Cavs fans College Basketball Viewing Guide: Feast Week!
Battle 4 Atlantis
The Battle 4 Atlantis is always a memorable early-season tournament. Whether that is due to the great games, or the fact that on the television it looks like the players are all playing in a huge ballroom, it’s definitely a good time. This year’s field features Auburn, Arizona State, Baylor, UConn, Michigan State, Syracuse, VCU, and Loyola-Chicago. There will be an influx of talent in the Bahamas, including Jabari Smith of Auburn, Marcus Bagley of Arizona State, and Kendall Brown of Baylor. Let’s take a look at those three future NBA rookies.
Jabari Smith is probably the highest touted of all of the prospects in this field. He’s almost a lock to be a lottery pick and has looked like it this season. He’s still working his way into form but has played high minutes in all three of Auburn’s games. In his best game versus Louisiana-Monroe, he recorded his first college double-double, grabbing ten rebounds and scoring 23 points. He’s also been a force on the glass, snagging nearly nine per game. He’s a very good shot-blocker, and projects to be a high-level rim-protector at the NBA level. He needs to work on his mid-range game, but he is a solid three-point shooter. It’s possible the big man will face off with another first-rounder in Kendall Brown of Baylor.
Speaking of Brown, he’s looked tremendous this season for the Bears. After losing a lot of their team to graduation or the draft, Brown has filled in where Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler left off. Through four games, he’s averaging a cool fifteen points per game. He is also adding in three assists and four rebounds. When you first see Brown, you will immediately make the connection to Cade Cunningham. They both have a similar 6-8 frame and are guards/wings. However, while he has been good, he’s nowhere near as good as Cunningham was. At least not yet. The best part of Brown so far? He’s shooting 70% from the field.
Marcus Bagley is just a fun prospect to watch, and he also should be drafted in the first round next year. He’s not the most high-profile guy on this list, but he’s still a very good college player. The sophomore forward is averaging 10 points per game this year while shooting 39% from the field. He hasn’t shown off any elite abilities quite yet, but he’s a very good rebounder and playmaker as a four. On top of that his shooting should get better as the year goes on.