As promised, some thoughts on some of the notable players at Thursday's team camp.
Rapheal Davis
Davis had a very good day, playing with LaLumiere really for the first time. He did have his ups and downs, but he was very productive and almost single-handedly finished off that comeback win over Cathedral. He was big-time in that game.
The thing for Davis Thursday was his ability to get to the rim. This is a 6-foot-5, 200-some-pound guard who can bench-press 225 pounds. His physical strength is maybe his greatest asset, helping him just barrel through people on his way to the rim and score through contact. He's not an elite athlete, but he's a very good finisher. He was exceptional at that at Purdue, drawing tons of fouls, whether they be actually called or not.
Versus Cathedral, he left six early points on the table by missing three consecutive two-point free throws - camp rules - but then to his credit made his last three, a key two-pointer late in the game, followed by the game-tying pair with about a second left.
Davis' jumper wasn't going down Thursday. But he excelled in transition like he always does and dominated games as a penetrator.
His strength is an asset in the post, too. Those of us who have a deep affection for guards who can post up will appreciate how Davis can simply use his body to back defenders down and score. He was very aggressive doing this against Carmel in the title game. There might have been something personal going on between he and the kid guarding him, 'cause Davis was going after him pretty hard down low. There's a definite competitive streak there.
One thing that came from Thursday, IMO, was Davis' need for an enhanced pull-up game, maybe not necessarily a jumper - he's shown he can come across the lane and pull up and score - but rather a one-hander, floater or just pull-up jumper in the lane. In college it won't be as easy for Davis to get in the paint. As is, he can just make his initial spin and find himself in scoring range. In college, there will be defensive help waiting for him. It would benefit him tremendously if he could mix it up some, getting defenders back on their heels and going with something else or simply having another option should he get stuck.
I'm not comparing him to E'Twaun Moore as player - they're very different - but what made Moore the scorer he was at Purdue was his ability to score from anywhere on the floor. A huge part of that was his ability to make those pull-ups or one-handers driving into the lane.
Jay Simpson
Having seen Simpson play more times now than I can even count, I can say that Thursday was the best I've seen him, right up there with the one game he played up last summer for the Illinois Wolves 17s in Highland.
Simpson could be as gifted a player as there is out there, but it makes you want to bang your heard against the wall to sometimes see him just standing around, not doing anything with it, or not being used in a way that can help him succeed.
Thursday, he was aggressive and physical and stood out on a team full of high-level college talent.
Simpson has guard skills - not far off those of future teammate Derek Willis, but with an entirely different body type - but in AAU is sometimes too content to hang around on the perimeter.
He can dominate as a back-to-the-basket player, whether it be catching it down low, out to 15 or so feet or just using his handling skills to dribble into post-ups. The kid has just an unbelievable array or options in such situations for a player his age. He can shoot hooks and turnarounds and showed Thursday some ballerina feet in spinning off or through defenders to the rim. When he turns and faces the basket, he's very quick off the dribble and can pull up in the lane and make 12-foot jumpers on the move.
Simpson can shoot the three off spot-ups or the dribble well enough to be a threat, but that needs to just be a dimension of his game, rather the centerpiece of it, if that makes sense. He's too gifted a post scorer not to make his living that way.
Offensively, I hate to make this comparison, but he has a chance to be Purdue's most gifted low-post scorer since Carl Landry - considering JaJuan Johnson an inside-outside type - though Landry was more powerful and explosive and quicker off the floor. Their personalities, for whatever that's worth, are very similar.
I know I just made Simpson sound like an All-American, but the talent is absolutely there. That's never been a question. Defensively, he's going to have to take some steps in college and rebounding should be a constant emphasis, but offensively, he's a big-league talent.
Simpson has Draymond Green's skill set, but it should be noted that it's largely Draymond Green's heart that makes Draymond Green.
He just needs to bring it. Thursday, he did.
It seemed to me like LaLumiere is going to be good for him, because it took steps Thursday - and I know it's only June summer ball - toward really getting him the ball in positions to do things with it and running the offense through him. He's a terrific passer, too.
It probably helps that Simpson and point guard Bobo Drummond are AAU teammates and go way back and Davis and him are familiar with each other, but more so, just the sheer volume of talent LaLumiere has can spread the floor and allow Simpson room to operate. When given room one-and-one, Simpson can really do damage.
Gary Harris
Look, there's very little left to be said about Gary Harris in terms of his play. He's just outstanding, a guy with real pro potential.
He's an elite athlete with a college body, a complete game and a wide variety of ways he can score. And he can be a game-changer defensively with his penchant for bursting into passing lanes for steals that lead to breakaway dunks.
He's just a great player.
Coming off a grueling event circuit, I figured he'd have nothing left Thursday, and there were some signs of that. But in a tight game with Brebeuf, Harris summoned energy enough to win the game for Hamilton Southeastern. He only had 17 points, and it was another player who made the game-winning three - sorry, I don't have rosters - but it was Harris who drew the defense at the end and kicked to the open shooter.
As mentioned above about Moore and his ability to score from inside, mid-range and long range, Harris already has all three. What stood out a little bit Thursday was how he can really control things out of post-up situations. Some of us love that in guards.
