Nearly 60 future NBA prospects congregated outside Los Angeles last weekend at the Nike Basketball Academy, which featured 24 of the top prospects in college basketball and 32 elite high school players. The players conducted two workouts per day, with an All-Star showcase game of high school players held on the fourth day in the midst of the Drew League Playoffs.
Morning sessions centered on drill work and skill development under the tutelage of former NBA players and assistant coaches including Miles Simon, Melvin Hunt, Rasheed Wallace, Brian Shaw and Amare Stoudemire. In the evening, both the high schoolers and college counselors played in competitive 5-on-5 games, which were heavily attended by NBA scouts and decision-makers, including a handful of general managers. Throughout the weekend, NBA players such as Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, DeMar DeRozan and Stanley Johnson jumped into drills and scrimmages.
Here are the most notable performances from the college group that featured at least 16 players in our yet-to-be-released top 100 2020 draft rankings.
Cole Anthony | Freshman | North Carolina | 6-foot-3 | PG
Anthony started off slowly but was one of the best players in the final evening of scrimmages. His frame has continued to fill out since enrolling at Chapel Hill, and his aggression was on display all week: He attacked the rim in the open floor, handled the ball on a string, changed speeds fluidly and was not afraid of absorbing contact in the lane. His tough-minded approach translates to the defensive end, as well. Anthony is highly competitive and active on and off the ball, and he isn't afraid to sacrifice his body and dive on the floor for loose balls.
His playmaking ability, however, is somewhat of a work in progress. He needs a lot of dribbles to effectively create shots for himself and others, and he demonstrated some questionable decision-making at times with inaccurate passes, forcing the issue in the lane or from the perimeter. On the other hand, his deadly crossover and advanced ballhandling skills were on full display with his ability to create space and thread the needle in drive-and-dish situations. Anthony will make a living at the free throw line in college thanks to his powerful first step and attacking style of play. His advanced scoring instincts and soft touch off the glass open up tough midrange shots and floaters.
Anthony's jumper was fairly streaky, as it takes him a while to get into his unconventional pull-up, and he has quite a bit of extra motion on his spot-up jumper that makes it easier for defenders to get up and contest his hitchy release.
Scouts were impressed that Anthony didn't sit out a scrimmage despite being the highest-ranked player in attendance, and there's little doubt he'll put up huge scoring numbers as a freshman with the green light he'll enjoy from Roy Williams at UNC.
Obi Toppin | So. | Dayton | 6-8 | PF
Toppin likely would have been named camp MVP had such an award existed. He had an overwhelmingly positive weekend that firmly catapulted him into the conversation as a first-round draft pick. Toppin doesn't possess elite size, length or strength for a power forward, but he was arguably the best athlete among the big men in attendance.
But the biggest revelation of the weekend was just how good a shooter he is. His shooting ability wasn't quite evident during his freshman season at Dayton, where he made just 11 of 21 3-pointers in 33 games. Toppin showed projectable mechanics, and he made a huge number of open spot-up opportunities with a quick, pure and confident release. He also possesses the ability to attack a closeout when run off the line and to even make basic passes on the move.
He demonstrated an impressive defensive versatility, both putting a body on bigger players and sliding with guards along the perimeter. He is a little upright in his stance at times, a product of his high-hipped frame, but he often is able to make up for that by his sheer athleticism and a strong feel for the game.
Toppin's excellent demeanor and willingness to do the little things -- and that he doesn't need plays called for him -- made him easy to play with, something that certainly endeared him to scouts who clearly came away impressed with his versatility. Toppin will be moving up at least 20 spots in our next mock draft update.
Kahlil Whitney | Fr. | Kentucky | 6-7 | SF/PF
Whitney was arguably the most impressive player in the first evening of scrimmages, and though his performance tapered off afterward, he still had an eye-opening weekend. Part of that is due to his 207-pound physique, which boasts measurements similar to those of Andre Roberson and Thaddeus Young.
Whitney's athleticism stood out consistently. He put his ahead above the rim on numerous occasions, both finishing lobs and creating shots himself. At this stage, his physical tools are best utilized on the defensive end. He has the strength to put a body on almost any big man, but the length and mobility to slide with perimeter players using rangy strides affords him the type of multipositional versatility NBA teams covet.
Offensively, Whitney likely will be somewhat of a mixed bag as a freshman. His ballhandling skills aren't very functional in the half-court -- he can't always generate good looks operating out of pick-and-roll or isolation situations -- and he had a difficult time bringing the ball up against pressure. He did show flashes of getting low with his dribble and changing speeds powerfully, using his strong frame to get to his spots in the midrange or bouncing off opponents en route to the rim. His jumper is a work in progress. He is capable of throwing in pull-ups inside the arc, but he has a somewhat slow and mechanical release that makes him fairly inconsistent from 3-point range. Nevertheless, his solid mechanics and a bit of touch leave room for optimism.
It will be intriguing to see how Whitney is utilized at Kentucky. He has ample strength and length for a power forward, and he likely would benefit from the added spacing of being guarded by slower defenders and surrounded by additional shooting. John Calipari has traditionally used players of Whitney's mold on the wing, however. That could make for some ugly moments offensively but likely will prove very difficult to score against on the other end of the floor.
Jay Scrubb | So. | John A. Logan College | 6-5 | SG/SF
Scrubb has helped himself considerably over the past two months. Prior to an impressive performance last weekend, he more than held his own against elite high school and college players at the USA Basketball U19 Training Camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado, though he ultimately did not make the final roster. A rising sophomore at Illinois' John A. Logan College, Scrubb is considered the nation's top juco prospect, and he is being recruited by some of the top Division I schools in the country for his final two seasons of eligibility, starting in 2020. There is talk that Scrubb might not step foot on a Division I campus, though, as he reportedly will consider entering the 2020 NBA draft.
