Is that Nico music? Big game hunting Nico. Justin Edwards bio from Wikipedia:
Edwards was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services.[8][9] He was rated as the #1 overall recruit in the nation by ESPN in January 2023.[10] On July 25, 2022
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Similar ranking to Lively and Hardy. Edwards didn't have a strong freshman season at Kentucky and is now slated to go in the 40's or 50's in the draft. 6'8 with 6'11 wingspan. As a Nike executive you make bets with talent. Just a name to remember. I have no idea if he can play.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBsqEu8fZSI
The Athletic writeup:
BACKGROUND: Mother is Ebony. She was a professional basketball player overseas. She won MVP of the Philadelphia Public League Championship game in high school just like Justin did 23 years later. Ebony raised Justin and his two sisters in a single-parent household where she worked multiple jobs for her kids. Edwards wasn’t a typical early developmental success story for a premier recruit. He was not recognized as a freshman and expected to be a star. But he emerged in the spring of 2021 after he strung together strong performances, then blew up in the summer of 2021. By the end of that summer, he was seen as a five-star player. He went to Imhotep High School in Philadelphia, leading it to a state title as a junior, then continued to break out in the following summer while playing for Team Final on the Nike EYBL circuit, becoming a top-five player in his recruiting class. He led his team to another state title as a senior and was named Mr. Basketball in Pennsylvania. He was named to the McDonald’s All-American game as well the Nike Hoop Summit team. He went to play at the Iverson Classic in front of many NBA scouts and won co-MVP of that event. Edwards was considered a consensus top-three player in the 2023 recruiting class and committed to Kentucky in the summer before his senior season, choosing the Wildcats over offers from Tennessee, Kansas, Villanova and the G League Ignite. In the summer before his freshman season, he went to the GLOBL JAM in Canada and represented the United States with Kentucky and was the best player in the event, helping the Wildcats win the tournament. He struggled more than expected in his freshman season as things looked like they were moving far too fast for him. He eventually settled into a solid role in the final 12 games as a 3-and-D wing. He was relatively efficient in his play even if he was limited. Edwards declared for the 2024 NBA Draft. STRENGTHS: Edwards has great size on the wing at 6-6 without shoes with a 6-10 wingspan. He looks the part of a wing by NBA standards. He has the body control and athleticism that teams look for, with good quickness. After a tough start to the year, he got much better as the season went along. Over his final 12 games, Edwards averaged 10.7 points while shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 47.2 percent from 3. He also played better on defense. He showed some determination and willingness to battle through adversity and overcome obstacles. He also wasn’t afraid to play through contact. He grabbed 1.2 offensive rebounds per game. I buy the jumper with Edwards long term, particularly in spot-up situations. That got drastically better as the season went along. He made 36.5 percent from 3 this year, basically all of which were directly off the catch. He made 37.8 percent overall off the catch, per Synergy. Edwards has never been an elite shooter but has good mechanics and touch that should allow continued growth. He can take them off the hop or off a 1-2 step. There’s great balance throughout the shot. He has a ball dip that slows things down but has great rhythm throughout the jumper. He gets into perfect alignment with the rim, with his elbow underneath the ball and a clean release. There's great extension through his arms and good follow-through. It’s an easy-looking shot that should continue to improve. He also made 77.6 percent of his free throws. He flashes other elements on offense. Edwards had some positive moments as a cutter. He understood when his defender turned his head and could get to the rim. He has ability to fill lanes in transition and attack in straight lines off the bounce when he has some space. He made 65.7 percent of his shots at the rim in half-court settings and about 62 percent of his shots at the rim overall, per Synergy. He knows how to extend and use his length well. Occasionally he attacked closeouts this year and has the kind of long strides that you would want to allow him to cover ground quickly. He also loves to get into the midrange to score. He took a little over one pull-up from the midrange per game this year and made them at a 40.5 percent clip. That won’t be a significant part of his game in the NBA — especially early — but I thought he got into those shots off one or two dribbles well. That could be a good relocation counter to hard closeouts if the jumper comes along. He has a high release for when the help comes.
He was a good on-ball defender at Kentucky, staying in front and using his length. If he could get his chest in front of his man, I thought everything was all good. He had some positive moments off the ball where he’d play one-on-two on the weak side and make the right read to get deflections or gum up the offense’s plan.
