Tyler Jackson Headlines Guard Play ON 5v5 Play

I got to see Team Thrill a decent amount this spring/summer and one thing I knew: 2025 Tyler Jackson can do is score the basketball. I saw more of a blend at OTE and it made him an even more effective scorer. He got where he wanted on the court and if he got too deep into the teeth of the defense, he found the open man on passes or kept his dribble alive to get into better positioning to play make. Liked Jackson's poise, scoring prowess and overall impact he made during the scrimmages. 

Other Guard Standouts 

Jayden Wilkins, 6’1 2027 PG: Son of former NBA player Damien Wilkins. Holds wiggle off the bounce and can shoot with range. Liked what I saw in 3v3 play and some in the 5v5 play with the older guys. A lot of talent in this one and will be a high major prospect. 

Daquan Davis, 6’1 2024 PG: Providence commit knows how to win. Communicates, competes on both ends, knows how to get where he needs to on the court and showed he’s dependable making open shots from deep. Liked his toughness and ability to lead/manage games.

Trey Parker, 6’1 Guard: The NC State commit didn’t participate in the 5v5 play, but did got at it in the 3v3 competition. Athleticism stood out with his shiftiness off the bounce. Adequate rebounding instincts for a guard, as he’s able to secure the ball in traffic due to quick leaping abilities. The most explosive guard and arguably player on the roster. 

Mike Brown, 6’2 2025 PG: A crafty, skilled guard that also didn’t participate in 5v5 but looked good in the drills and 3v3. Has gotten taller over the past year, offensive game looks more polished and he is a marksman from deep. Game came easy for Brown and was not phased by the physicality of the older guys. 

Karter Knox, Bryson Tiller Round Out My Top 3 From Tuesday

A lot to like about Karter Knox’s game as far as translatable skill. He's a 6’6 wing with a strong frame, athletic and can create on the perimeter. Knox honestly looked like he could play college basketball right now. Impressed with how he was in the skills session, 3v3 and 5v5 play. Definitely caught the eye of NBA Scouts.

Bryson Tiller continues to polish his game as a 2025 prospect. Jumper looked clean and made shots from mid-range and deep off the catch but I also saw him attack closeouts, looked to get to the rim and his passing is an under the radar aspect of his game. One of the best and productive players I’ve seen in a loaded 2025 class. Has a game that impressed NBA scouts.

Wing/Frontline Notes

Jahki Howard, 6’6 2024 SF: Explosive vertically and looks to dunk anything given minimal space. But we know all that about Jahki and what he showed on Tuesday was the perimeter skills. Off the dribble shooting, off the catch and overall just the handle. The handle can still be tighter and sometimes he over dribbled, but it didn’t look mechanical or goofy. A very talented prospect that at times looked like the best player in the building. 

John Bol, 7’1 2024 C: Plays with a lot of energy and shows promising touch around the rim. A shot deterrent inside and runs the floor hard. I like his charisma on the court and he seems to just enjoy competing. At 7’1 with a 7’6 wingspan, Bol utilizes length and height to compensate for lack of strength. The jumper doesn’t look bad, but he has a long way to go for it to be dependable. Interested to see how that develops over the years.

Kanon Catchings, 6’8 2024 SF: He has all the tools and the Purdue commit sometimes played the part on Tuesday. He has a nice shot off the catch, adequate handle for size and is a good athlete it just seemed like he couldn’t piece it all together. Could have put energy in other aspects of the game when the shot wasn’t falling. Regardless, you can see when he’s on and energy is high, he looks like a no brainer, 5-star player.

Darrion Sutton, 6’8 SF: Listed as a 2023 but was told he’ll go to college next season. I was impressed with Sutton at the Pangos All American Camp in June but here he did leave me wanting more. Has positional size, length and vertical pop, just struggled in the half-court setting. In transition you can see his eye-popping athleticism and the jumper is coming along. Big year of growth for him.

Nathan Missia-Dio, 6’9 SF/PF: A player eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft. At his size, Nathan can connect from deep off the catch and move. He didn’t see a shot he didn’t like so selection got questionable at times, but I can see the talent. Big wing shooter at the next level but still has ways to go. 

Jah Jackson, 6’11 C: Jah has really put in the work on his game and body. I really wish he had college eligibility because he would be an All Conference big-man. Still, a lefty center with a large, strong frame with touch inside the arc. He also flashed a mid-range and three point shot as well. He uses broad shoulders to generate space inside and is a load when he’s five feet in.

Samis Calderon, 6’7 2024 SF: An intriguing prospect with a 7’1 wingspan. Athletic, strong in the open court as a finisher. Long strides, crazy upside as a defender and although offensive game needs work, he shows a skill-set to build on. 

Marcis Ponder, 6’11 2026 C: A problem in the paint. Marcis has great hands, touch and moves well for someone at 6’11, 288 pounds. Was very productive with his touches, boxing out and can rebound out of his area. Just overall a promising prospect with translatable strength, size and a growing skillset. 

