DaJuan Wagner, Jr. Scouting Report

CONTEXT

DaJuan Wagner, Jr. is currently the top-ranked recruit in the 2023 high school class[1].

As a freshman, the six-foot-three guard earned a starting spot and high minutes right away at Camden High School in New Jersey. He profiles as a lead guard but acted more as a floor-spacer in his first year.

The New Jersey native was not just a basic spot-up shooter, though, as Camden ran plays to get him shots on the move and the fluidity of his catch-and-shoot stroke at such a young age, off an advanced shot profile, really stood out.

On the other end, he had some responsibility defending on the ball and executing the top of the zone but there isn’t much of anything there yet.

SHOOTING

  • Not only a very capable open-shot shooter but has already shown a good deal of versatility to his release
    • Took some three-pointers in Spain pick-and-roll, jogging to the ball for handoffs, trotting around staggered screens and drifting to the wing off a pindown screen
    • Really impressed with his footwork setting his shooting base quickly off movement
    • Showed to be a willing screener who looked to draw real contact when he set inside screens in Spain pick-and-roll
  • Pretty fluid overall approach
    • Elevates off 1-2 footwork
    • Needs a slight dip for rhythm but it’s not that pronounced
    • Gets a good deal of elevation and fully extends himself for a high release – able to get his shot off over closeouts comfortably
    • Well developed guide hand discipline on follow through
    • Pretty textbook weight transfer on spot-ups
  • Not a very aggressive pull-up shooter at this point of his development but flashed a good feel for using and declining ball-screens to set up a two-dribble pull-up jumper in rhythm off a side pick-and-roll

DRIVING

  • Got touches on the side of the floor off Iverson cuts and curling around a handoff, besides the occasional isolation
  • Hasn’t yet developed much in terms of explosiveness and strength – listed with a 165-pound frame
    • Doesn’t yet have a quick first step or any sort of speed with the ball and struggles to play through contact for now
  • Showed early traits of a crafty handle and some suddenness to maneuver his way around
    • Lefty in-and-out dribble and going behind the back with the ball in a string to shake a defender trying to press him one-on-one
    • Going between the legs into a quick first to manipulate his man into the ball screen and a hesitation move to get by while changing speeds in pick-and-roll
    • A nifty spin curling off a handoff to gain ground against a help defender switching onto him on the fly
    • Some attention to detail tucking the ball to protect it in traffic
  • Hasn’t yet developed much lift off the bounce and acts as a below-the-rim finisher at this point of his development
    • Flashed a euro-step in transition to clear his way around a rim protector
    • Despite being a right-handed shooter, curiously showed more of a preference for finishing with his left hand
    • Mostly relies on under-handed attempts and showed some promising touch on those
    • Proved capable of adjusting his body in the air for an extended finish at one point
    • Tries some floaters to finish over length from the in-between area but touch on those didn’t stand out
  • Decent shot creator for others on the move but hasn’t yet shown anything particularly impressive in terms of court vision on more advanced reads
    • Can deliver a jump-pass over the top to the roll man off a side pick-and-roll
    • Can execute kickouts and drop-offs off drawing two to the ball

DEFENSE

  • Bends his knees to get down in a proper stance
  • Played the top of the zone in the second half against Rancho Christian and acted as the primary on-ball defender in the second half of the games against Roman Catholic and Timber Creek but it’s more underdeveloped on defense than he is on offense, in part because of his small frame in comparison to players who were on average a couple of years older than him
    • Not quick enough to stay in front
    • Not strong enough to contain
    • Did have an impressive block on a pull-up sliding around a ball-screen quickly and hustling in pursuit in a short area to swipe the ball from behind in the game against Rancho Christian
  • Not any sort of a contributor in help defense
    • Prone to biting on shot fakes when he found himself near the rim
  • Mixed bag on closeouts
    • At times, showed some urgency to run the shooter off his shot and balance subsequently defending off the bounce
    • At times, prone to flying by and getting blown by

[1] According to ESPN

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of ‘Basketball Scouting’. More of his work can be found here or at RealGM, where he is a regular contributor. He can be followed on twitter as @rafael_uehara

Amari Bailey Scouting Report

CONTEXT

Amari Bailey is currently the fourth-ranked recruit in the 2022 high school class[1].

With Ziaire Williams and BJ Boston getting superstar priority and the nature of Sierra Canyon’s more individualistic approach on offense, the six-foot-four combo-guard had to act as more of an off-guard in his sophomore season.

But when he had the chance to create offense here and there, the 16-year-old[2] impressed with his combination of athletic ability and craft getting to the basket.

On the other end, his 185-pound frame in the context of his height and his age is promising. It suggests he could very well become strong enough to offer versatility matching up against bigger types, but Bailey is currently more underdeveloped in terms of technique and effectiveness.

He had to match up against opposing ball handlers regularly, in order to accommodate Williams and Boston regularly sharing the court with Terren Frank and either Yu Jiahao or Shy Odom at center, and struggled in every aspect of defense, except maybe transition defense.

FINISHING

  • Pretty resourceful off the bounce for someone his age, both in terms of quickness and skill, able to get to the basket in volume in isolation and turning the corner in pick-and-roll at the high school level
    • Has a quick first step, out of a standstill position and off a hesitation move, and can get by his man on straight-line speed
    • Has shown glimpses of being able to keep the ball in a string
    • Showed attention to detail looking to protect the ball in traffic
    • Can go to euro-steps, spin moves, stop-and-start suddenness and in-and-out dribbles to craftly manipulate his way through traffic
  • Flashed some explosive leaping ability off one foot in transition, with a head of steam, but doesn’t often get as much lift in the half-court, most often looking to gallop into two-foot leaps in traffic
    • Has shown good touch around the basket
    • Flexible and strong enough to hang and adjust his body in the air
    • Capable of finishing through contact – powered through Chet Holmgren at one point in the game against Minnehaha Academy in a way that stood out
    • Not as adept at finishing with his right hand as he is with his dominant left hand
    • Really impressed with his dexterity using his off arm to shield his finish from a rim protector coming to meet him at the summit
    • Has developed a nice head fake off a hard jump-stop to bait the defender into leaving his feet and draw a foul
    • Flashed a wrong foot, wrong hand layup in transition
  • Takes floaters off a jump-stops and runners off pass-fakes to finish over length from the in-between area but hasn’t yet developed particularly impressive touch on those
  • Can play above the rim as a target for lobs sneaking behind the defense on backdoor cuts