WEAKNESSES: Edwards has a concerning blend of limited explosiveness and slow processing speed on the court. Athletically, he had just a 32.5-inch vertical leap at the combine, and that largely shows up on tape. He doesn’t have much pop, especially through contact. He also posted a lane agility score up over 12, which is more in line with slower-footed bigs than wings. He is not a twitchy athlete. On top of it, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion when Edwards had the ball this year. He got better as the season went on, but he was not processing things at a high level. The game looked to be moving too quickly, and Kentucky did better with him by locking him into a more limited offensive role. Based on the tape this year, he is unlikely to grow beyond a straight-line driver off the bounce in the NBA. He doesn’t have much shake or twitch athletically. That allowed defenders to stay in front of him in any situation when he tried to create. That led to those midrange pull-up shots. It was way too easy to cut him off. Once that happened, he didn’t have any recourse other than to shoot. He’s willing to play through contact, but he wasn’t powerful enough and didn’t have creative enough footwork to get to the rim. He made them when he got there, but he rarely got there. It felt like he could only load up off two feet to try to finish in traffic. He took only about one shot per game at the rim in half-court settings, and just 1.5 free-throw attempts per game. Additionally, Edwards wants to go left every time he puts the ball on the ground. I think he’s the most one-hand-dominant player in this draft class. I'm not sure I saw Edwards make an effective drive with his right hand once this year. It’s too easy to take away what he does well. All defenders must do is sit on that left hand and he doesn’t have a counter on a closeout right now. He needs to get drastically better at having baseline skills with his right hand that translate to him being comfortable putting the ball on the floor at a G League level, let alone in the NBA. On top of that, Edwards doesn’t see the well. He didn't make creative passes. He didn’t make many effective passes on the move. He was better passing when standing still. He averaged less than an assist per game, and there were many moments when the opposition stopped his momentum and he’d have to pick the ball up, needing multiple seconds to process where to pass. He slowed the offense down when he was on the court unless he was able to shoot quickly. I worry about the increase in game speed that he’ll be facing at the NBA level next year comparatively. All of Edwards’ made 3s this year came off the catch. He has displayed very little pull-up game from distance. He doesn’t have creativity in his handle or footwork to get into a stepback jumper or anything like that. He wasn’t effective as a movement shooter. He didn’t get his feet underneath him, and the mechanics fell apart too easily. Even simple relocations like lifts from the corner to the wing were an issue for him. On top of that, Edwards shot only 25 percent this season from beyond 25 feet on 16 attempts. He doesn’t have legitimate NBA range right now. Everything seemed to be right on the college 3-point t line for him, which rightfully will give NBA evaluators pause in projecting his shot as it moves up levels early in his career. I thought his defense was inconsistent, trending toward negative. He had moments when his feet got caught in mud and he’d get blown by. He’d jump to the ball on his closeouts instead of taking balanced steps. He could get hit there when scrambling. He was late to react often. It felt like he wanted to defend, and on the first action he’d go hard, but then if his man countered his second and third efforts were a bit slower, he wasn’t very reactive. He got lost on secondary actions regularly. It‘s all about Edwards processing the game faster. He'll need to get quicker at understanding what’s happening around him. He has the tools but will be a project on this end of the court, too. SUMMARY: I wanted to buy into Edwards as a bit of an upside swing — a post-hype wing who could come in and make some things happen for an NBA team after not fitting in well at Kentucky. I buy into his shot and like that he got better throughout the season after a disastrous start. However, his game was too limited, and he didn’t process things quick enough to project rapid improvement in the crucial areas. He’s so left-hand-dominant and doesn’t have a counter if defenses take that away. The game moves so much faster in the NBA that I find it hard to believe that Edwards will be able to keep up from day one. That means it’ll be a long process. I would rather another team work through that instead of me, if I were on the team side. I have him with a clear two-way grade right now.
Edwards was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services.[8][9] He was rated as the #1 overall recruit in the nation by ESPN in January 2023.[10] On July 25, 2022
***************
Similar ranking to Lively and Hardy. Edwards didn't have a strong freshman season at Kentucky and is now slated to go in the 40's or 50's in the draft. 6'8 with 6'11 wingspan. As a Nike executive you make bets with talent. Just a name to remember. I have no idea if he can play.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBsqEu8fZSI
The Athletic writeup:
BACKGROUND: Mother is Ebony. She was a professional basketball player overseas. She won MVP of the Philadelphia Public League Championship game in high school just like Justin did 23 years later. Ebony raised Justin and his two sisters in a single-parent household where she worked multiple jobs for her kids. Edwards wasn’t a typical early developmental success story for a premier recruit. He was not recognized as a freshman and expected to be a star. But he emerged in the spring of 2021 after he strung together strong performances, then blew up in the summer of 2021. By the end of that summer, he was seen as a five-star player. He went to Imhotep High School in Philadelphia, leading it to a state title as a junior, then continued to break out in the following summer while playing for Team Final on the Nike EYBL circuit, becoming a top-five player in his recruiting class. He led his team to another state title as a senior and was named Mr. Basketball in Pennsylvania. He was named to the McDonald’s All-American game as well the Nike Hoop Summit team. He went to play at the Iverson Classic in front of many NBA scouts and won co-MVP of that event. Edwards was considered a consensus top-three player in the 2023 recruiting class and committed to Kentucky in the summer before his senior season, choosing