Today we get a little more international covering three foreign players (two are playing CBB next year) along with two Arkansas players. All five of these players were recommended by comments on the previous Notebook.
The more and more I watch, this class the more I get excited. Cooper Flagg and the top of the draft is plenty exciting but some of the guys in this article get me excited about the depth and role players of this draft.
If you missed the last two Notebooks you can check out Part 1 and Part 2.
At the bottom of this article, I will have the updated running big board with all the players I have covered in the series.
Hugo Gonzalez, Forward, Real Madrid (Spain)
The more I watch players the more I get excited for this draft class. Hugo Gonzalez takes some getting used to but he knows his role and it is easy to see what his role will be in the NBA. When just watching his offensive game a more athletic Kyle Anderson is who came to mind but after watching the defense he may be more of a Josh Hart.
I will start with the defense because it is really good. At 6’8, Hugo is built like a brick and it shows on the defensive end of the floor. Because of his strength, he can guard bigger forwards and hold his own in the post. Not just that but he has the foot speed to keep up with quicker guards when necessary.
Last season, Hugo did an excellent job against both Nolan Traore and Pacome Dadiet when he matched up against them. Off the ball, he is very active getting steals or sliding over in helpside. On the ball, his screen navigation is really good even against strong screeners. My only critique on the defense is that he can be a step behind on skip passes when he is in help defense, but that should be ironed out as a pro.
The elephant in the room is that Hugo Gonzalez can not shoot, and I don’t project him to ever be better than just fine from deep. A combined 22.92% from 3, Hugo has never shot over 25% for a team in the last two years. Aesthetically, it looks okay. Sometimes, he rushes the shot, but he has confidence, and it does not look broken.
Despite shooting 67% at the rim and 78% from the free-throw line I wouldn’t say he has great touch. With all that being said I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a low 30’s three-point shooter just because the form is not broken.
Gonzalez is a strong ball handler and often initiates the offense for Barcelona and Spain although I would not call him much more of a connective passer at this stage. As mentioned earlier, he is great around the rim and uses his frame to create space and finish. The rebounding is solid although to fully play into the Josh Hart role he needs to get better at grabbing rebounds, especially on the offensive end.
Kasparas Jakucionis, Guard, Illinois
Man, I like Kasparas, so before I get into why I am on board I will cover my concerns. Offensively Kasparas is a tweener at the guard position. He is somewhere between 6’4 and 6’6 (he has been listed at all 3 heights) but it is the skills that make his position a question mark.
Jakucionis is a solid ball handler and a very good playmaker but can he run an offense? At this point, I lean towards him being a two-guard who is a secondary ball handler in other units. The playmaking at different points really pops and could lead to a more steady role as the primary ball handler.
Defensively, he is honestly pretty poor. Pretty consistently he is beaten off the dribble and he often lunges out of plays. Kasparas is a pretty decent athlete so he should be a fine defender with effort but I would not expect him to be anything special on that side of the floor.
Ok, so now why do I love him? Kasparas is a fun shooting prospect who has a chance to be elite at that skill. Just under 34% from 3 on five attempts a game doesn’t tell the whole story of his shooting. Jakucionis has an incredibly soft touch on floaters and around the rim paired with his 87% free throw percentage.
Kasparas moves great off the ball and is a really good movement shooter, especially for his age. He is absolutely 0% concerned with closeouts often shooting with someone right in his face. Out of the 15 players I have written about so far Kasparas has by far the highest PPS off the dribble with 1.18 on 114 shots. This number is not maintainable but still shows his ability to score in multiple ways especially when he is run off the leave.
Jakucionis plays within an offense very fluidly, consistently moving and not stopping the ball. For Barcelona U18 Kasparas had a 30% assist rate but he had only a 19% assist rate for Lithuania U18. If he can run the show at Illinois, teams may become more intrigued by the prospect of a jumbo point guard who can shoot the lights out.
Despite lacking elite-level athleticism he is pretty solid at creating advantages on the perimeter. Kasparas is very smooth and the handle is pretty solid. He is very good at attacking poor positioning and as he gets to the basket he becomes more patient using pump fakes and great footwork to score.
The entire 2024-25 college season he will be 18 years old so there is a lot of time for growth as a prospect. I buy Kasparas as a modern tweener guard in the NBA. The shot paired with good playmaking gives him a real chance as a pro but the defense and lack of elite athleticism could be worrisome if the other skills falter.
Boogie Fland, Guard, Arkansas
Another prospect who will be 18 this entire college basketball season. It is disappointing that Boogie Fland is 6’2 because he is A LOT of fun. As dynamic of a scorer as it comes it is hard not to see some similarities as a scorer to Rob Dillingham last season.
Playing time may be sparse next season with Johnell Davis and DJ Wagner on the roster especially because at his size, Fland is more of a two-guard. With only a 13% assist rate, Fland hasn’t shown many signs of being a lead guard at the next level.
On the ball, Fland is dynamite scoring the basketball. He has elite acceleration and a very good handle which helps him create separation outside the paint. Fland’s bread and butter is his tough shot-taking and his tough shot-making.
Overall he is a very good shooter in terms of form, production, volume, and touch. I have very few concerns about Fland as a shooter off the catch or once he puts the ball on the floor.