PULL-UP SHOOTING

  • Capable shooter off the bounce
    • Can stop on a dime
    • Elevates off good rhythm on stop-and-pop pull-ups
    • Can get to his spots around the elbow off hesitation moves

PASSING

  • Had some noteworthy moments passing on the move but given the nature of Sierra Canyon’s offense, Bailey acted more as a caretaker off-guard who got to create his own offense on occasion but was not relied on to create for others in volume
  • Proved he can see the whole floor pretty well against a static defense and toss up well timed lobs out of a standstill position to backdoor cutters
  • Pretty adept at keeping his dribble alive on deep penetration to launch a hammer pass to the weakside corner

SPOT-UP FINISHING

  • Left-handed shooter who does not set his body with both his feet pointed towards the rim
  • Elevates off 1-2 footwork stepping into his shot on spot-ups
  • Gets little elevation off the ground
  • Goes through compact mechanics with a low release out in front and a quick-ish trigger
  • Guide hand discipline on follow through could use some work
  • Capable open-shot shooter at this point of his development who was not given a chance to show if he has any sort of versatility to his release

OTHER AREAS OF OFFENSE

  • Acts as a threat to get the occasional putback dunk
  • Took a smaller/weaker matchup to the post a couple of times
    • Looked to spin baseline both times, at one point to launch a hammer pass to the weakside corner and another to finish on short toss in

DEFENSE

  • Stood out with his energy executing full-court presses
  • Hustles back in transition defense
    • Quick leaper off two feet to block a shot running back
  • Often approached opposing ball handlers in a soft stance in the half-court
  • Moves his feet to slide laterally a couple of times in one direction but doesn’t play with enough physicality on defense to chest up and contain dribble penetration through contact, despite his 185-pound frame, while also getting beat out an island eventually
  • Underdeveloped at negotiating screens
    • Went under picks at the point of attack quite a bit – hustled to try beating the ball handler to the spot on the other side but rarely managed to contest pull-ups effectively
    • More of a mixed bag when he went over – could not get around the ball screen cleanly but hustled in pursuit to bother from behind
    • Defended chasing around pindown screens a little bit – lacks the standing reach to contest catch-and-shoots effectively when he’s not within the shooter’s personal space
  • Did not stand out as much of a contributor off the ball
    • Prone to get caught ball watching and give up a backdoor cut
  • Flies by on closeouts and gets blown by

[1] According to ESPN

[2] DOB: Feb/17/2004

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of ‘Basketball Scouting’. More of his work can be found here or at RealGM, where he is a regular contributor. He can be followed on twitter as @rafael_uehara

Brandon Boston, Jr. Scouting Report

CONTEXT

BJ Boston was the seventh-ranked recruit in the 2020 high school class[1].

After spending his first three years of high school at Norcross High School in Georgia, the six-foot-six wing transferred to Sierra Canyon in California for his senior season.

He joined a star-studded squad that featured Ziaire Williams, Terren Frank, Amari Bailey and the sons of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and went on to play a demanding schedule with an absurd number of miles traveled for teenagers, featuring more appearances on ESPN’s platforms than the Knicks.

Boston didn’t look his best earlier in the season, to the point I actually viewed Frank as the most interesting player on the team when I wrote about him in early January, which was prior to Williams getting fully integrated after only becoming eligible in late December. But as the year went along, Boston eventually established himself as the second-best player on the team on offense.

Sierra Canyon played a my turn, your turn (Williams), my turn, your turn, his turn (Bailey, sometimes Frank) approach in the half-court, mostly relying on the brilliance of its wings in isolation, and occasionally in pick-and-roll.

The 18-year-old[2] fit that offense very well, putting together some of the sickest highlight clips you are ever going to find, nailing some awesome pull-up three-pointers with a hand in his face after shaking his man with nifty dribble moves.

He will enter college a little more unproven in terms of handling in pick-and-roll, though. Unfortunately for him, his next team (Kentucky) doesn’t have a great track record of putting its wings in position to showcase their development in that area, so he’ll probably enter the NBA with about the same questions.

On other end, Boston is a man without a country right now, lacking the strength to check power wings any time soon and the quickness to crossmatch onto smaller types on a regular basis.

ESPN ranked him eighth in its way-too-early 2021 mock draft.

ISOLATION OFFENSE

  • Lives to take side-step and step-back three-pointers, able to create separation on pound dribbles and nasty crossovers going between the legs or behind the back with flashes of a tight handle keeping the ball in a string
    • Hard to say without data how great a shot maker he is for sure, but the ball does go in quite a bit
  • Has side-to-side shake and some straight-line speed with the ball, as well as proved capable of maintaining his balance and his momentum forward through contact in high school
    • Can pivot into well-coordinated spin moves and mix in some hesitation moves as well
  • So-so finisher overall but looked much improved towards the end of the season compared to the beginning, when he came off the bench for a while[3]
    • Explosive leaper off two feet uncontested and able to go up with power off one foot with a head of steam, usually in transition, but has shown to struggle with his lift without space to load up his leap briefly
    • Touch on finger-roll layups left something to be desired at times
    • Not very adept at finishing through contact at this point due to his very thin 175-pound frame in the context of his six-foot-six height
    • Flashed an impressive high glass finish off a spin move at one point
    • Hasn’t yet developed the flexibility to adjust his body in the air whenever needed
    • Prone to challenging rim protectors without much of a plan
  • Capable of making basic reads on the move but you don’t often see a lot of drop-offs and kickouts from him

PICK-AND-ROLL OFFENSE

  • More willing and focused of a shot creator for others in pick-and-roll
    • Can deliver over the top on jump-passes to the roll man on the side of the floor
    • Attempts some hooks passes to the weakside operating in middle high pick-and-roll but hasn’t yet developed a whole lot of timing in his delivers
    • Flashed some dexterity feeding stretch big men with the skip pass against the momentum of his body in pick-and-pop

