He almost slammed one home that would’ve sent the Barclays Center crowd into a frenzy, but a timely foul from Boston College prevented the highlight. Despite a slow start, it was Collins’ work on defense that stood out most. He switched onto Ky Bowman twice on the perimeter and was able to keep Bowman from scoring each time.
– Bowman for his part was on pace for another superb scoring night. He scored Boston College’s first five points — two of which came off a fearless attack of Collins in the paint for a slam dunk. However, he would finish the game with just seven points, leaving with 5:04 left in the first half after sustaining an injury on an attempted block. He came back onto the court with crutches and his leg in a brace after the second media timeout of the second half.
– Credit goes to the Eagles as without their go-to-guy they were able to hold on to the rope and keep the game within single-digits up until the Deacons jumped ahead by 11 with 12:54 left in the game. Back-to-back baskets by Collins — a turnaround right hook and a backdoor lob slam — keyed the run that gave Wake Forest a double-digit cushion. Collins would finish the game with a double-double, posting 19 points and 12 rebounds, his 17th double-double of the season.
– While Boston College was rightfully fearful of Collins, the Demon Deacons got an all-around team effort in their win. Bryant Crawford scored a game-high 20 points, Austin Arians added in 17 and Keyshawn Woods had 17 on the afternoon. Those three combined to shoot 7-of-14 on 3-pointers (Arians hit five by himself). Wake Forest did their damage from behind another line too, as Collins and Crawford combined to hit 22 out of their 27 foul shots. Wake Forest is on the bubble in regards to earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament and the longer they are able to stay alive this week the better their chances of getting an invite to the big dance next week.
GAME 3: Pittsburgh vs Georgia Tech (7 p.m. EST)
– The nightcap for the day looked as if it might provide some fireworks early on. The game was being played at a frenetic pace. Every possession a different team was trying to push the ball right down the other’s throat. On the opening possession, the two players with the most NBA potential found themselves lined up against each other. Pittsburgh’s Jamel Artis had the ball and Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie was manned up against him.
– In a preview of what the rest of the first half was going to bring, the Yellow Jackets immediately jumped to a different defense on Pitt’s next possession. In all, Georgia Tech used four different defenses: 1-3-1 zone, 1-1-2 zone, man-to-man, and a 2-2-1 full court press. The 1-1-2 was the most effective as the sheer activity and moving bodies forced the Panthers into multiple turnovers.
– The only problem was that Georgia Tech couldn’t turn those turnovers into points on the other end; they only had two fast-break points at halftime. Okogie, who cemented himself in Yellow Jacket lore this year with his game-winning buzzer beater against Notre Dame, went scoreless in the first half. Two early fouls forced him to the bench with 9:13 left in the first half. However, ACC Coach of the Year Josh Pastner elected to keep rolling him out there in hopes of getting him going, but he couldn’t find his shot. Okogie went 0-3 from the field and 0-2 from the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes. The Yellow Jackets as a team had a stretch where they missed five consecutive free throws.
– For Kevin Stallings and Pittsburgh, their ability to have five players that are 6-foot-6 or taller on the court at the same time was a huge advantage for them. They were able to play an intense, switch-heavy defense without fear of having a mismatch exploited. Only Ben Lammers had a real size advantage on any Panther, but besides a smooth Dirk Nowitzki style post fadeaway he was relatively quiet for the better part of the first half. Michael Young’s presence in the paint and from the free-throw line extended (10 points, 4 rebounds and one block) was the biggest reason that the Panthers went into the locker room with a lead at the half.
– The second half brought more of the same as the two teams fought back and forth. Georgia Tech would tie the game twice (at 31-31 and 35-35) and take their first lead of the game (36-35) with 13:40 left. Though the highlights were at a minimum, the finale of day one did bring us the first game that was within five points at the under-four minute media timeout.
– A timely, and difficult, layup from Young over Lammers pushed the Panthers’ lead to five with less than a minute to play. That lead proved too big for the Yellow Jackets to overcome. In the end, it was Pitt’s ability to knock down outside shots that ultimately won them the game. After making only one of their 11 3-point attempts in the first half they came out and made five 3-pointers in the second.
Next: NBA Draft prospect scouting reports from The Step Back
– In terms of next-level prospects, Artis managed to turn an off night into a near double-double. Artis size and ability to run an offense make him a worthwhile look for a training camp invite or summer league offer, but it is more likely he and Young take their talents overseas next year. Okogie rebounded in his own way with a solid 11-point contribution in the final 20 minutes. As a freshman Okogie has been prone to inconsistent play and on one of the biggest nights of his first season it ended up being a tale of two Okogies.