Fland takes 5.46 dribble jumpers a game, a number that is more than 1 more than every other prospect that has been covered in this series besides Ace Bailey (9.38!!!!). He is very prone to settle and although this would normally be very bad for Fland it is alright and that is because he shoots a pretty solid 0.863 PPS off the dribble.
Boogie Fland has never seen a shot he doesn’t like which can be frustrating but it is also amazing just how many of these shots he can make. It is also remarkable just how deep Fland’s range is from three. Strictly scoring there are some similarities scoring-wise to a Cam Thomas type of player.
He struggles from 2 shooting 47% and only 55% at the rim on the second fewest attempts out of the players in this series. Fland’s lack of vertical athleticism will make it hard for Fland to be a great NBA-level scorer at his size.
There are not many great defenders at 6’2 but Fland isn’t bad. He moves his feet well, has great hands for steals, and overall cares on that side of the floor. There is a ceiling to what Fland can be as a defender but it not being overall bad is impressive.
Overall it is hard for me to buy into Fland too much even with his scoring and defense. At his size, Fland needs to be a point guard and I just do not think he has the playmaking skills to do so. Additionally, the shots Fland settles for eventually will catch up to him and not being able to score at the rim is a poor sign in the modern NBA.
Egor Demin, Forward, BYU
Demin is an 18-year-old Russian who has been playing for Real Madrid for the last two seasons and is now coming to America to play for BYU. He is a fluid 6’9 plus athlete who appears even taller on the court. With Demin, there are clear strengths and flaws and his season this year could decide if he is a top 5 pick or has to return to school.
The elephant in the room is that Demin is currently a non-shooter. A combined 12.5% from 3 on around 5 attempts a game is poor and he has a weak 71% free throw percentage to solidify it. Demin has good but not great touch so it is hard to see him ever peaking as a legitimate shooting threat. The only glimmer of hope is during his 2022-23 campaign he shot 42% from 3 in the 8 games he played.
The Russian is fantastic at the rim shooting 63% at the rim. Although he is not a high flyer he is great at different types of finishes at the rim. Watching him he strikes me as someone who has been doing the Mikan drill since he was 6 years old because of how good he is at those finishes.
This is not on small volume as he got to the rim 5.7 times a game for the U18 Madrid team. He is not a one-trick pony as those attempts are from self-creation, cuts, and rolls off of screens. Demin is capable of playing multiple roles on the ball or off which helps negate some of the shot problems.
At his height, he has a very good handle and is more than capable of blowing by a defender on the perimeter. I would not call him a “playmaker” but Demin has some pretty advanced reads and I am curious how those progress this season in college basketball.
Demin is very solid defensively, using his length to guard multiple positions. He cares about that side of the floor and constantly gives effort. He is susceptible to getting blown by, and off the ball, he gets lost when he ball-watches. Because of his tools and effort, I would project Demin as a + NBA defender.
I really want to rank Demin very high because of the way he impacts the game but the complete lack of jump shot makes it hard for me to put him high just yet.
Karter Knox, Wing, Arkansas
The younger brother of NBA player Kevin Knox, Karter is an interesting player with no real elite skill but multiple areas of potential. At 6’6, Knox is a great athlete who finishes above the rim and is hard to control in transition. When the game slows down so does Knox’s effectiveness but some of that naturally came with the chaotic style of Overtime Elite.
Knox takes really bad shots pretty fairly consistently and doesn’t have the efficiency on those shots that Ace Bailey or even Boogie Fland does. As a wing, Knox needs to improve as a playmaker posting a 10% assist rate for OTE and a 4% rate for his last EYBL season.
The three-point shot may end up being Knox’s swing skill, and it could go either way. The volume is there, and last season, he shot 34.5% on over seven attempts a game (many of those tough shots). His form is a little stiff but it is workable but it is the touch I am more worried about.
66% from the free throw line over the last 18ish months and poor touch around the rim are not great signs that he will be an elite shooter. I buy Knox as a mid-30s three-point shooter but I am not sure it will ever be good enough for him to be a well-rounded scorer.
With his measurables and frame, the defense should be his calling card but it is not very good yet. He is a pretty low effort on that side of the floor jumping out of the play and being lazy on the perimeter.
OTE did Karter Knox no favors with its fast pace, lack of defense, and tough shots. Arkansas has a lot of mouths to feed, so it will be interesting how many minutes and touches Knox is able to get. What I am watching next season more than anything else is how his 3-point shot progresses.
Running Big Board
- Cooper Flagg, Forward, Duke
- VJ Edgecombe, Wing, Baylor
- Ace Bailey, Wing, Rutgers
- Dylan Harper, Guard, Rutgers
- Nolan Traore, Guard, Saint Quentin (France)
- Drake Powell, Wing, North Carolina
- Hugo Gonzalez, Forward, Barcelona (Spain)
- Carter Bryant, Wing, Arizona
- Kasparas Jukucionis, Guard, Illinois
- Egor Demin, Forward, BYU
- Jarin Stevenson, Forward, Alabama
- Liam McNeeley, Wing, UConn
- Karter Knox, Wing, Arkansas
- Donnie Freeman, Forward, Syracuse
- Boogie Fland, Guard, Arkansas
Big Board Debates
I flip-flopped Drake Powell and Carter Bryant after a little more film. I still really like Bryant’s upside but think there is a higher floor with Powell and at this stage, it is really hard not to value that.