FLOOR SPACING

  • Not shy of attempting some really long catch-and-shoot three-pointers and though they almost always look ill-advised because of the distance, Boston has proven himself capable of hitting some from such a deep range
  • Very capable open-shot shooter with a fluid catch-and-shoot stroke
    • Catches on the hop
    • Goes through compact mechanics with a low release out in front
    • Gets great elevation off the ground and can get his shot off comfortably over most closeouts
    • Tends to get a good arc in his shot
    • Looked like he needed an extra split second to load up his shot on occasion but for the most part showed decent speed in his release
  • Didn’t have a chance to show a whole lot of versatility to his release but took some three-pointers sprinting off pindown screens
    • Footwork setting his base on the move looks promising
  • Very smooth operator out of triple threat position, escaping into two-dribble pull-ups in phenomenal rhythm against hard closeouts

POST OFFENSE

  • Took smaller matchups to the post every once in a while but hasn’t yet developed all that many resources to operate out of that area effectively
    • Faced up at one point and set up a step-back pull-up off a jab-step
    • Attempted a turnaround fadeaway jumper at another point

OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING

  • Impressed with his knack for generating second chance opportunities in high school
  • Hunts for offensive rebounds and acts as a legit putback dunk threat
  • Also showed a quick second jump to fight for tip-ins and 50-50 balls

CUTTING

  • Powerful leaper off two feet with space to load up and showed to be an option to play above the rim as a target for lobs on backdoor cuts

INDIVIDUAL DEFENSE

  • Bends his knees to get down in a stance
  • Has a few lateral slides in him to stay in front of similar-sized players in isolation but lacks the strength, the physicality and the tenacity to contain dribble penetration through contact, thus not projecting as a good option to check the opponents’ most threatening wing at this point of his development
  • Switched/crossmatched onto smaller players from time-to-time and though there were flashes of intensity trying to heat up opposing ball handlers on full-court presses, Boston generally struggled against more capable types in the half-court
    • Doesn’t have enough slides to stay in front of guards out on an island
    • Got shook side-to-side and blown by
    • Struggles to go over picks cleanly at the point of attack
    • Can block a shot from the side in recovery if aided by a help defender stopping the ball

HELP DEFENSE

  • Showed decent activity off the ball
  • Puts his length to use in the passing lanes, gets deflections
  • Rotates in to pick up the roll man and off the weakside to help at the rim
    • Can block a shot on occasion
  • Will mix it up on scrums from time-to-time but is pretty soft with his boxouts and gets pushed out of the way by true big men
    • Quickness chasing the ball off the rim did not stand out
  • Sells out to closeout to the three-point line and gets blown by a troubling amount

[1] According to ESPN

[2] DOB: Nov/28/2001

[3] If you follow me on twitter for a while, odds are you know that I’m not really big on the idea of starting as a matter of status, which is really prevalent in the US, but it’s because people care so much about it there that it’s noteworthy when a highly touted player does come off the bench

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of ‘Basketball Scouting’. More of his work can be found here or at RealGM, where he is a regular contributor. He can be followed on twitter as @rafael_uehara

Ziaire Williams Scouting Report

CONTEXT

Ziaire Williams was the eighth-ranked recruit in the 2020 high school class[1].

After spending his first three years of high school at Notre Dame High School, the six-foot-eight wing transferred to Sierra Canyon for his senior season.

He joined a star-studded squad that featured BJ Boston, Terren Frank, Amari Bailey and the sons of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and went on to play a demanding schedule with an absurd number of miles traveled for teenagers, featuring more appearances on ESPN’s platforms than the Knicks.

Williams ended the season as the best player on the team on offense. Sierra Canyon played a my turn, your turn (Boston), my turn, your turn, his turn (Bailey, sometimes Frank) approach in the half-court, mostly relying on the brilliance of its wings in isolation, and occasionally in pick-and-roll.

The 18-year-old[2] exceled at creating his offense one-on-one and the sheer volume of talent at Sierra Canyon’s disposal consistently overwhelmed most of the competition it faced in California.

On the other end, he held his own when challenged one-on-one and showed glimpses of being able to defend the point of attack effectively but needs to develop a lot physically to be considered an option to guard the power wings his height suggests he should match up with in the pros.

The Stanford-commit also did not prove to be much of an asset in help defense, which was sort of a disappointment considering his combination of physical profile and athletic ability.

ESPN ranked fifth in its way-too-early 2021 mock draft and Williams enters his freshman year college viewed as one of those prospects could end up the number one pick in the draft one year from now.

ISOLATION OFFENSE

  • Aggressive pull-up shooter
    • At times overaggressive – not shy of taking long-range pull-up bombs early in the shot clock on no-pass possessions
    • Plays with good rhythm stopping on a dime and rises with good balance off the bounce
    • Has shown a knack for getting to his spots around the elbow
    • Creates separation via crossovers, hesitation moves and going between the legs into a step-back – has a pretty good handle for someone his height
  • Has a quick first step, not just off the catch but out of a standstill position as well, and managed to get to the basket in a position of strength constantly in high school
    • Not very quick with the ball and struggles to play through contact but can pivot into a well-coordinated spin move to gain ground when he’s forced out of a straight-line drive
    • Prone to driving into crowds
    • Has shown some comfort going to his left hand around the basket
    • Prone to challenging rim protectors without a plan
    • Not strong enough to finish through contact regularly due to his thin 180-pound frame in the context of his six-foot-eight height
    • Explosive leaper off one foot with a head of steam behind him but tends to act more as a rim-level finisher in traffic
    • Can adjust his body in the air for double-clutch finishes and reverses around rim protectors
  • Has flashed a floater off a jump-stop to finish over length from the in-between area
  • Can make basic reads on kickouts off drawing two to the ball and drop-offs off engaging the last line of defense

PICK-AND-ROLL OFFENSE

  • Took some smooth two-dribble pull-ups in side pick-and-roll
  • Ran the occasional middle high pick-and-roll off a catch-and-hold
    • Can deliver basic jump-passes to the roll man over the top
    • Hasn’t shown anything particularly impressive in terms of creating for others on more advanced reads
    • Plays with some pace working to create separation for a one-dribble pull-up

TRANSITION OFFENSE

  • Passes ahead to speed up the pace of the game
  • Can grab-and-go off a defensive rebound and take it end-to-end
    • Explosive leaper off one foot with a head of steam behind him to go up with power for windmill dunks
  • Explosive leaper off two feet to play above the rim as a target for lobs filling the lanes