Scrubb has strong physical tools, including the size and length for either wing position, along with his athletic ability. He showed a versatile skill set in L.A., particularly defensively, where he stayed in front many of the top guards at the camp with his long wingspan and solid lateral quickness. Scrubb made 46% of his 3-pointers last season -- on a small sample size -- but was a little streaky from beyond the arc, looking better in midrange spots. He is very good in the open court, putting his head on the rim on a number of occasions with impressive explosiveness. He is effective at attacking closeouts and driving in a straight line, and he enjoys some creativity with the way he finishes around the rim, thanks to his polished footwork.
Still refining his skill set, he is somewhat raw with his ballhandling, playmaking and decision-making in the half-court. This doesn't come as a shock considering he still is 18 and doesn't possess the same type of high-level experience as other players we've seen him match up against. Yet he has shown enough to put himself on the NBA radar, and he likely will continue to be monitored closely over the next 10 months and beyond, should he elect to transfer to a Division I school.
Payton Pritchard | Sr. | Oregon | 6-2 | PG
Pritchard emerged as one of the best point guards in college basketball while leading Oregon to a 10-game winning streak to finish the season and helping the Ducks win the Pac-12 championship, before eventually bowing out in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Pritchard had an extremely impressive weekend that seemed to cause some scouts to rethink their stance on his NBA prospects.
His toughness was evident in every moment of each scrimmage he played in, including those against NBA guards such as Beal, with whom he went toe-to-toe on a number of possessions and more than held his own. Pritchard's skill and IQ stood out as much as his competitiveness. He did a great job of creating offense, changing gears in the open floor with his dynamic ballhandling ability, getting to the rim repeatedly and finishing aggressively through contact, while also doing an excellent job of getting others involved. His shot-making ability was reminiscent of his sophomore season -- during which he made 41% of his 3-pointers -- rather than his 33% proficiency as a junior; all of which is a bit of a swing skill for him, when evaluating his NBA projection.
Even on nights when Pritchard's jumper isn't falling, he still shows the willingness to pick up opponents in the backcourt and make things miserable with his ability to slide his feet, use his strong frame and take charges. If Pritchard doesn't hear his name called on draft night, he is the type of player who will have a great chance to carve out an NBA career through training camp or a two-way contract.
Scottie Lewis | Fr. | Florida | 6-5 | SG
Lewis had a fairly rough outing from an efficiency standpoint, struggling to get much going offensively in the half-court over the first two days of scrimmages, before finally breaking out on the final day. The camp ended on a sour note for Lewis, who went down hard after chasing down Colorado's Tyler Bey for an open-court block. He later announced that the injury will only sideline him for a week. That play was a perfect example of what scouts like so much about Lewis. He is not only an exceptional athlete, but he operates with incredible intensity on every possession, allowing him to make plays all over the floor. Learning how to better channel that intensity will help him go from an elite prospect to a more productive and consistent player as his career moves forward.
Lewis looked fairly wild and sped up early on in the camp, not being as dynamic a ball handler as he needs to be at this stage, often settling for the first floater or pull-up jumper he could find. He made some impressive plays in the open court using his terrific body control and explosiveness to get to the rim and finish, however. While his shot was very inconsistent, he did make enough pull-ups to prove there's enough to work with in the long term. Defensively, he was one of the best players at the camp, despite his frame being very much on the narrow side. (He has added only 5 pounds over the past three years, according to the latest batch of measurements.) His 7-foot-plus wingspan, exceptionally quick feet and incessant motor allow him to absolutely smother opposing players in the backcourt, and it was fun seeing how pesky he was trying to get up right in the grill of NBA players such as Beal and Booker.
Lewis still has a lot of work to do in ironing out the rough parts of his game, but NBA scouts seem willing to be patient with his development because of his strengths and outstanding intangibles.
Mamadi Diakite | Sr. | Virginia | 6-9 | C
Diakite seemingly has had a great summer working on his body, as he weighed in 18 pounds heavier than he did three months ago at the G League Combine, and he possesses measurables that compare favorably to those of Kevon Looney, Pascal Siakam and Eric Moreland. While the results were fairly uneven, he made a handful of extremely memorable plays over the course of the weekend that showed just how high his potential is defensively. Diakite was easily one of the best athletes at the camp, especially in terms of his ability to get off his feet with incredible ease for blocks and dunks. He also proved capable of stepping out and guarding anyone on the perimeter, getting deep in a stance, sliding his feet with impressive agility and using his 7-foot-4 wingspan to make plays all over the floor.
Offensively, Diakite is a major work in progress. He loves to catch and hold and can be very wild with his decision-making, rarely passing the ball and instead settling for difficult jumpers that often look good coming out of his hand but don't go in very often. He actually has good-looking shooting mechanics -- as evidenced by the 74% rate he shot from the free throw line over the past two seasons -- but that hasn't translated to game settings yet, largely due to the sped-up brand of basketball he plays.
Diakite's athleticism and defensive versatility give him a chance to find his way onto an NBA roster at some point, provided the game ever slows down for him and he can become a more consistent rebounder and decision-maker. With all four of Virginia's other starters off to the NBA, scouts will be able to evaluate Diakite in a very different light as compared with the confined role he played on last year's national championship squad, something that undoubtedly will lead to some highs and lows.
A number of players we evaluated in detail at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Crete, such as Tyrese Haliburton, Reggie Perry and Kira Lewis, also were in attendance, along with most of the best high school prospects at this camp, such as Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Ziaire Williams and Scottie Barnes.