Rapheal Davis
Davis had a very good day, playing with LaLumiere really for the first time. He did have his ups and downs, but he was very productive and almost single-handedly finished off that comeback win over Cathedral. He was big-time in that game.
The thing for Davis Thursday was his ability to get to the rim. This is a 6-foot-5, 200-some-pound guard who can bench-press 225 pounds. His physical strength is maybe his greatest asset, helping him just barrel through people on his way to the rim and score through contact. He's not an elite athlete, but he's a very good finisher. He was exceptional at that at Purdue, drawing tons of fouls, whether they be actually called or not.
Versus Cathedral, he left six early points on the table by missing three consecutive two-point free throws - camp rules - but then to his credit made his last three, a key two-pointer late in the game, followed by the game-tying pair with about a second left.
Davis' jumper wasn't going down Thursday. But he excelled in transition like he always does and dominated games as a penetrator.
His strength is an asset in the post, too. Those of us who have a deep affection for guards who can post up will appreciate how Davis can simply use his body to back defenders down and score. He was very aggressive doing this against Carmel in the title game. There might have been something personal going on between he and the kid guarding him, 'cause Davis was going after him pretty hard down low. There's a definite competitive streak there.
One thing that came from Thursday, IMO, was Davis' need for an enhanced pull-up game, maybe not necessarily a jumper - he's shown he can come across the lane and pull up and score - but rather a one-hander, floater or just pull-up jumper in the lane. In college it won't be as easy for Davis to get in the paint. As is, he can just make his initial spin and find himself in scoring range. In college, there will be defensive help waiting for him. It would benefit him tremendously if he could mix it up some, getting defenders back on their heels and going with something else or simply having another option should he get stuck.
I'm not comparing him to E'Twaun Moore as player - they're very different - but what made Moore the scorer he was at Purdue was his ability to score from anywhere on the floor. A huge part of that was his ability to make those pull-ups or one-handers driving into the lane.
Jay Simpson
Having seen Simpson play more times now than I can even count, I can say that Thursday was the best I've seen him, right up there with the one game he played up last summer for the Illinois Wolves 17s in Highland.
Simpson could be as gifted a player as there is out there, but it makes you want to bang your heard against the wall to sometimes see him just standing around, not doing anything with it, or not being used in a way that can help him succeed.
Thursday, he was aggressive and physical and stood out on a team full of high-level college talent.
Simpson has guard skills - not far off those of future teammate Derek Willis, but with an entirely different body type - but in AAU is sometimes too content to hang around on the perimeter.
He can dominate as a back-to-the-basket player, whether it be catching it down low, out to 15 or so feet or just using his handling skills to dribble into post-ups. The kid has just an unbelievable array or options in such situations for a player his age. He can shoot hooks and turnarounds and showed Thursday some ballerina feet in spinning off or through defenders to the rim. When he turns and faces the basket, he's very quick off the dribble and can pull up in the lane and make 12-foot jumpers on the move.
Simpson can shoot the three off spot-ups or the dribble well enough to be a threat, but that needs to just be a dimension of his game, rather the centerpiece of it, if that makes sense. He's too gifted a post scorer not to make his living that way.
Offensively, I hate to make this comparison, but he has a chance to be Purdue's most gifted low-post scorer since Carl Landry - considering JaJuan Johnson an inside-outside type - though Landry was more powerful and explosive and quicker off the floor. Their personalities, for whatever that's worth, are very similar.
I know I just made Simpson sound like an All-American, but the talent is absolutely there. That's never been a question. Defensively, he's going to have to take some steps in college and rebounding should be a constant emphasis, but offensively, he's a big-league talent.
Simpson has Draymond Green's skill set, but it should be noted that it's largely Draymond Green's heart that makes Draymond Green.
He just needs to bring it. Thursday, he did.
It seemed to me like LaLumiere is going to be good for him, because it took steps Thursday - and I know it's only June summer ball - toward really getting him the ball in positions to do things with it and running the offense through him. He's a terrific passer, too.
It probably helps that Simpson and point guard Bobo Drummond are AAU teammates and go way back and Davis and him are familiar with each other, but more so, just the sheer volume of talent LaLumiere has can spread the floor and allow Simpson room to operate. When given room one-and-one, Simpson can really do damage.
Gary Harris
Look, there's very little left to be said about Gary Harris in terms of his play. He's just outstanding, a guy with real pro potential.
He's an elite athlete with a college body, a complete game and a wide variety of ways he can score. And he can be a game-changer defensively with his penchant for bursting into passing lanes for steals that lead to breakaway dunks.
He's just a great player.
Coming off a grueling event circuit, I figured he'd have nothing left Thursday, and there were some signs of that. But in a tight game with Brebeuf, Harris summoned energy enough to win the game for Hamilton Southeastern. He only had 17 points, and it was another player who made the game-winning three - sorry, I don't have rosters - but it was Harris who drew the defense at the end and kicked to the open shooter.
As mentioned above about Moore and his ability to score from inside, mid-range and long range, Harris already has all three. What stood out a little bit Thursday was how he can really control things out of post-up situations. Some of us love that in guards.