POST OFFENSE

  • Will take a smaller/weaker matchup to the post every once in a while
  • More often looks for basic turnaround fadeaway jumpers, at times off a hiked leg
  • Has shown glimpses of a face-up package, for now most commonly looking for a no-dribble jumper off a jab-step

FLOOR SPACING

  • Has a very fluid catch-and-shoot stroke
    • Catches on the hop
    • Needs a slight dip for rhythm but it’s not that pronounced
    • Fully extends himself for a high release
    • Has great guide-hand discipline on the follow through
    • Shows great weight transfer on spot-ups
  • More of an open-shot shooter at this point of his development, having not yet shown much versatility to his release
  • Has great rhythm and balance shot-faking into a one-dribble pull-up off an escape dribble against flyby closeouts

INDIVIDUAL DEFENSE

  • Approaches the opponent in more of a hunched down posture rather than bending his knees to get down in a proper stance
  • Has a few lateral slides in him in one direction to stay in front out in space but is unable to contain dribble penetration through contact at this point of development
    • Has shown glimpses of attempting to leverage his length into reaching around for steals or taps
  • Flashed some side-to-side quickness to stay attached to smaller players in isolation
  • Puts in the effort to contest pull-up jumpers and can get a block on occasion
  • Doesn’t do well sliding cleanly around screens but works to go over the pick at the point of attack as well as he can and hustles in pursuit to challenge shots effectively from behind

HELP DEFENSE

  • Hustles back in transition and can pick up the occasional chase-down block
  • Decent position defense clogging driving lanes, not so much to leverage his length into making plays from the side but stunting in an extra step to draw a charge
  • Can jump a passing lane but doesn’t really play with the sort of intensity needed to wreak havoc to create steals and deflections in volume
  • Doesn’t really mix it up on scrums under the rim
    • Not always all that inclined to boxout
    • Pretty soft with his boxouts whenever he does put a body on whoever is close by
  • Does contribute to the rebounding process by crashing the glass, impressing his explosiveness chasing the ball off the rim
  • Extremely uneven with his closeouts
    • At times, impresses with his urgency and his balance running the shooter off the line and subsequently sliding fluidly to defend off the bounce
    • At others, flies by and gets blown by

[1] According to ESPN

[2] DOB: Sep/12/2001

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of ‘Basketball Scouting’. More of his work can be found here or at RealGM, where he is a regular contributor. He can be followed on twitter as @rafael_uehara

Samuell Williamson Scouting Report

CONTEXT

Samuell Williamson was the 24th-ranked recruit in the 2019 high school class[1].

In his first year at Louisville, the six-foot-seven wing played a lower-end rotation role – averaging just 15.7 minutes per game and logging 17.6% usage[2] in his 31 appearances.

He got some opportunities to isolate or attack out of ball reversals within the flow of the offense and got some touches curling off pindown screens on occasion but primarily acted as a floor spacer who didn’t get all that many three-pointers up and showed more of a comfort putting the ball on the floor out of triple threat position.

On the other end, Williamson showed some promise on the ball and executing the scheme.

He hasn’t yet developed into an ace defender, but his 200-pound frame[3] at age 19[4] suggests he very well could end up strong enough to become an option for the tougher assignments.

The Rockwall, Texas native didn’t put together an impressive statistical profile in terms of flying around to create events but his commitment and attention to his help responsibilities away from the ball do stand out – making him seem a little more intriguing on video that he does on the spreadsheet.

ESPN ranked him 41st in its way-too-early 2021 mock draft but a better second year shooting the ball (if not better, at least more often) should attract more interest than that.

IN-BETWEEN SCORING

  • Took 44.3% of his live-ball attempts from mid-range last season and nailed them at a 41.2% clip[5]
  • Has a smooth two-dribble stop-and-pop pull-up operating out of triple threat position and in isolation off a catch-and-hold
    • Hasn’t yet developed a lot of dexterity creating separation via dribble moves and/or shiftiness
    • Can play through contact and step through into creating separation for a stop-and-pop pull-up
    • Rises in balance, gets good elevation off the bounce, and can get shots off over most similar-sized defenders
  • Flashed a runner off 1-2 footwork
    • Can get that shot off in isolation when the defender stays in front and curling off pindown screens
    • Got that shot off in a pick-and-roll against Clemson too
  • Can post up smaller/weaker matchups on occasion, looking to set up a turnaround fadeaway jumper

SHOOTING

  • Mostly an open-shot shooter at this point of his development
  • Pretty fluid release on spot-ups
  • Elevates off 1-2 footwork and fully extends himself for a high release
  • Doesn’t yet have a particularly quick trigger but can get his shot off prior to or over most closeouts in college
  • Nailed just one-third of his 27 three-point shots in his first year at Louisville, at a pace of just 2.3 such attempts per 40 minutes
  • Hit 20 of his 29 foul shots, suggesting the touch is there
  • Didn’t have the chance to show if and to which extent he has developed any versatility to his release

FINISHING

  • Had just seven unassisted makes at the rim that were not putbacks in his 478 minutes as a freshman, mostly via straight-line drives putting the ball on the floor out of triple threat position
  • Has a decent first step to get by his man one-on-one but didn’t show enough speed with the ball to overcome the consistently crowded lanes of college basketball
    • Can blow by big men on switches
  • Proved himself capable of playing through contact against other wings consistently in his first year
  • Explosive leaper off one foot with a head of steam behind him but not yet as potent rising in traffic, not even by galloping into two-foot leaps
  • Can hang and adjust his body in the air
  • Didn’t show much versatility as a finisher, most often acting as a rim-level finisher looking for basic speed layups
  • Shot 64.9% on his 37 attempts at the rim, with 45.8% of them assisted and another 25% of them coming on putbacks
  • Averaged 4.1 turnovers per 40 minutes – a sky high mark for someone his low usage rate
  • Averaged 4.1 turnovers per 40 minutes – a sky high mark for someone his low usage rate

OTHER AREAS OF OFFENSE

  • Not much of a shot creator for others at this point of his development – assisted on just 7% of Louisville’s scores when he was on the floor last season, at a 0.51 assist-to-turnover ratio
  • Has shown a knack for hunting for second chance opportunities – averaged 2.3 offensive rebounds per 40 minutes
    • Acts as a real threat to get putback dunks
  • Has shown to stay aware off the ball, looking for opportunities to cut backdoor or diagonally
    • Can go up strong off two feet with time and space to load
    • Can absorb contact and maintain his balance to go up in a position of strength to finish against a help defender rotating to challenge him at the basket

