Jayson Tatum and Terrance Ferguson
i can't believe the Lakers haven't worked these 2 out. i watch every FIBA Worlds U17 and U19 tournament and the Americas U18. i try to keep up with the most coveted players coming out of High School. McDonalds All-American games and practices. Jordan Brand Classic game. Nike Hoop Summit. Adidas tourneys. YouTube makes it so easy nowadays to watch all these prospects. AND these 2 should definitely be in contention for the second pick.
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2 players started for both of these rosters and it was Josh Jackson and Terrance Ferguson. both 2-way players that were great all tournament long. i like the FIBA tournament tapes better than most of the college tapes because the 3-point line is farther (FIBA line), they use a 24 second shot clock, and they're playing alongside other top prospects. interesting to see them not really being the focal point of the team like high school or college; and something about wearing your country's name on your jersey makes these games fiery. a lot of adversity learned as well getting the best from every country and all the fans against you, with little practice time as a team, with the pressure to win every game, and "fiba-style" officiating. i linked the 2 championship games but you can find most if not all the games of both tournaments on youtube.
*side note- i actually was high on Zubac because of that 2015 final against Croatia (the Slavica kid is legit too). took a young team USA to overtime as well.
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the Nike Hoop Summit game is also a great game to dissect because the World team usually wins, and it's interesting to see how the players on Team USA handle that. this 2016 game however was dominated by Team USA. the defense by Fox, Ferguson, and Tatum was suffocating. Jackson and Fultz played well on both sides. you can watch a lot of the top prospects in this one game alone, so it's an interesting watch. i actually linked the video to start at this time of the game where Terrance Ferguson went off. but i suggest watching the whole game. also love the 24 second shot clock and NBA lines on the court. (watch 30:00-37:00 for an in-game look at Ferguson) funny listening to Fran really make a case for Ferguson because if you watched him play in the FIBA tourneys..you'd do the same.
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i like Fultz, Ball, Fox, Jackson, and Smith Jr. but i also think Tatum and Ferguson (Yes Ferguson) should be looked at as a top prospect in this draft.