SJScouting

Aspiring NBA Front Office Professional / @SamStJohn123

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Final Thoughts / NBA Offensive Comparison
I believe that Nate Bittle could become a Quinten Post type of player in the NBA - a big man off the bench with size whose identity is primarily as a catch and shoot threat specifically from the corner. Quentin Post shoots over 40% of his three point attempts from the corner, where he shoots just under 40% from three. Despite many big men shooting threats focusing on top of the key or wing threes, as those opportunities typically come from pick-and-pop scenarios, Post plays differently due to the scheme of the Warriors; the scheme at times has helped Post burst through all of his pre-draft career projections. Bittle can be the same type of player if he finds the right fit. Despite low volume from that spot, Bittle made the most of his corner three point attempts, shooting them at 44%, which ranks in the 80th percentile. Additionally, they possess a similar frame - both 7 feet 240-ish pounds with wingspans within 2.5 inches of each other. The benefit of having this unique playstyle is that the opposing big man is forced to stay out on the perimeter, which eliminates the opposing team’s primary shot blocker. Bittle can become a solid role player in the NBA - he just needs the right fit. 4/4

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Injuries, high turnover rates, and lack of depth hindered Oregon’s 2025-2026 season. For all these reasons, they went from Sweet 16 hopeful to third-to-last in the Big Ten standings this year. Despite the disappointing outcome, star Senior center Nate Bittle did enough to be a legitimate draft prospect. A recent 2026 NBA draft big board rankings by Jeremy Woo of ESPN had the 22 year old as the 95th ranked prospect.

2025-26 Statline - 16.8 ppg / 2.6 apg / 4.8 rpg / 1.8 bpg / 0.9 spg / 31 mpg
Shooting Splits - 46.5 FG% / 31.9 3P% / 73.2 FT%
1/4

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Defense - A Force Without Fouling
1.8 bpg and 0.9 spg in itself shows clear signs of an advanced defensive presence. The most impressive part of these stats? It is done without fouling. His senior season, Bittle averaged just 1.6 personal fouls per game. There were times this season when Bittle was not as physical as he should have been due to his need to stay in the game as much as possible (Oregon was often shorthanded), which slightly played into that number. This didn’t stop Bittle from having a Block Percentage of 7.2% and a steal percentage of 1.7%. Those two percentages combined create a unique defender, which is exactly what Bittle is. He has surprisingly quick feet, and mixed with his solid wingspan and timing allows him to be a great shot blocker, especially help-side. 3/4

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Final thoughts:
Ejiofor will bring a large amount of experience to the NBA for someone who will have just turned 22 years old when the draft rolls around. Learning under the legendary coach Rick Pitino is quite helpful as well. The big man from Garland, Texas is generally seen as a mid-second round draft prospect for this June’s draft, but has the potential to become the steal of the draft if he can improve his three point shooting and carry over his defensive strengths. 5/5

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

The 2026 NBA draft class is loaded with talent from top to bottom. One name that is not being discussed as much as he should be is St. John’s forward/center Zuby Ejiofor. Ejiofor is listed between 6’7” to 6’9” on various sites, so he is slightly undersized for his desired position. However, his 240 pound frame is certainly helpful for making his case that he can be a solid big man in the league. Ejiofor is a true 2-way player, as he put up great offensive and defensive numbers, which was rewarded with the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and Big East Player of the Year this past season, among other accolades.

‘25-’26 Stats - 16.2 ppg / 3.5 apg / 7.3 rpg / 2.1 bpg / 1.2 spg / 30 mpg
Shooting Splits - 53.6 FG% / 30.5 3P% / 71.8 FT%. 1/5

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Defense:
It’s a no-brainer that Ejiofor’s defense will translate strongly to the professional level. He won DPOY in the Big East over guys such as the uber-athletic Dillon Mitchell and a great shot-blocker in Oswin Erhunmwunse. In terms of the numbers, his knack for racking up both blocks and steals is impressive, as he averaged 3.3 stocks per game this past season. Despite being an under-sized big man, he still averaged over 2 bpg, which speaks to his athletic ability, his 7’1” wingspan, and his elite timing. He is able to meet drivers at the rim, chase down the offensive player from behind, and slide over from being in help position to swat the attempt away. However, his strongest defensive asset is his ability to guard multiple positions. He can use his mobility to stay in front of quicker forwards, and his strength to hold off larger forwards and centers. No matter what position he was guarding, Ejiofor was always able to put up major defensive stats without fouling, as he averaged under 2.5 fouls per game. In a league where there is immense controversy in terms of foul drawing, this skill will serve him well. 4/5

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Effective Field Goal percentage:
Kennard’s EFG% is so impressive that it needed its own category. His EFG% is 69.1% so far this season. EFG% is almost always a “big men” category. Meaning when an EFG% is this high, it is usually rim-running centers who only take shots right at the basket. For example, Deandre Jordan’s EFG% for his career is 67.4% - an elite rim runner who is a former all-star and NBA champion is still below Kennard despite most of his attempts coming right at the rim. This season, Kennard is 10th in the NBA this season in EFG% (minimum 10 games played) only behind guys like Jaxson Hayes, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Rudy Gobert, and other rim running centers. One of the most mind-blowing statistics in all of the NBA this season.