INDIVIDUAL DEFENSE

  • Bends his knees to get down in a stance
  • Can slide laterally a few times in one direction to stay in front and flashed some side-to-side quickness to stay attached as well
  • Doesn’t yet project as an ace defender against power wings but leverages the strength in his 200-pound frame to contain dribble penetration through contact
  • Puts in the effort to contest pull-ups
    • Had some possessions where he brought the heat really impressively, contesting a shooter in his personal space
  • Works to go over pindown screens but hasn’t shown much in terms of hustling in pursuit to contest or block shots from behind

HELP DEFENSE

  • Stays in a stance off the ball
  • Rotates in off the weakside to make plays at the basket
    • Quick leaper off two feet to flyby contest
    • Can block a shot but is not yet a threat to make plays on the ball consistently – had just five blocks in his 478 minutes
    • Averaged 4.1 personal fouls per 40 minutes
  • Flashes of impressive quickness recovering back off stunts
    • So-so closeouts; at times showing great urgency, at others weak effort
    • In his best closeouts, showed good body control to run more hesitant shooters off the line and defend off the bounce
  • Puts in the effort to contribute to the rebounding process
    • Mixes it up on scrums, boxes out whoever is close by and attempts to do so physically, though he gets pushed out of the way on matchups against true big men
    • Crashes the glass reasonably well – averaged 4.2 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes
  • Showed glimpses of getting his length in driving lanes to clog paths to the basket or make plays from the side and can jump a passing lane fairly well but didn’t quite fly around to get steals and deflections in volume
    • Averaged just 0.8 steals per 40 minutes last season

[1] According to ESPN

[2] According to RealGM

[3] According to Louisville’s official listing

[4] DOB: Sep/7/2000

[5] According to hoop-math

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of ‘Basketball Scouting’. More of his work can be found here or at RealGM, where he is a regular contributor. He can be followed on twitter as @rafael_uehara

Cade Cunningham Scouting Report

CONTEXT

If you are reading this blog, odds are you know plenty enough about Cade Cunningham by now, so you don’t really need a write-up on his background, and I’ll just update you with the latest developments;

  • Despite being the sort of prospect NBA teams plan to tank for years in advance, he ended up the second-ranked recruit in the 2020 high school class[1] because Jalen Green had a killer senior year at Prolific Prep
  • With Cunningham leading the way, Montverde Academy dominated high school basketball in Florida, to the point where it started to become widely speculated as perhaps the greatest high school team ever
  • In one of Montverde’s appearances on ESPN, a graphic showcasing Cunningham’s profile had the line “complete player” in the section under scouting report. I first snarked at the simplicity of the assessment but upon further thought, it is actually about right
  • The NCAA punished Oklahoma State with a postseason ban for this next season and there was trepidation at first that the six-foot-seven point-guard would then opt to leave school and sit out the year or join the G-League but he later announced he intended to fulfill his commitment
    • It is worth keeping in mind that part of why the 18-year-old[2] agreed to spend his pre-NBA year at Oklahoma State is the presence of his older brother in the coaching staff
  • ESPN ranked him first in its way-too-early 2021 mock draft

PASSING

  • Acted more as a primary scorer in the most prominent games this past season but it is worth establishing first that his court vision and the versatility of his passing remain the most appealing attributes of his skillset
  • Consistently impresses with the timing, touch, and accuracy of his deliveries in transition
    • Hook passes to the corner
    • Shovel passes to the wing
    • No-look passes with a numbers advantage
    • Lobs on the move with perfect timing
  • Has developed remarkable manipulation skills for someone his age against a set defense in the half-court
    • Passes over the top in side pick-and-roll
    • Crosscourt passes against the momentum of his body in middle pick-and-roll
    • Well-timed pocket passes
    • Lobs off putting the on-ball defender on his back and engaging the help defender to free up the roll man
    • Hammer passes to weakside shooters off deep dribble penetration
  • Showed in his time with the United States at the U19 World Cup a year ago that he doesn’t need to monopolize possession to the ball to impact ball movement, able to act as a connective tissue to create for others against a scrambling defense as well
    • Kickouts and drop-offs off engaging the last line of defense on straight-line drives
    • Extra passes around the horn to keep the offense humming
    • Touch passes off cuts

IN-BETWEEN SCORING

  • Has good feel for using or declining picks at the point of attack to create separation or get into the lane
  • Continued to show remarkable dexterity and impressive versatility to his finishing over length from the in-between area, able to launch floaters in a multitude of ways
    • Runners
    • Teardrops off euro-steps
    • Floaters off a jump-stop
    • Touch-shots off the catch on cuts
    • Push-shots off a shot-fake to get his defender to flyby
  • One-dribble pull-up jumper off the ball-screen has become very smooth
  • Seemed to want to showcase the development of his pull-up package in isolation a little more this past season
    • Impressed with his calmness not getting sped up late in the shot clock
    • Not very sudden or shifty to shake his man out of position all that often but manages to create separation via crafty ball-handling and footwork with in-and-out dribbles, crossovers and step-backs
    • Doesn’t have a high release on his pull-up jumper but gets good elevation and proved capable of getting his shot off over big men on switches

FINISHING

  • Was consistently able to play through contact in high school thanks to his strong 215-pound frame
  • Struggled as a finisher in a more demanding environment at the U19 World but those issues didn’t seem to carry to the high school season
  • Made strides in terms of protecting the ball in traffic some more
  • Mostly an up-and-down rim-level finisher but started to show some versatility to his finishing package dealing with a help-defender parked between him and the basket
    • Showed the flexibility needed to hang or adjust his body in the air for double clutch and finger-roll finishes
    • Seems more capable and more comfortable of going to his left hand
    • Flashed a very impressive wrong foot, wrong hand layup at one point
    • Can go up with power off one foot in space but hasn’t yet shown to be as explosive in traffic

SHOOTING

  • Release off the catch continues to look pretty fluid
    • Catches on the hop
    • Goes through compact mechanics with a low release out in front but manages to get good elevation to be able to shoot over closeouts comfortably more often than not
  • Hasn’t yet developed the trigger and the footwork to take shots on the move regularly but toyed with some quick bombs joining the offense late in transition
  • Hard to say for sure without data but the brutal struggles he dealt with shooting at the U19 World Cup (when he missed 13 of his 14 three-point shots) apparently didn’t carry to the high school season

