6'8 or 6'9 lead ball handlers are very valuable and they don't grow on trees.
- Legitimately fantastic ballhandler and passer at his size. Huge value in that.
- Reads the game exceptionally well, has high tier feel.
- Has shown clear signs that while he isn't a shooter now, it isn't unrealistic for him to develop.
- Actually attacks the paint and drives. Probes well.
- Great mover with agile hip mobility helps him a ton navigating screens on offense and bodes well for his ceiling on defense.
- Reads offenses well on defense, gets a ton of deflections and tipped balls which again, projects well for his defense in time.
- Combine all of these flashes of upside with the fact that he's still very young (still 18, won't turn 19 until October) is extremely enticing.
There are downsides to him right now, sure, there's no doubt about that. Here are some of them:
- Narrow frame and build that helps him navigate screens on offense means he'll probably struggle on defense against larger wings in the NBA even when he adds weight.
- While his defensive flashes are real and encouraging, he can get caught ball watching at times and falling out of engagement
- Jumper needs work to find consistency
But for the most part, those are the kind of negatives and points of improvement that you expect out of 18 year olds. If he had an elite frame and was 100% consistent defensively and shot 40% from 3 every night, he'd be the number one pick Getting a guy like him at 10 would be very good value.