Final Thoughts:
Luke Kennard is currently on a 1-year contract, so the Lakers will need to re-sign the sharpshooter if they want him to stay with the squad. However, Austin Reaves likely declining his player option for the upcoming season he will likely become a free agent. His contract will likely be one right under a “max-deal” so the Lakers front office will have an intriguing case of figuring out how to bring Kennard back for the long-term. 4/4

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Last month’s NBA trade deadline included multiple all-star trades. James Harden, Darius Garland, Jaron Jackson Jr., Anthony Davis, and other elite players found new homes. The award for most underrated trade of the season has to go to the Los Angeles Lakers, as they sent Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in return for THE most underrated pickup of the season, Luke Kennard. The 29 year-old, 2017 first round pick has had an up-and-down NBA career so far, as he has been a part of good teams, bad teams, and averaged double digit points per game in four different seasons with none of them being back-to-back. No matter what Kennard’s role is there is one constant with his play - he is going to shoot the basketball at an elite percentage. He has brought that elite shooting to the Lakers, which has not only improved their overall shooting ability, especially from behind the arc, but introduced new layers to the offensive abilities of the championship hopefuls.

Kennard's Lakers stats through 22 games played: 8.5 ppg / 1.9 apg / 2.2 rpg / 21.7 mpg
Kennard's Lakers shooting splits: 55.1 FG% / 44.3 3P% / 93.8 FT%

1/4

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Kennard Fitting in with the Lakers:
To put it simply, Kennard fits perfectly into the needs of the Lakers. On paper he has checked the boxes, but he has certainly passed the eye test as well. With teams often double-teaming Doncic, Reaves, and Lebron, it leaves Kennard wide open for three. Defenses in general focus on the “big three” so much that they fall asleep on Kennard leading to open catch-and-shoot opportunities. Specifically, when teams double the “big three” and they pass it to the big man in the short roll, it leaves Kennard wide open for corner catch-and-shoot opportunities. This formula is highly successful for the Lakers, as Kennard is shooting 49.5% on catch-and-shoot threes this season, including 73.8% EFG% in those same situations.
Another way that Kennard plays off the “big three” is as an off-ball screener. He frequently sets off-ball screens for the Lakers’ stars, which often leads to Kennard’s defender helping on one of the three. This allows Kennard to then go pop out himself for a catch, as teams are so worried about others that he gets a large amount of open attempts.
Even when a defender is able to close out on Kennard, he often uses a pump fake to allow the defender to fly by, and will subsequently dribble once to reset. Following the rest Kennard still shoots the ball at a high percentage, as he is shooting 43.8% on off-the-dribble attempts from behind the arc.
When teams decide to focus on Kennard instead of double-teaming Lebron, Doncic, and Reaves, they are able to take advantage quite frequently in one-on-one matchups. In particular, the addition of Kennard has allowed Doncic to have his highest scoring month of the season (36.5 ppg), minus the three games he played in the month of October. When Doncic sees a one-on-one matchup he becomes ultra-aggressive, as he is taking an absurd 25.7 field goal attempts per game this month. 3/4

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Final thoughts:
It is not surprising that Cody Williams is great in transition due to his elite athleticism and length. However, his ability to cut and shoot the midrange at an efficient clip is highly impressive. His jump shot is a work in progress, as he shot only 30% from three point range this month and 24% for the season as a whole. However, the efficiency from midrange while taking many difficult shots should be a sign that his three point jumper will develop in due time. Williams is just 21 years old, and has time to develop into a good rotation piece for the Jazz. In the meantime, he has a chance for the rest of this season, because of an injury-riddled roster, to prove he belongs in this league. 5/5

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Transition:
The tall, lengthy Williams has great athleticism, and frequently displays it in transition. As soon as a teammate grabs a rebound or gets a steal, he is off to the races. He capitalizes in transition in a variety of ways. Firstly, he is elite at catching alley-oops, as he can catch them from a variety of angles and has the vertical leap to adjust mid-air if necessary. Sticking with the theme of athleticism, Williams frequently blows by transition defenders to get to the basket. He may use an occasional eurostep or low pickup move, but typically with the ball in his hands he will use his speed to get to the rim and his length to get the finish off. 20% of his shot attempts in the month of March came in transition, where he scores efficiently. The average NBA player scores around 1.2 points per possession (PPP) in transition - Williams scores 1.36 PPP in those same opportunities in March so far. The repeated transition opportunities for Williams allows for some easy baskets, which in turn helps him as a whole offensively, as players are able to get into a "rhythm" through easy baskets. These increased chances have possibly played a part in his improved half-court shooting percentage. 2/5