POST OFFENSE

  • Pretty comfortable posting up smaller guys
    • Not just an empty bullet, seems to look to do so a couple of times a game
  • Has a patient approach operating with his back to the basket
  • Looks to set up basic right-handed hooks over the top but also flashed a turnaround fadeaway jumper with great fluidity

INDIVIDUAL DEFENSE

  • Continued to defend opposing point guards primarily and continued to prove himself capable of holding up well enough against smaller players full time
  • Works to go over picks at the point of attack
    • Hustle in pursuit to make plays from behind didn’t stand out as much as it had the previous season but Cunningham has plenty of good video showing his commitment to that task that it is clears he remains capable of acting as an impact defender in the pick-and-roll
  • Bends his knees to get down in a stance defending in isolation
    • Has shown to have several lateral slides in him in one direction to stay in out in space
    • Leverages the strength in his 215-pound frame to contain dribble penetration through contact consistently at the high school level
    • Has flashed lateral quickness to stay attached to smaller guards who can shake him side-to-side
    • Puts in the effort to contest pull-ups
    • Can block a shot defending on the ball

HELP DEFENSE

  • Often attentive to his responsibilities rotating in to pick up the roll man
    • Showed glimpses of explosive leaping ability to block shots coming off the weakside on longer rotations
  • Mixes it up on scrums
    • Helps crowd the area near the basket
    • Can block a shot from the side
    • Often looks to boxout whoever is close by
  • Closeouts, which had been better at the U19 World Cup than the previous season, left something to be desired again this past season

[1] According to ESPN

[2] DOB: Sep/25/2001

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of ‘Basketball Scouting’. More of his work can be found here or at RealGM, where he is a regular contributor. He can be followed on twitter as @rafael_uehara

Scottie Barnes Scouting Report

CONTEXT

Scottie Barnes was the fifth-ranked recruit in the 2020 high school class[1].

After spending the previous two years at NSU University School, the six-foot-eight combo forward transferred to powerhouse Montverde Academy for his senior year of high school and exceled as a star role player on a team so dominant that it was widely speculated as perhaps the greatest high school team ever.

He got to show the versatility of his defense, being able to switch and crossmatch onto perimeter players, as well as log some time at center in alternative lineups.

On offense, the soon-to-be 19-year-old[2] also plays a very attractive style as a shot creator for others on the move, even without handling against a set defense.

There are strong rumors that he’d like to convert into a point guard who does that sort of ball handling against a set defense and that Florida State convinced him to spend his pre-NBA year there in part by offering him a real chance to do so but Barnes projects as more of a connective tissue who can aid ball movement and people movement with handoffs, kickouts out of the short roll, quick ball reversals, by posting up to pass and by hitting cutters slipping backdoor off fake handoffs.

His shooting needs to develop but as the NBA rapidly paces towards a world where wings run pick-and-roll, wings space the floor and wings play center, players like Barnes should be in even higher demand.

ESPN ranked him 14th in its way-too-early 2021 mock draft.

PERIMETER DEFENSE

  • Picked up smaller players on switches a fair amount and checked wings on the perimeter from time-to-time
  • Bends his knees to get down in a stance
  • Defends on the ball with a good deal of intensity, capable of heating up opposing ball handlers of all sizes
  • Can stay attached to smaller players on straight-line drives and proved himself a quick off two feet to block shots at the rim defending on the ball
    • Projects as an option to hold up against guards who shake the defender side-to-side but wasn’t truly tested at the high school level and didn’t do as well as expected in these instances at the U19 World Cup one year ago
  • Showed urgency on his closeouts and proved himself quick enough to run the shooter off his shot and balanced enough to defend off the bounce
  • Was asked to extend conventional pick-and-roll coverage far beyond the foul line
    • Approached the pick-and-roll ball handler with urgency while showing at the three-point line
    • Proved capable of stopping the ball, impressing with his coordination and agility sliding laterally to prevent the ball handler from turning the corner right away off the pick

INTERIOR DEFENSE

  • Logged quite a bit of time at center when Day’ron Sharpe subbed out
    • 210-pound frame at age 19 suggests he’ll be strong enough to handle regular time at the position even as he moves up through the levels
  • Active help defender, stepping up to the front of the rim as the last line of defense and making longer rotations coming off the weakside in help defense
    • Quick leaper off two feet and rumored to have a nine-foot standing reach – can block a shot but didn’t stand out as a regular threat who gets those in volume and puts a lid on the rim
    • Guards with his arms up near the rim, walling up and making it challenging for opponents to finish over him
    • Impressed with his feel for the game making preventive rotations that denied dribble drives space towards driving all the way to the rim
    • Shadows post-ups and intervenes at the last second to block a shot
    • Did not show to be quick enough for multiple effort plays that required him to step up, force a drop-off and turn around quickly to challenge his man at the dunker spot
  • Showed so-so attention to his boxout responsibilities, at times being physical to protect his rebounding area but others missing the task of putting a body on whoever was close by
    • Did not stand out in terms of quickness chasing the ball off the rim

PASSING

  • Can trigger offense on grab-and-go’s off a defensive rebound, not just with basic ball reversals to initiate movement but by running tight pick-and-rolls at the elbow-extended area
    • Turns the corner, looks to engage the big defender, and has the dexterity to deliver quick passes off a live dribble to the roll man diving a step behind him
  • Pretty adept at delivering basic drop-offs and kickouts on the move off drawing two to the ball on straight-line drives
  • Flashed the ability to see the whole floor in one instance where passed crosscourt from one corner to a shooter drifting all the way to the other
  • Montverde didn’t do a lot of work through the elbows, but Barnes proved capable of acting as a hub to facilitate offense from around the same area against zone defenses
  • Posts up to pass and showed really good court vision scanning the floor while operating with his back to the basket
    • Can deliver diagonal passes to the opposite wing
    • Flashed quick touch passes against immediate double teams
  • Reckless passer at times

