Last week we covered the existing offers in the primer series for 2021 with Guards, Wings and Bigs. Tuesday my Wish List series kicked things off with the Guards and hit on the Wings yesterday. Today, we’ll take a peek at some Bigs that I’d like to see the staff pursue moving forward.

As a refresher, here is my general blueprint for designating bigs:

Big—has adequate size/length to protect the rim and/or rebound and/or not get bullied by traditional bigs in the B10; can ideally finish as a roll-man

File This Under Pursue Immediately

Akoldah Gak

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’11/7’2/205
• High School/AAU: Blair Academy (NJ)/Pro Scholars Athletics (EYBL)
• Current Composite Ranking: 152(!)
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 50 Overall

Scouting: I simply have no explanation for the mainstream ranking here. Gak is a giant human being with tons of talent/athleticism that plays HS ball with multiple D1 prospects (Jaylen Blakes and former Michigan target Jabri Abdur-Rahim) in a heavily scouted area while suiting up for a prominent AAU club. I preface my physical profile scouting by saying that most kids listed at 6’11 are actually 6’9 in shoes. Akoldah is every bit of a legit 6’11 and looks absolutely massive on the court. The measurements above were taken from the 2019 Nike Elite 100, so its possible he’s grown an inch and added wingspan since then. Athletically, he has everything you’d want from an NBA standpoint let alone the college game. The blow-by displayed at the 1:12 mark in the film is nothing short of insane for a kid of that size. I don’t know that I’ve seen more than 10 HS bigs display that level of burst over the last 10 years. Once again at the 1:25 mark he attacks a closeout with the fluidity and acceleration of a very athletic 6’7 wing. He moves at an elite level, simple as that.

He’s extremely fluid handling the ball in transition or the half-court. He changes directions with euro-steps and spins with such ease that its hard to fathom. The spin-move he utilizes to avoid a charge at the 0:27 mark is a level of body control, spatial awareness, ballskills and athleticism that simply isn’t fair for a 6’11 center. As if the above wasn’t enough, he shoots the ball like a legitimate guard/wing. Most bigs have a slow/deliberate release that looks a bit awkward. Akoldah is extremely comfortable as a catch and shoot threat with a one-motion shot that is unblockable at the college level. I have no clue what his 3% was as a junior, but that shot looks damn good. He’s an explosive finisher off 1 or 2 legs and embraces contact consistently. On the defensive end he has the look of an elite rim protector that changes how the opposition approaches the game. He projects as an instant-impact player at the college level with some serious pro potential. Offensively he’s the epitome of versatile. With the attributes to be an elite roll-man/lob threat, a face-up option that blows by bigs from the wing/elbow, a floor-spacer in Pick-and-Pop action and a rim-runner with strides like a deer in the open court. Defensively he has the lateral agility to switch on the perimeter and the length/verticality to give you 2+ blocks per game. His combination of size/length/skill/athleticism is scary and he can be a complete game-changer on both ends of the court assuming he’s got everything together upstairs. Assuming that’s the case, I’d take him over any big that we’ve offered and he might be my number one overall target considering the lack of depth at center.

[Hit THE JUMP for a well-known and another “Who Dat”]

Alex Tchikou

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’11/NA/200
• High School/AAU: Dream City Christian (AZ)/UNeek Ballers (Adidas)
• Current Composite Ranking: 4star/#37 Overall
• My End of Summer Projection: 5star/Top 25 Overall

Scouting: a perimeter oriented, stretch-big with good size/length, but doesn’t appear to be a legit 6’11. Very good shot mechanics for a big, with a high release point and lower body balance. Consistently hits triples with ease and confidence, very comfortable as a shooter. Developing handle that needs further development. Flashes ability to change direction/speed, but the handle is high/loose. But the potential is absolutely there. Outstanding spatial awareness. At the 0:45 mark he fakes a pass going right while still in the air to get the defender off-balance before taking a hard dribble left and hitting a pull-up from 17 feet. That’s extremely rare for any big in the world not named Anthony Davis, particularly a HS junior. Very good athlete that runs the floor well with good leaping ability. Lacks strength and doesn’t embrace contact as much as you’d like just yet. Defensively he moves well for a big, and is an excellent rim protector.

You’ll notice him giving former commit Isaiah Todd the business a few times in the clip below as a bonus. Projects as a multi-year college player that cracks the rotation early based on raw talent and athleticism. Will definitely be a stretch big that excels out of pick and pop action while scoring as a roll-man and on dumpoffs. May be able to attack with a dribble or two with further development of his ballhandling. Has some potential to be switchable, but his real value will be as a rim protector. Looks a like a smaller version of Jalen “Sticks” Smith to a certain extent.

Cesare Edwards

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’9/NA/205
• High School/AAU: Hartsville HS (SC)/Upward Starts (Adidas)
• Current Composite Ranking: NR(!)
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 75ish Overall

Scouting: a very skilled big that has the size and movements of a PF, but will certainly get some run at the C spot. Outstanding ballskills for a big, very comfortable handling the ball in transition and making decisions. At the :30 second mark he changes speeds twice with the ball before hitting a pull-up jumper from 20 feet. Flashes some shot creating ability in half-court sets as well. The euro-step at the 0:21 mark in a space that tight was definitely a wow moment. The 0:54 second mark sees Edwards receive the ball on the right wing before ripping through with one hard dribble and hitting a baseline jumper off the bounce. Really strong move there from a kid that is 6’8-6’9.

He has some chops as a back-to-the-basket scorer as well. He bullies defenders in the paint before using soft touch on a nice jumphook over his left shoulder. A very good shooter when his feet are set with repeatable form. Likely the best shooter in today’s group. Displays good motor on the glass and gives multiple efforts while initiating contact. Solid rim protector that makes help rotations. He’s a good athlete that elevates well off 2 feet and shows some surprising ability to change direction in small areas. Not the same caliber of athlete as Gak or Tchikou in terms of lateral agility, fluidity and overall explosiveness, but certainly a plus athlete.

Projects as an instant-impact college player that is extremely productive but probably lacks the ideal size/length/athleticism to make him attractive to the NBA before he strings together a couple of very good seasons. Will be a floor-spacer in pick and pop action, face-up against slower bigs on the elbows/wing and bully smaller defenders on switches. Don’t see a ton of potential to be switchable, but Edwards projects to be a good rebounder that is a solid position defender. His physical profile and skillset definitely remind me of a young Mike Scott at Virginia. This is the type of player that helps a college coach win a ton of games.