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Midrange:
The most underrated aspect of Williams’ offensive game is his midrange abilities. The average NBA player shoots around 40% from the midrange, while Williams this month is shooting 59%. With this almost 20% difference it would be fair to assume to Williams takes a high frequency of wide open attempts from this area, however that is not the case. Many of Williams’ successful midrange attempts this month come from self-creation plays either by using a screen or in isolation. Additionally, he had a couple of makes off of short rolls after setting a screen, so he gets to his comfortable spots in the midrange in a variety of ways. Similar to his play in transition, Williams does not have an advanced ball-handling ability, so he uses his size and quickness to blow by defenders, bump defenders off of him, and shoot over defenders. 4/5

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

This Jazz season has been filled with plenty of ups and downs. Great things occurred such as Keyonte George’s breakout, Collier’s continued development, and of course upgrading their roster through midseason trades to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr. along with other solid rotational pieces. However, recently the Jazz have been dropping like flies. JJJ, Markannen, George, and more all have missed significant time as of late or are out for the rest of the season. This has allowed for one more positive to occur - the development of Cody Williams, as he is playing in a career high 33 minutes per game in the month of March. The 6’ 8” forward did not have an ideal rookie season, especially given the expectations that top 10 picks generally have. Williams shot just 32% from the field, and besides some displays of his elite athleticism, did not have many moments that stood out. The Colorado product is only 21 years old but is having a breakout month of March, including a 34 point, 7 assist, and 7 rebound performance against the Sacramento Kings. From 32% to a 34 point performance in just a year’s difference; it appears from an outside perspective that Williams’ has put the time in to improve in many aspects of his game. He still has room to improve, but certain aspects of his game have become much more polished, such as his play in transition, his cutting, and an underrated midrange game, all of which have been shown in March so far.

March 2026 Statline - 14.1 PPG / 5 RPG / 4.4 APG / 0.9 SPG / 33.5 MPG
Shooting Splits - 51.9 FG% / 30.4 3P% / 82.8 FT% 1/5

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Final thoughts:
Ty Jerome has been able to play with the freedom he has never had the opportunity to play with in the NBA, and he is putting up a highly efficient statline. He does this in unique ways with his unorthodox skillset, which I believe is helpful for why he is so effective. I would not be surprised if Jerome was moved in the offseason, as he is in the first year of arguably one of the best contracts in the NBA, a three-year, 27 million dollar deal. Regardless of where he plays, Jerome should be a name that more casual NBA fans will look out for in the coming seasons. 4/4

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

The Memphis Grizzlies are in a difficult predicament. They are more than a few games back of a play-in spot, yet will likely not receive a first round draft position of much value. However, this season has provided a few bright spots. Their young talent, ones they both drafted and traded for this season, have received playing time that will aid in their development. GG Jackson, Walter Clayton Jr., Taylor Hendricks, Cedric Coward, and Cam Spencer are just a few of these examples. Another bright spot for this young Memphis squad is the improved play of their 28 year old point guard, Ty Jerome. After being sidelined for over three months with a high grade calf strain, the veteran guard has not missed a beat in his first 8 games with his new team.

First 8 games - 19.6 ppg / 5.6 apg / 2.8 rpg / 1.4 spg / 21 mpg
Shooting splits - 51.5 FG% / 41.2 3P% / 86.5 FT%

The 6’5”, 195 pound Jerome is not an elite athlete. However, he takes advantage of every edge he can get, and takes difficult shots to make up for the lack of athleticism. Despite the high frequency of difficult shots such as step backs, deep threes, and fadeaways he is still shooting with ELITE efficiency. Additionally, his best trait so far this season has been an aspect of the game usually reserved for the “freak athletes”, that being transition offense. 1/4

[SJScouting @SJScouting15]

Drop Coverage and Hunting Switches:
Ty Jerome does not succumb to the typical three point shot diet, as he usually attempts these shots in two ways: against drop coverage or in isolation against big-men when they switch onto him. When Ty Jerome spots drop coverage, it is safe to assume that he will be shooting a three pointer. He won’t even bother using fakes or putting a defender on his back, as he will dribble quickly to the three point line and hoist a slightly contested three over the big-man in drop coverage. If he is unable to get by his defender, he regularly uses a rescreen to try again. Numerous of his threes came by this situation, helping him to his 41% from three in his first 8 games. If the player in drop coverage takes a step up towards the three point line, instead of using a secondary move to go by this defender, he will pull the ball out and waive away the player who had set the screen. These scenarios often lead to step back threes, as he has taken 13 step backs within his first 100 field goal attempts, with many of these occurring against a “mismatch.” However, this is not considered a “settle” shot for Jerome, as he hunts these step backs against switches all the time. 3/4