DRIVING

  • Can take it end-to-end on grab-and-go’s off a defensive rebound
  • Has a decent handle without being pressured and can turn the corner to attack the basket on side pick-and-rolls
    • Not an explosive leaper off one foot in traffic but impressed with his coordination euro-stepping his way through the crowd
    • Can launch a floater off a jump-stop but other than that, hasn’t yet developed many resources against rim protectors, most often acting as a basic up-and-down rim-level finisher
  • Doesn’t have a quick first step or much speed with the ball one-on-one
    • Has flashed some shiftiness going side-to-side but most often looked to play through contact on a straight line

FINISHING

  • So-so screener who jogs to screen on pick-and-rolls and hasn’t yet developed advanced techniques
  • Has decent lift of two feet without needing to load up to go up
  • Showed glimpses of very good touch on off-balance non-dunk finishes

SHOOTING

  • Spaced out to the three-point line only on occasion
  • Has a pretty mechanical release at this point of his development
    • Fully extends for a high release but needs time and space to set his feet and load his shot
    • Has no versatility to his release at this point of his development
  • Took a pull-up in an emergency late in the shot clock but doesn’t yet have the dexterity or the touch to act as any sort of a real threat to make jumpers off the bounce for now

[1] According to ESPN

[2] DOB: Jul/31/2001

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of ‘Basketball Scouting’. More of his work can be found here or at RealGM, where he is a regular contributor. He can be followed on twitter as @rafael_uehara

Day’Ron Sharpe Scouting Report

CONTEXT

Day’ron Sharpe was the 12th-ranked recruit in the 2020 high school class[1].

After leading South Central High School to a state title in North Carolina as a junior by averaging 16.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game[2], the six-foot-10 center transferred to powerhouse Montverde Academy for his senior year.

He was primarily relied on to finish dump-offs around the rim but also got some chances to post-up a fair amount and to take a few three-pointers joining the offense late in transition.

On the other end, the Greenville native did well as a rim protector when able to park in front of the goal and flashed some nimbleness defending out in space but doesn’t seem like an option to extend pick-and-roll coverage above the foul line or be asked to cover a lot of space regularly.

He is joining North Carolina for next season and that seems like a good fit, given the nature of his 246-pound frame and that coaching staff’s preference for big men who are able to outmuscle their competition.

RIM PROTECTION

  • Fairly active stepping up to the front of the rim as the last line of defense
  • Quick leaper off two feet to challenge shots via verticality and a capable shot blocker
  • Lengthy enough to block shots on his way down
  • Impressed with his quickness leveraging his length to deflect passes near the rim
  • Didn’t stand out much in terms of making longer rotations coming off the weakside in help defense

PICK-AND-ROLL DEFENSE

  • Approaches the perimeter in more of a hunched down posture rather than bending his knees to get down in a proper stance
  • Showed some nimbleness sliding laterally while defending a face-up big man out at the three-point line in the game against Archbishop Carroll but doesn’t seem like an option to pick up smaller players on switches
  • Can keep pace with smaller ball handlers from the foul line down and proved capable of blocking a shot on the ball on occasion
  • Prone to losing the roll man behind him while dropping back on show-and-recover coverage

POST DEFENSE

  • Hustles to front the post and deny easy entry passes
  • Not as stout holding his ground as his 246-pound frame suggests he should be

OFFENSE

  • Main role within the offense was to finish dump-offs
    • Can go up with power off two feet with time and space to load up
    • Not as adept at finishing through contact as his strong frame suggests he could be
    • Showed pretty decent touch on non-dunk finishes
    • Impressed with glimpses of smart flashing to the front of the rim to create a passing lane for a teammate who had to cut his drive short
  • Got “Perk” touches[3] and also a few other opportunities to post up from time-to-time
    • Was able to set fairly deep post position consistently in high school
    • Basic post game most often looking for a right-handed hook, without much in terms of sleek footwork, fakes and drop-steps
    • Hasn’t shown much feel for feeling double teams, most often attempting to power through the crowd
    • Showed some ambition to face-up on some of these; tried to go on short drives but doesn’t have any sort of a dribble game at this point in his development, most often just attempting to power through his opponent and galloping into a two-foot leap
    • Took a no-dribble jumper at one point but isn’t yet a serious threat on those either
  • Was put in pick-and-roll a little bit
    • Widens his stance to try drawing contact on his picks but hasn’t yet developed much versatility to his screening
    • Showed glimpses of soft and quick hands catching the ball on the move
    • Can play above the rim as a target for lobs sneaking behind the defense
    • Unclear if he’s able to explode in a crowd diving down the middle of the lane
  • Took some open three-pointers while joining the offense late in transition
    • Hasn’t yet developed a lot of fluidity in his release, needing time and space to set his feet and load up his shot
    • Has a low release, launching the ball from out in front
    • Gets little elevation off the ground, seeming like a near set-shot
    • Can get a pretty good arc in his shot
    • Can make wide-open three-pointers from the high school line if left completely unbothered
    • Spaced out to the short corner on occasion but hasn’t yet developed a quick enough trigger to act as a real threat in these instances

[1] According to ESPN

[2] According to USA Basketball

[3] Running a straight post-up for your center in the first possession of the game

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of ‘Basketball Scouting’. More of his work can be found here or at RealGM, where he is a regular contributor. He can be followed on twitter as @rafael_uehara

Dariq Whitehead Scouting Report

CONTEXT

Dariq Whitehead is currently the ninth-ranked recruit in the 2022 high school class[1].

Yet to turn 16[2], the six-foot-five wing spent his first couple years of high basketball at Montverde Academy and as a sophomore earned a rotation role in a stacked team widely speculated as perhaps the greatest high school team ever.

With Cade Cunningham, Moses Moody, Zeb Jackson and Scottie Barnes moving on to college, Whitehead is in line for a more prominent role as a junior.

He was primarily a floor spacer last season, taking most of his shots on spot-ups, but also showed glimpses of potential as a slasher in garbage time and given Montverde’s track record at developing wing-sized ball handlers who can run pick-and-roll against a set defense[3], Whitehead could very well be next.

On the other end, his very well-developed 190-pound frame for someone his age and his proactivity trying to leverage his quick leaping ability helping at the rim suggest he could become the sort of defender who has the combination of physical profile and athletic ability to make an impact on the ball and as a help defender.

