Quentin Grimes led the U.S. team in scoring with 18 points at the heavily attended scrimmage on Thursday night, the lone practice NBA scouts were allowed to watch this week. His combination of size, strength, versatility, competitiveness and smarts has proven to be effective from the shooting guard position, and he appears to be gaining consistency as a shooter, which helps his cause as a NBA prospect significantly.
With guards Tre Jones and Tyler Herrostruggling to create efficient offense in the half-court, and point forward Cam Reddishcompletely disappearing all week, Grimes has moved into a ball-dominant role that really suits his skill-set projecting forward. He operates at different speeds naturally, has excellent vision, creativity and unselfishness distributing the ball out of pick and roll sets, and has the strength and toughness to finish aggressively around the basket when he gets into the lane. He brings a similar no-nonsense mindset to the defensive end as well.
World Team preview
This balanced World Team has the pieces in place to knock off a USA squad that displayed a lack of toughness and effort all week long, coasting through practices. Should head coach Roy Rana and company defeat USA in the Moda Center, it would be the World Team's first win since 2015 when Jamal Murray, Ben Simmons and Skal Labissiere combined for 56 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists to defeat Jaylen Brown, Brandon Ingram and Luke Kennard.
Rana will need a big effort from potential 2019 No. 1 pick R.J. Barrett, who had a rough week of practice in front of NBA scouts and decision makers. Barrett is the World Team's clear alpha dog, but the 6-foot-7 guard struggled mightily with his jump shot all week long, regularly forcing the issue in the half court and failing to get his teammates involved, looking visibly frustrated in the process.
A somewhat early-bloomer physically, the 17-year-old was unable to bully his way to the rim in the half court, and didn't look overly dynamic athletically in traffic. When forced to rely on skill, he didn't quite have the perimeter touch to fall back on, as he sprayed jumpers left and right even though he was able to create space comfortably. Barrett's talent is clear, however, and he has a competitive spirit that lends itself to high-level production when the lights get bright.
Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports
He also struggled in practice as a 16-year-old at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit only to come out and have some impressive moments in the actual game, scoring nine points in 20 minutes as the youngest player on the floor.
With measurements similar to 19-year-old DeMar DeRozan, Barrett is an aggressive scorer who can play pick-and-roll, push in transition, defend multiple positions, and score from all three levels when his jump shot is falling. He's likely to match up with fellow McDonald's All-American and potential 2019 top pick Cameron Reddish in a clash of polar opposite approaches to the game.
Despite his down week of practice, Barrett, unlike Reddish, has the type of killer mentality to get the best of his fellow 2019 draft prospects when they step between the lines. Even if Barrett's long-term upside is looking more and more limited in every setting, he remains an ultra-productive prospect who has the makeup of a potential top-5 pick, especially in what's considered a weak 2019 draft.
One final note to keep in mind projecting toward the game will be watching the play of the most highly regarded recruit on USA Basketball's roster, Cam Reddish. After sleepwalking through the McDonald's and Jordan Brand Classic events while demonstrating zero intensity, Reddish has been somewhat of a ghost here in Portland as well, drawing quite a bit of negativity from NBA scouts due to his casual and passive approach. It will be interesting to see if Reddish can find a way to tap into his considerable talent level and show more competitiveness in the actual game, as he's really rested on his laurels this past month.
With guards Tre Jones and Tyler Herrostruggling to create efficient offense in the half-court, and point forward Cam Reddishcompletely disappearing all week, Grimes has moved into a ball-dominant role that really suits his skill-set projecting forward. He operates at different speeds naturally, has excellent vision, creativity and unselfishness distributing the ball out of pick and roll sets, and has the strength and toughness to finish aggressively around the basket when he gets into the lane. He brings a similar no-nonsense mindset to the defensive end as well.
World Team preview
This balanced World Team has the pieces in place to knock off a USA squad that displayed a lack of toughness and effort all week long, coasting through practices. Should head coach Roy Rana and company defeat USA in the Moda Center, it would be the World Team's first win since 2015 when Jamal Murray, Ben Simmons and Skal Labissiere combined for 56 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists to defeat Jaylen Brown, Brandon Ingram and Luke Kennard.
Rana will need a big effort from potential 2019 No. 1 pick R.J. Barrett, who had a rough week of practice in front of NBA scouts and decision makers. Barrett is the World Team's clear alpha dog, but the 6-foot-7 guard struggled mightily with his jump shot all week long, regularly forcing the issue in the half court and failing to get his teammates involved, looking visibly frustrated in the process.
A somewhat early-bloomer physically, the 17-year-old was unable to bully his way to the rim in the half court, and didn't look overly dynamic athletically in traffic. When forced to rely on skill, he didn't quite have the perimeter touch to fall back on, as he sprayed jumpers left and right even though he was able to create space comfortably. Barrett's talent is clear, however, and he has a competitive spirit that lends itself to high-level production when the lights get bright.
Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports
He also struggled in practice as a 16-year-old at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit only to come out and have some impressive moments in the actual game, scoring nine points in 20 minutes as the youngest player on the floor.
With measurements similar to 19-year-old DeMar DeRozan, Barrett is an aggressive scorer who can play pick-and-roll, push in transition, defend multiple positions, and score from all three levels when his jump shot is falling. He's likely to match up with fellow McDonald's All-American and potential 2019 top pick Cameron Reddish in a clash of polar opposite approaches to the game.
Despite his down week of practice, Barrett, unlike Reddish, has the type of killer mentality to get the best of his fellow 2019 draft prospects when they step between the lines. Even if Barrett's long-term upside is looking more and more limited in every setting, he remains an ultra-productive prospect who has the makeup of a potential top-5 pick, especially in what's considered a weak 2019 draft.
One final note to keep in mind projecting toward the game will be watching the play of the most highly regarded recruit on USA Basketball's roster, Cam Reddish. After sleepwalking through the McDonald's and Jordan Brand Classic events while demonstrating zero intensity, Reddish has been somewhat of a ghost here in Portland as well, drawing quite a bit of negativity from NBA scouts due to his casual and passive approach. It will be interesting to see if Reddish can find a way to tap into his considerable talent level and show more competitiveness in the actual game, as he's really rested on his laurels this past month.
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