Insight - Small Forward Review

Insight – Small Forward Review

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#1 – Jerami Grant is a unique player.  Though raw, scouts have taken notice of his all-encompassing skillset and his ability to do a little bit of everything very well.  Though Grant possesses physical gifts that most GMs drool over, scouts are concerned about his ability to shoot with any semblance of efficiency at the next level.  An athletic freak who loves to dunk, scouts are left wondering if he can make a shot outside of the (deep) paint and are also left wondering if Grant’s tremendous physical gifts don’t typecast him as one of the many tweener forwards that have come before.  Still, this kid’s ability to box out and man-up remain (potentially) elite and he should be considered a lottery lock.

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#2 – Nik Stauskas is a coach’s dream.  Armed with a sparkling personality and a silky-smooth long-range dagger, Stauskas will be receiving plenty of draft camp interview requests this upcoming summer.  This kid has developed nicely into the quintessential swingman.  He has shown the ability to get his teammates involved and flashes of CSL-caliber defense.  He won’t fill up the stat sheet, but scouts are optimistic that his shooting percentages will translate well into the CSL.

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#3 – Jake Layman is the rawest of the small forwards available in the first round up the upcoming draft, but this kid puts the time in at the gym to realize his potential – so what is that exactly?  Layman has the confidence to get to the rim when his team needs points and, although scouts note he may not be as efficient as his peers, he still has very nice range.  In addition to showing solid footwork and fundamentals, Layman is great at filling in the blanks (tipping passes/shots, taking charges, etc.).

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#4 – James Southerland has the potential to accomplish a few things which may allow for a decent reserve-eqsue career in the CSL.  Scouts like his knack for boards and he has the potential to become average defensively, though scouts complain that he seems uninterested in developing other aspects of his game.

Nik Stauskas would look good in a Pelican jersey.