SHOOTING

  • Capable open-shot shooter
  • Fairly fluid shooting stroke, though need to dip for rhythm can look a bit to pronounced at times; gets little elevation off the ground but fully extends himself for a high release
  • Tends to miss long or short
  • Didn’t have many opportunities to show if he has much versatility to his release

CUTTING

  • Flashes of very smart cutting
  • Explosive leaper off two feet with time and space to load up
  • Can play above the rim as a target for lobs in transition, should be able to do so if asked to hunt for opportunities as a backdoor cutter in the half-court

DRIVING

  • Mostly handled on a few grab-and-go’s off a defensive rebound in transition but had opportunities to run some isolations in garbage time
    • Quick first step
    • Despite almost always being one of the youngest players on the floor, often managed to play through contact at the high school level
    • Loose handle – managed to get to the rim successfully on straight-line drives but struggled a little more in traffic and didn’t show much in terms of dribble moves
    • Explosive leaper off one foot in space – showcased thundering dunks in the half-court and sick windmill dunks in transition
    • Can hang and adjust his body in the air to unleash double-clutch finishes and reverses around rim protectors
    • Willing passer on drop-offs off engaging the last line of defense
  • Ran side pick-and-roll to keep the offense moving here and there
    • Flashed good feel for declining picks off a jab-step and exploding on a straight-line to the goal
    • Proved capable of delivering over the top to the roll man on clear reads

DEFENSE

  • Bends his knees to get down in a stance, moves his feet laterally to stay in front out in space and leverages his strength into containing dribble penetration through contact well while checking smaller guards
  • Struggled to navigate picks cleanly at the point of attack and didn’t impress in terms of hustling back in pursuit to make plays from behind
  • Stayed active away from the ball, stunting in to try clogging driving lanes
  • Can jump a passing lane but didn’t necessarily stand out as a ballhawk
  • Was active rotating to the basket, not just to help crowd the area near the rim, but attempting to make plays on the ball by challenging shots on flybys, taking a foul when necessary and picking up a block on occasion
  • Did not stand out in his contributions to the rebounding process

[1] According to ESPN

[2] DOB: Aug/1/2004

[3] Ben Simmons, D’Angelo Russell, RJ Barrett, Cade Cunningham

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of ‘Basketball Scouting’. More of his work can be found here or at RealGM, where he is a regular contributor. He can be followed on twitter as @rafael_uehara

Caleb Houstan Scouting Report

CONTEXT

Caleb Houstan is currently the third-ranked recruit in the 2022 high school class[1].

After impressing in the 2018 Bio Steel All Canadian Futures game, the six-foot-eight wing enrolled at powerhouse Montverde Academy, where he’s spent his first couple years of high school basketball.

In a team stacked with talent all around him, widely speculated as a perhaps the greatest high school team ever, Houstan earned a starting spot as a sophomore.

Prior to this past season, the Ontario native led the Canadian National Team to a second-place finish at the U16 Americas Championship, averaging 33.5 points per 40 minutes on 55.5% true shooting and posted a 38.2 PER[2].

He took 43.1% of his live-ball attempts from three-point range in that event but mixed in some work as a driver curling off pindown screens and the occasional isolation late in the shot clock as well.

But at Montverde, the 17-year-old[3] primarily spaced the floor and had no shot creation responsibility. Canada leveraged the versatility of his release a little bit and got him some shots on the move but most of his three-pointers at Montverde materialized via spot-ups.

On the other end, Houstan generally acted as a weakside defender and impressed with his toughness mixing up on scrums but didn’t particularly stand out in terms of flying around to create events or making an impact in the hidden areas of the game by executing the scheme.

SHOOTING

  • Catches it on the hop with his feet set on spot-ups but employs 1-2 footwork elevating off movement
  • Pretty fluid mechanics – needs to dip for rhythm but it’s not that pronounced, fully elevates himself for a high release, quick trigger
  • Has shown legit NBA range
  • Took most of his three-pointers on spot-ups at Montverde but also flashed some versatility to his release on a few attempts off drifting around the wing and off a light sprint to the corner in transition
    • Canada had him working off staggered screens and as the screener in the pick-and-pop as well
    • Nailed six of his 19 three-point shots at the 2019 U16 Americas Championship, at a pace of 10.2 such attempts per 40 minutes
  • When the opponent managed to run him off his shot, Houstan liked to escape into a two-dribble pull-up from mid-range
    • Very coordinated out of triple threat position
    • Fluidity getting to his spots off the bounce stands out
    • Flashed incredible rhythm elevating in rhythm

CUTTING

  • Flashed glimpses of really smart cutting
  • Needs to load up to go up with power at this point of his physical development
  • Impressed with his body control handling the rim protector recovering back to him near the rim in a hurry, employing head-fakes and escape dribbles to maneuver that rim protector out of the way

DRIVING

  • Had some opportunities to drive all the way to the basket with Canada, curling off pindown screens and in the occasional isolation in emergency situations
  • Hasn’t yet developed a tight handle or dribble moves and doesn’t have much speed with the ball but managed to play through contact against his age group
  • Not an explosive leaper off one foot in traffic and can’t finish through contact at this point of his development but flashed a double clutch finish and didn’t shy away from contact
    • Earned 27 foul shots in 74 minutes at the U16 Americas Championship, an average of 14.6 free throws per 40 minutes
  • Flashed a pocket pass in side pick-and-roll and proved a willing passer off drawing two to the ball on basic kickouts/drop-offs
    • Assisted on 18.5% of Canada’s scores when he was on the floor in the event

DEFENSE

  • Bends his knees to get down in a stance
  • Has a thin 170-pound frame in the context of his six-foot-eight height and doesn’t yet seem capable of playing physical defense on the ball
  • Primarily played off the ball and stayed active stunting in to try clogging driving lanes but didn’t stand out in terms of flying around to create events or making an impact in the hidden areas of the game by executing the scheme
  • Found himself crossmatched into a big man on a breakdown and impressed with his tenacity trying to front the post but got pushed off
  • Mixes it up on scrums and tries to put a body on whoever is close by but gets pushed off
    • Didn’t stand out with his ability to chase the ball off the rim with Montverde but collected 19.7% of opponents’ misses when he was on the floor with Canada at the U16 Americas Championship against his own age group

[1] According to ESPN

[2] According to RealGM

[3] DOB: Jan/9/2003

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of ‘Basketball Scouting’. More of his work can be found here or at RealGM, where he is a regular contributor. He can be followed on twitter as @rafael_uehara