Somto Cyril, 2024 6’10 C: Most explosive big man on the roster. The Kentucky commit completed offensive put-backs, lobs and dump-offs with emphatic jams. An adequate shot blocker as well that runs the floor very well. Limited offensive skill-set outside of dunking and rebounding, but he’s really good at what he does. 

Lincoln Crosby, 2027 6’9 PF/SF: Tantalizing upside with this one. Has size, can shoot it and doesn’t handle it bad at all for a kid his size and age (14 years old). The speed and physicality in the 5v5 play was too much for him at his current stage but that’s perfectly fine. When it comes to upside, no one had a higher ceiling in my opinion. 

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Rob Dillingham, OTE (Hickory, N.C.)
6-1 | 170 | Guard | College: Kentucky
Game 1: 12 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST
Game 2: 22 PTS, 7 AST, 4 STL

I've been saying a lot lately that traditional big men and undersized guards are losing value at the NBA level at an alarming rate. So, at first glance, Dillingham doesn't necessarily scream "big-time NBA prospect," as he's not tall and has a slight build at 6-foot-1, 170. Once the ball is tipped, however, it's easy to see why Dillingham is highly touted. First, his speed, shiftiness, craftiness, and knack for getting to his spots and setting up his teammates by dishing the ball with perfect timing and feel are uncanny. And Dillingham is already a capable shot-maker, typically shooting off the dribble after constantly changing his pace and zig-zagging around the court while regularly getting up to speeds that seem like 100 miles per hour and stopping on a dime. Then, there's Dillingham's floor presence. There's no ignoring Dillingham while he's on the court, as he exudes an amount of confidence and swagger that's rarely seen in a player his age (18 years old). He talks a lot of trash and walks a fine line between having confidence that creates a competitive edge and being just a little too much. I think his approach can be effective if utilized properly. Still, again, he's walking a fine line, and I'm keeping a pulse on these elements of his game.

As I've collected my thoughts after my most recent exposure to Dillingham, I can't help myself to think of two players that I've had the opportunity to spend a lot of time around: T.J. Ford and Brandon Jennings, both players who were lottery picks selected by my dad's team, the Milwaukee Bucks. (My dad, Dave Babcock, is the Bucks' director of player personnel, and has been with the team for more than 25 years.) Dillingham possesses Ford's jet speed and water bug quickness and Jennings' craftiness, shot-making, and swagger.

So the big looming question remains: is Dillingham special enough to be an exception to this newly unwritten rule about undersized guards in the NBA and become a top-tiered NBA prospect? Well, I think so, but I'm not entirely sure yet. So I'll watch him closely next season as he's set to head to Lexington to play for coach John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats.

Tyler Smith, OTE (Houston, Texas)
6-10 | 214 | Forward/Center | College: N/A
Game 1: 21 PTS, 7 REB, 4-7 3PT
Game 2: 26 PTS, 8 REB, 3-6 3PT

Like Dillingham, I've seen Smith play many times before my latest trip to Overtime Elite. And actually, I remember precisely the first time I saw him play in person. It was at an AAU tournament in Dallas a couple of years ago. Then shortly after, in Houston, when he switched squads to team up with 2023 NBA Draft prospect Keyonte George (Baylor). Smith was probably around 6-foot-8 when I first saw him, and he showed flashes of versatility and an ability to stretch the floor by shooting the ball from outside.

I was intrigued.

Fast forward to now, and Smith is every bit 6-foot-10, and his body has begun to fill out. So at his current size, Smith is a lefty stretch big, as he typically plays faced towards the hoop outside on the perimeter. And he's capable of shooting from deep, which was evident in these two recent games I watched as he shot 7-of-13 from three-point range. Smith is also a capable finisher at the rim, utilizing primarily straight-line drives. However, he can also put it on the floor for a big guy and finish using some crafty finishes, euro steps, and different moves around the basket. I wouldn't say Smith is exceptionally explosive. Still, he's coordinated, skilled, and a good athlete, making him a well-rounded and versatile big on both ends of the floor.

Per Cerebro Sports, they have aggregated metrics from 45 of Smith's games at Overtime Elite and the high school level. Smith has made 62-of-192 three-point attempts (.322). Of course, those metrics don't necessarily suggest he'll become the next Dirk Nowitzki or Karl-Anthony Towns. However, I heard a veteran NBA coach once say, "we need our big men to shoot it well enough so that they keep the defense honest by having to guard them on the perimeter, providing necessary floor spacing." Well, I think Smith is already at that point in his development. Also, considering that he's developed a reputation for being one of the biggest gym rats in the Overtime Elite program, tells me he'll keep improving.

So over two years, my interest in Smith as an NBA prospect has transitioned from intrigue to excitement. And at this rate, I suspect the next characterization in my evaluation will be "promise."

Regardless, I'll be keeping close tabs on Tyler Smith moving forward.

If you read this, keep grinding, big fella!

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