I spent June 4-5 in Houston covering the Nike Jr. EYBL Academy and on the second day there were eight additional players I wanted to highlight before I lock in on the prospects at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Rock Hill, S.C, June 11-13
Here are the 2029 prospects that impressed me in my second round of evaluations.
Chance Finaylson, 6’5 SF – Newport, RIAdvanced strength with good position size and skill. Strength is slashing and finishing. Has a functional enough handle to be a second or third handler for a team. Capable making shots from the perimeter, but when Finaylson utilizes his strength drives and stays in attack mode, he makes a huge impact in games.
Mamadou Sow, 6’8 C/PF – Phoenix, AZActive forward who runs floor and made an impact as a rim protector and play finisher. Still on the raw side offensively, but showed potential of some expansion and skill on the block.
Timothy Young, 6’0 PG – Oklahoma City, OKYounger brother of Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young. Like Trae, he’s a crafty player with a good feel for the game. Shoots well from deep and operates best as pick n roll handler. Also like his brother, I do think he’ll make noticeable strides as a player over the years.
Abdriel Montanez, 6’5 SF – Milwaukee, WIHas good positional size and shooting touch. Played hard, competed on both ends and made shots off the catch from 3-point range.
Felix Okam, 6’7 C/PF – Grand Prairie, TXHigh energy forward with developing skillset. Utilizes length on both ends, can face-up and attack from mid-post. Like his touch around the rim. Dives to the basket on misses and as a roller. Okam has a good foundation to build off of.
Braeden Greenup, 6’0 SG – Creedmoor, NCLefty with elevation and confidence as a shooter. Reminds me of a young Maxwell Evans (Vanderbilt – TCU) with the shooting mechanics and ability to make pull-up jumpers with minimal space needed.
Zechariah Tchoubtong, 6’3 2/1 CG – Derwood, MDStrongly built southpaw guard that possesses wiggle off the dribble. Attacks with either hand and a good live dribble passer with his left. Used plus handle, strength, passing chops and finishing to score and play-make.
Kamsi Divine Nwobodo, 6’6 PF – Richmond, TXAn interesting prospect that will get better over time. Skinny but played stronger than he looked. Can attack from top of the key and finish with a layup or dunk at the rim. Made a few jumpers over the week as well. Once he finds balance of when to operate inside or out, Nwobodo can be a bigger offensive threat.
