Hoops Recruiting And The Centers Of Attention
With Hunter Dickinson back for his junior season, the need for a portal big in 2022-23 becomes much less pressing even though we still await the stay/go decision from Moussa Diabate.
All that said, its difficult to imagine any situation where either of current Wolverine bigs are around for the 2023-2024 season. Assuming that to be true, 2022 signee Tarris Reed would be the only true scholarship center on the roster. Signing a big in 2023 is a priority, so let's take a look at the board coming off the second live evaluation period.
Papa Kante
Height/Weight: Listed at 6'10 and 225 pounds. Probably closer to a legit 6'8.5 - 6'9 and 215 - 220lbs.
High School/AAU: South Kent School (CT)/Nike EYBL New York Renaissance (NY)
Weekend Performance: 7.8ppg, 6.8reb, 1blk, 48% FG, 82% FT in four games
Mainstream Ranking: 4-star/125 - 135 Overall
EM Ranking/Evaluation: Projects to have the impact of a 70 - 100 level prospect based on what I've viewed live so far. Superb defender with good agility and length that is switchable on the perimeter. As you can see from the clip above, Papa was matched up against top-10 overall prospect GG Jackson and essentially shut him down on multiple possessions. While Jackson is a big, Kante also locked up legit wings in 4-stars Eric Dailey and Jelani Hamilton. He may not possess the same level of agility as Moussa Diabate at the same stage of development, so I'm not sure switching to athletic guards on an island like Diabate does is in the cards. Discipline is where Papa is more advanced in relation to Moussa at the same stage. Look at the possession starting at the :13 mark above. He realizes he's not going to block the shot, so he basically just walls up vertically against Jackson and is content with merely altering the shot. Far too often in the first half of the season, Diabate would pick up fouls on possessions just like that. Fast forward to the :50 mark and watch Kante close-out under control, then flip his hips to beat the defender to the spot and force a wild running hook. At times, Moussa was prone to out-of-control close-outs, particularly during the first half of the season.
Offensively, Papa is relatively raw. With the NY Rens, he's basically limited to finishes as a roll-man and putbacks from offensive rebounds. His handle isn't close to where Moussa was at the same stage of development, so he doesn't have that sort of face-up/playmaking ability right now. He struggled to finish in traffic at times as well. I only witnessed him attempt one jumper and the mechanics weren't broken, even if the release point was a bit late/on the way down. It's worth mentioning that Kante has a much bigger offensive role for South Kent.
Offensive limitations considered, Papa makes winning basketball plays on a fairly consistent basis as seen below. I absolutely love the possession starting at the :12 mark below. Kante gives multiple efforts, covers 20 feet of ground to corral an offensive rebound that results in a made triple for a teammate. He's an extra possession magnet and those kind of players have a lot of value in terms of impact and setting the standard for competitive edge.
Recruitment: I'm told that Papa is set to visit Michigan officially on June 14th, along with 2023 wing offer Gavin Griffiths. I probably wouldn't have allocated as much detail to my evaluation above if this recruitment wasn't serious. Based on where things stand now, I'd put in a low-confidence crystal ball for Kante to Michigan. If the OV goes well, which it seemingly always does with Juwan Howard, this recruitment could potentially be over shortly after the visit.
[After THE JUMP: High + Booker]
Zayden High
Height/Weight: Listed at 6'7-6'9/185-225. He's a legit 6'8-6'9 and 210 pounds at minimum.
High School/AAU: San Antonio Smithson Valley HS (TX)/Nike EYBL JL3 Elite (TX)
Weekend Performance: 13.5ppg, 6.5reb, 2asst, 1.3blk, 29% from distance in four games
Mainstream Ranking: Generic 3-star
EM Ranking/Evaluation: Projected impact resembles that of a top-50 prospect. Potent perimeter shotmaker off the catch or the bounce. Struggles at times to finish at the rim in traffic based on lack of lift/twitchiness. Does a good job of protecting the rim at this level, but probably more of a secondary rim protector at the college level based on his size/length/athleticism. `
It's hard to look at Zayden and not see shades of Mo Wagner. A stretch-big that spaces the floor and can attack a closeout + finish at the rim. While High appears to be a bit smaller than Mo, he's a considerably better playmaker/passer/shot-creator at the same stage of development. This pump-fake + change of direction dribble to draw a help defender before dropping an off-hand dumpoff is guard like playmaking. His teammate couldn't handle a precision pass, but man that was impressive.
