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Hackett's Draft Prep Part 4: Small Forwards

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

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Continuing our look at draft prospects. Most info from Draftexpress.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, 23, SF
Justin Anderson, 26, SF
Jarell Martin, 29, SF/PF

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, 20 years old, 13th in DX Top 100
Measurements: 6'7", 211 lbs, 7'2" wingspan, 38" max vert
Scouting report:
Athleticism: Great athlete; strong, explosive, quick, long. Plays with very high energy as well. Complete package in this area.
Offence: Plays well above the rim, can finish through contact and draws fouls at a very high rate (highest of any SF in the draft). Can't create for himself, lack of ball handling skills, drives in straight lines. Terrible shooter, both from midrange and from 3. Poor and inconsistent mechanics.
Defence: Magnificent defender. True stopper on the wing, with the strength to defend in the post if needed. Great lateral quicks to stay in front of his man, has a James-Johnson-esque ability to block jumpers as well.
Other: Currently projects as a role player in the NBA due to complete lack of offence. Would need to add a jumper to be more than that, or drastically improve his ball handling skills.

Justin Anderson, SF, 21 years old, 23rd in DX Top 100
Measurements: 6'6", 231 lbs, 7'0" wingspan, 43" max vert
Scouting report:
Athleticism: Amazing athlete; good quickness and strength, incredibly explosive.
Offence: Big improvement from him offensively in his final year - developed a 3 point shot - and a good one (45%). Especially good on the catch, but can shoot off the dribble as well. Form has improved noticeably, so the improvement is probably real and not a lucky streak. Not an on-ball creator, not a strong dribbler. Can drive past defenders closing out too fast, but not much beyond that. Doesn't set up offence with passes, but has improved his shot selection, knowing when to move the ball rather than take a tough shot, while also reducing his turnovers.
Defence: Very good defender, and a key player on a tremendous defensive team. Very good at using his strength and quicks to keep his man in front of him, and has tremendous recovery speed (both back to the perimeter and beating his man to the rim to contest when he gets beat). A little raw in defensive fundamentals (can be beat sometimes due to incorrect positioning or body angle) but he is another high energy defender who will make up for his mistakes.
Other: Looks like an ideal 3 and D prospect. If there's no one with high potential left, that's always a good thing to have. And his recent improvement might point to a bigger role being possible down the road.

Jarell Martin, SF/PF, 21 years old, 27th in DX Top 100
Measurements: 6'8", 239 lbs, 6'10" wingspan, 35" max vert
Scouting report:
Athleticism: Good athlete, quick for his size, average length and quite strong.
Offence: Versatile game. Can face up and hit jumpers out to the midrange, but is pretty ineffective from 3. Good in the post, if raw (and he doesn't go there enough), and gets to the line a lot. Struggles from the line (under 70%) and has poor mechanics wherever he shoots it from.
Defence: Not a good defender. Poor instincts, poor focus, and struggles in the post against bigger players and on the perimeter against smaller players. Commits way too many fouls. Also a very poor rebounder for his size.
Other: Worst kind of tweener - stuck between the 3 and 4 spots, too slow for one and too small for the other, and doesn't do anything exceptionally to make up for it.

Not a lot of options here. Hard pass on Martin for me. I know a lot of people love RHJ, but I think his best case is as a defensive role player, and you can get guys like that on the free agent market for reasonable deals anytime (see Johnson, James). And he seems even more limited offensively than JJ or Fields are, not even a capable ball handler. My pick from this group is definitely Anderson. Can shoot (always good), can defend almost to the level RHJ does (also good), and has improved a lot recently, which might bode well for further untapped potential - his floor seems like a 3+D guy (which is rare enough) and his ceiling seems higher than the alternatives.