Weekly Insight with Grant Hill - 4th Edition - Lights Out

Weekly Insight with Grant Hill - 4th Edition - Lights Out



Lights Out – A Review of the Best Shooters in the Draft

Every team is hoping they can land the next Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson in order to have a dedicated threat from distance in their starting lineup.  You want to find the next Dirk Nowitzki?  Good luck and God speed.

Here we analyze some of the best shooters likely flying under the radar.  Since there is still a lot of the collegiate season left to play, we’re going to shy away from ranking these players against one another.  We will, however, give specific examples of the glimpses we’re seeing of some these sweet shooting strokes.

Marcus Eriksson – 6’5” – 190 lbs. – Sweden
Eriksson has some of the best shooting mechanics we’ve ever seen from a European prospect.  He seems to be unaware of any limitations to his shooting game – his mid-range and long-range shots are identical.  This kid has tremendous depth perception and seems capable of shots from anywhere on the court.

Wayne Blackshear – 6”5” – 215 lbs. – Louisville
This kid is automatic from the elbow or top of the key.  Although his range easily extends out to three point territory, he has so far made his living coming off screens in and around the top of the key.  Further, he’s a shooting guard that actually looks for his shot.  It’s one thing to shoot the ball efficiently, it’s another when your actively looking to do that on expanded volume.  Blackshear has the chance to grow into a legitimate CSL shooting guard.

Langston Hall – 6’4” – 185 lbs. – Mercer
Hall may not be receiving a ton of love from the scouts so far, but he has shown glimpses of a nice ranged game.  His mid-range jumper is a little shaky and he’s not great off the dribble, but his ability to drain the long ball along with his ability to find the open man will keep defenses honest.  Hall may never average ten points per game, but he will be sure to shoot efficiently when he does.

Yogi Ferrell – 5’11” – 165 lbs. – Indiana
Sure to scare off many would-be suitors due to his diminutive stature, don’t sleep on this young man.  He has shown the ability to blow up in the right situation.  When he’s hot, there isn’t a player in college basketball that can keep up – but having the ability to get hot also means having the proclivity for going cold.  His size allows him to probe the defense in an attempt to discover weak spots in prevalent collegiate zone defenses.  Though he struggles to score over larger opponents, he often uses his size and speed to blow by opponents and does an excellent job of drawing contract.  

Grant Jerrett – 6’10” – 232 lbs. – Arizona
This Wildcat has a very unique game.  We won’t start calling him the next Nowitzki, but he has shown the ability to shoot over anyone.  The high release on his shot translates well into his ability to get shots off, even with a hand in his face and he seems to have an instinctive feel for the location of the rim at all times.  Jerrett’s range extends well past the college three point arc.  He definitely needs to focus more on looking for his own shot, as he tends to defer to his teammates, but he does that efficiently as well.

Olivier Hanlan – 6’3” – 182 lbs. – Boston College
Hanlan’s stock seems to be all over the place, but I need to give credit where credit is due.  I don’t know that anyone has a better jumpshot in this draft class.  So far this season, Hanlan has made a living on pick-and-pop plays and shows an incredible ability in catch-and-shoot situations.  He is definitely smaller for a scoring guard, but he has all the skills you would want from your two-guard and the work ethic to realize them.

Mario Hezonja – 6’6” – 200 lbs. – Croatia
Prototypical size combined with a high motor and a silky smooth jumper – what’s not to like about that sentence? Hezonja knows his place on the court and has shown the ability to score with ease on mid-range jumpers.  Though he can score from distance, he seems to have significantly more confidence inside the arc.  Fortunately, Hezonja looks for his shot as well, which is something that can’t be said for all of his counterparts.

Rasmus Larsen – 6’11” – 215 lbs. – Denmark
We can’t say enough good things about this kid’s potential.  It’s possible that Larsen, with some work, will turn into the best shooting big in this draft.  His footwork on the defensive end seems to translate well into his approach on the offensive side of the ball.  Pump fakes and jab steps regularly keep defenders off balance and he has shown the ability to hit from anywhere outside of the paint.

Dominic Artis – 6’1” – 185 lbs – Oregon
Artis doesn’t have CSL three point range and he won’t be all that productive in the paint, attempting to shoot over larger players, but his jumper is a thing of beauty.  It’s a shame he doesn’t look for his shot more often because, more often than not, he’d find it.  Fortunately, Artis seems to be one of the few floor generals in this draft who isn’t an offensively liability from the shooting perspective.  Keep that in mind.

Love your articles bro.
Really a lot good shooters. But for now I didnt find a great 3&D guy.

Wow quite the list of shooters here. Usually we get a list of two or three knockdown guys but if all nine of these guys are legit we are going to have some serious zone busters throughout the league. Portland can't have enough three-point shooters so look for them to grab at least two of these guys lol.