Recruitment: The staff had eyes on Zayden multiple games over the weekend, with Coach Howard being front row for his Sunday game after extending an offer two weeks ago. As predicted a few weeks back, Zayden is in full blow-up mode. In the three weeks since calling him my 2022 version of Kyle Filipowski, High has been offered by Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, Creighton, TCU, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Colorado. North Carolina is now poking-around as well. Needless to say this will be a highly-contested recruitment should Michigan not close the deal with Papa Kante.
Xavier Booker
Height/Weight: Listed at 6'10/205. May actually be 6'11.
High School/AAU: Indianapolis Cathedral HS (IN)/Independent George Hill All Indy
Mainstream Ranking: 4-star/35-100 range, with wide variation among services.
EM Ranking/Evaluation: While I haven't evaluated Booker in a live game, the impact resembles that of a top-50 prospect rather than backend top-100 based on the film. Legit size + length for a center and moves well for a big when transitioning from defense/offense. Legit rim protector that will that projects to block/alter shots at a high level. Lateral agility seems adequate for a kid that size, even if it isn't top-tier stuff. Perimeter shotmaking ability is a huge plus given his defensive chops and finishing ability as a roll-man/lob threat. When watching Xavier's film, I see shades of former Purdue standout JaJuan Johnson in terms of body type and playstyle. The caveat here is that Booker doesn't play the best competition in Indiana (not at all bad though) or the travel ball circuit (doesn't play for a shoe-sponsored team). Plan on seeing him against shoe circuit competition in the very near future during a few local events that match up top tier independents versus shoe circuit clubs to get a better feel.
Recruitment: Michigan HC Juwan Howard was on the sidelines Friday for Booker to kick off the live evaluation period. It's hard for the coaching staff get a real feel for Booker playing against competition that isn't necessarily great. The upside is obvious, but there is some concern that his game might be too perimeter oriented along with questions about his interior physicality. In any event, Xavier just came off an official visit to Michigan State and the Spartans appear to be near the top of the list here. This one probably isn't all that serious unless Booker makes his way to Ann Arbor for a visit.
April 25th, 2022 at 10:59 AM ^
As a 3 time dad I appreciate both the analysis and the puntastic article headlines. Please keep up the good work!
April 25th, 2022 at 11:08 AM ^
Maybe I'm crazy, but from the film I've seen of Kante, he seems to be extremely undervalued. Dude is 6'10" with what looks like 7"+ wingspan and moves better than a lot of wings. He's raw offensively but that defensive upside is just insane
April 25th, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
I agree with this and if he is ready to commit, he seems like a definite take. That said, I am sky High (pun intended) on Zayden's potential at the 4 spot. With some added weight, he looks like a slightly taller Livers with a better handle. Is there a possibility of staying in that recruitment even if we were to land Kante?
My question is whether Zayden projects as a 5 or a 4 at the next level for Juwan. Maybe he could do a little of both like Diabate did this past year, but he seems a little undersized and more of a playmaker.
As for Kante, he's an intriguing pairing with Reed, who is a little more polished on offense and more of a below-the-rim big while Kante is more raw on offense but more elite on defense. Those two could be a good partnership at center in a couple years. My question on him would be his vertical athleticism. I liked that you gave some comparisons to Diabate, who was a similar player at this point in his recruitment. While there was a lot to like about Diabate this past year, the one trait that seemed misaligned from his days as a recruit was his length and ability to get up in the air. He's obviously not Austin Davis, but I think that lack of vertical length and explosiveness limited his impact as a finisher and help-side defender. Curious how Kante looks in comparison since he isn't a true 7-footer and is lean.
My non-expert opinion is that Moussa is plenty explosive in the open court (e.g. leading a break and dunking plus some explosive off-ball blocks) or when he has space but he loses much of that when he is bogged down in the post with physical contact (or off balance as an on-ball defender). I think that will improve as his strength and weight improves (plus camp Sanderson).
I think you're right - Moussa needs a running start for his vertical leap to be impactful. He's not a stand-still or 2-foot jumper at this point. I think strength and conditioning can maximize his skills and I do think he's above average, but he's not elite so when factoring in his other limitations like shooting or handling the ball it makes his NBA scouting report tricky.
I think he'll get stronger, I think he'll improve his jump shot a bit, and I think his hands will get a little better. At the college level he could be very productive or even a star (compare his traits to TJD for example). At the NBA level it is a little less clear, but I think someone would roll the dice in the second round that they can stash him in the G-League for a year or two and see if he gets there.
High and Kante seem like they would be a great 4/5 duo.
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