Last week we covered the existing offers in the primer series for 2021 with Guards, Wings and Bigs. Today, we’ll take a peek at some guard prospects that I’d like to see the staff pursue moving forward. I definitely take pride in scouting under-the-radar gems before they go into blow-up mode (Isaiah Livers, Jaden McDaniels, Jaden Akins), so we’re going to cover some “who dat” types that have the talent, but not necessarily the recognition just yet.

The wish list is based on a combination of Michigan’s needs (playmakers off the bounce), Juwan’s preferred physical profile (size and/or good athlete) and my evaluation/projection.

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

Guard – moves well enough to defend the perimeter; generally a competent ballhandler/shot creator in a half-court setting; ideally a competent shooter, but not necessarily

Top of the List

J.D. Davison

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’5/NA/180
• High School/AAU: Calhoun HS (AL)/Team Fusion (EYBL)
• Current Composite Ranking: 5star/#19 Overall
• My End of Summer Projection: 5star/Top 15 Overall

Scouting: it takes all of 30 seconds of the film to recognize Davision is an NBA-caliber athlete with NBA size. As an on-ball shot creator, he changes direction/speed with the ball effortlessly in tight spaces, displays good vision and creates easy buckets for others. J.D. knocks down pull-up jumpers in both isolation and ballscreen action. He has great elevation on his shot, good arch and nice rotation. An electric finisher, he drops defenders off at the seventh floor before elevating to the tenth. Caveats apply based on HS competition level, but Davison looks every bit the prospect that Josh Christopher was and perhaps more skilled/athletic. Comparing Davison to more well-known 2021 names, there is simply no way that Max Christie is a better prospect. And that’s no slight to Christie. J.D. projects as an instant impact lead guard that absolutely raises the floor and ceiling of his respective team with his perimeter shotmaking, playmaking for others and electric athleticism that will no doubt provide a better home-court advantage.

[Hit THE JUMP for your “Who Dats”]

Wesley Cardet

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’5/NA/180
• High School/AAU: Northeast HS (FL)/Team Breakdown (Under Armour)
• Current Composite Ranking: 4star/#121 Overall(!)
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 40-60 Overall

Scouting: Cardet is criminally undervalued at #121 overall. He has tremendous vision off the bounce, consistently collapses the defense with dribble penetration before finding teammates for easy layups when help defense arrives. Wesley also handles the ball very well for a bigger guard, he covers so much ground with his long strides. Although he has no reported wingspan, he looks to have very good length. It appears he has to tuck-in his arms when shooting because of it. His shot mechanics are reminiscent of former target Nimari Burnett, who had a +8(!) wingpsan. Cardet’s biggest improvement over the last year is his shooting ability. He’s tightened up his mechanics a bit, and is now hitting pull-ups and catch and shoot attempts regularly. More smooth and fluid than explosive, he displays very good body control as a finisher and absorbs contact well while maintaining balance. Wesley projects as a versatile offensive player that has great impact with his passing ability. His combination of size/length/athleticism will make him a plus finisher with a ton of defensive potential. The question is whether his improved jumper makes him an average-ish shooter or above average/good shooter in college. If it’s the latter, watch out.

Who Dats

Rafael Pinzon

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’5/NA/180
• High School/AAU: Long Island Lutheran HS (NY)/NY Jayhawks (Adidas)
• Current Composite Ranking: NR
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 75 Overall

Scouting: Pinzon just made the move to the US last year, so the lack of value to the mainstreams isn’t as bothersome. The first thing that stands out is the open-court speed/pace that Pinzon has. He really pushes the ball in space with the purpose of placing the defense in a compromising position. The clip below is rather long, so I’ll provide some assistance.

Starting at the 3:20 mark, you can see Rafael has a solid pull-up game, although I like him better as a catch and shoot type in terms of perimeter shooting. Beginning with the 5:05 mark, he looks really good as a floor spacing shooter. Compact mechanics, quick release and fluid. Pinzon has solid vision that is displayed starting at the 6:05 mark. Really like his ambidexterity as a passer with a live dribble. Rafael’s handle can be a bit high/loose, and he can be bothered by quicker guards that apply ball pressure. He’s a very unique prospect that projects as versatile combo-guard/wing that lacks the burst to be a first option on-ball creator, but has the ballskills to generate offense off the bounce depending on the matchup. His shooting will likely translate from day 1. He’ll likely need to make gains athletically/physically before becoming an impact contributor.

Ty Harper

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’3/NA/170
• High School/AAU: Golden State Prep (CA)/Team Harden (Adidas)
• Current Composite Ranking: #145 Overall
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 75 Overall

Scouting: Harper recently reclassified to 2021 (originally a 2020) and reminds me a bit of 2021 offer Jaden Akins from an athletic standpoint. He certainly has some quick-twitch explosiveness, with outstanding leaping ability and body control in the air. His breakout came against a loaded Sierra Canyon squad in December, where Ty made Kentucky signee Brandon Boston look downright lost at times. He repeatedly hit pull-up threes against NBA length (and let him know about it too) and was the best player on the court. Harper has some shiftiness off the bounce and is smooth when switching gears with the ball. He excels in PnR as a scorer, but certainly prefers to get buckets rather than facilitate at this point in his development. He displays solid vision, but he’s a natural scorer. Ty projects as scoring lead-guard that may need to add some muscle mass prior to playing heavy rotational minutes. But a player with his natural athletic gifts and scoring ability is going to find his way into the lineup sooner rather than later.

Specialists

Jordan Longino

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’5/NA/195
• High School/AAU: Germantown Academy (PA)/Philly Pride (Under Armour)
• Current Composite Ranking: #61 Overall
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 50 Overall

Scouting: Jordan is an elite shooter with NBA range. He hits deep 3s with consistency and his stroke looks effortless with repeatable form despite his shot origin being a bit lower than desired. Longino isn’t your typical “just shooter” type either, starting at the 2:45 mark he hits pull-ups over and over, with extremely good balance and elevation. He often does this after making Iverson cuts, something that you’ll often see at both the college and NBA level. And while I won’t mistake him for a great athlete, Jordan is adequate in terms of his functional athleticism. His open-court speed, elevation and ability to change direction should be solid at the high-major level when coupled with his developed frame. Longino projects as an instant impact scorer in college that hits perimeter shots off screens, catch/shoot attempts and isolations off the bounce. Frankly, I like Jordan more than 2021 offer Trevor Keels. Longino is a better athlete, has more size and handles the ball better. Has the look of a really good college player for multiple years.

Taihland Owens

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’4/NA/185
• High School/AAU: Cherokee HS (GA)/ATL Celtics (Adidas)
• Current Composite Ranking: #122 Overall
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 80-100 Overall

Scouting: good shooter with a smooth release. Owens doesn’t allow the defense to speed him up and typically gets his shot off relatively easy. Again, not a great athlete, but his spatial awareness allows him the luxury of playing under control and at his own pace. Owens hits jumpers off the dribble with ease. At times, it doesn’t even appear that he’s exerting any real energy when playing the game. Taihland projects as a multi-year college player that will need a high-major strength/conditioning program to optimize his physical abilities. He will definitely be a perimeter shotmaker with good positional size for the college game. Not a pro, but a kid that spaces the floor and flashes the ability to create his own offense as an upperclassmen.