the Wildcats over offers from Tennessee, Kansas, Villanova and the G League Ignite. In the summer before his freshman season, he went to the GLOBL JAM in Canada and represented the United States with Kentucky and was the best player in the event, helping the Wildcats win the tournament. He struggled more than expected in his freshman season as things looked like they were moving far too fast for him. He eventually settled into a solid role in the final 12 games as a 3-and-D wing. He was relatively efficient in his play even if he was limited. Edwards declared for the 2024 NBA Draft. STRENGTHS: Edwards has great size on the wing at 6-6 without shoes with a 6-10 wingspan. He looks the part of a wing by NBA standards. He has the body control and athleticism that teams look for, with good quickness. After a tough start to the year, he got much better as the season went along. Over his final 12 games, Edwards averaged 10.7 points while shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 47.2 percent from 3. He also played better on defense. He showed some determination and willingness to battle through adversity and overcome obstacles. He also wasn’t afraid to play through contact. He grabbed 1.2 offensive rebounds per game. I buy the jumper with Edwards long term, particularly in spot-up situations. That got drastically better as the season went along. He made 36.5 percent from 3 this year, basically all of which were directly off the catch. He made 37.8 percent overall off the catch, per Synergy. Edwards has never been an elite shooter but has good mechanics and touch that should allow continued growth. He can take them off the hop or off a 1-2 step. There’s great balance throughout the shot. He has a ball dip that slows things down but has great rhythm throughout the jumper. He gets into perfect alignment with the rim, with his elbow underneath the ball and a clean release. There's great extension through his arms and good follow-through. It’s an easy-looking shot that should continue to improve. He also made 77.6 percent of his free throws. He flashes other elements on offense. Edwards had some positive moments as a cutter. He understood when his defender turned his head and could get to the rim. He has ability to fill lanes in transition and attack in straight lines off the bounce when he has some space. He made 65.7 percent of his shots at the rim in half-court settings and about 62 percent of his shots at the rim overall, per Synergy. He knows how to extend and use his length well. Occasionally he attacked closeouts this year and has the kind of long strides that you would want to allow him to cover ground quickly. He also loves to get into the midrange to score. He took a little over one pull-up from the midrange per game this year and made them at a 40.5 percent clip. That won’t be a significant part of his game in the NBA — especially early — but I thought he got into those shots off one or two dribbles well. That could be a good relocation counter to hard closeouts if the jumper comes along. He has a high release for when the help comes.
He was a good on-ball defender at Kentucky, staying in front and using his length. If he could get his chest in front of his man, I thought everything was all good. He had some positive moments off the ball where he’d play one-on-two on the weak side and make the right read to get deflections or gum up the offense’s plan.
WEAKNESSES: Edwards has a concerning blend of limited explosiveness and slow processing speed on the court. Athletically, he had just a 32.5-inch vertical leap at the combine, and that largely shows up on tape. He doesn’t have much pop, especially through contact. He also posted a lane agility score up over 12, which is more in line with slower-footed bigs than wings. He is not a twitchy athlete. On top of it, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion when Edwards had the ball this year. He got better as the season went on, but he was not processing things at a high level. The game looked to be moving too quickly, and Kentucky did better with him by locking him into a more limited offensive role. Based on the tape this year, he is unlikely to grow beyond a straight-line driver off the bounce in the NBA. He doesn’t have much shake or twitch athletically. That allowed defenders to stay in front of him in any situation when he tried to create. That led to those midrange pull-up shots. It was way too easy to cut him off. Once that happened, he didn’t have any recourse other than to shoot. He’s willing to play through contact, but he wasn’t powerful enough and didn’t have creative enough footwork to get to the rim. He made them when he got there, but he rarely got there. It felt like he could only load up off two feet to try to finish in traffic. He took only about one shot per game at the rim in half-court settings, and just 1.5 free-throw attempts per game. Additionally, Edwards wants to go left every time he puts the ball on the ground. I think he’s the most one-hand-dominant player in this draft class. I'm not sure I saw Edwards make an effective drive with his right hand once this year. It’s too easy to take away what he does well. All defenders must do is sit on that left hand and he doesn’t have a counter on a closeout right now. He needs to get drastically better at having baseline skills with his right hand that translate to him being comfortable putting the ball on the floor at a G League level, let alone in the NBA. On top of that, Edwards doesn’t see the well. He didn't make creative passes. He didn’t make many effective passes on the move. He was better passing when standing still. He averaged less than an assist per game, and there were many moments when the opposition stopped his momentum and he’d have to pick the ball up, needing multiple seconds to process where to pass. He slowed the offense down when he was on the court unless he was able to shoot quickly. I worry about the increase in game speed that he’ll be facing at the NBA level next year comparatively. All of Edwards’ made 3s this year came off the catch. He has displayed very little pull-up game from distance. He doesn’t have creativity in his handle or footwork to get into a stepback jumper or anything like that. He wasn’t effective as a movement shooter. He didn’t get his feet underneath him, and the mechanics fell apart too easily. Even simple relocations like lifts from the corner to the wing were an issue for him. On top of that, Edwards shot only 25 percent this season from beyond 25 feet on 16 attempts. He doesn’t have legitimate NBA range right now. Everything seemed to be right on the college 3-point t line for him, which rightfully will give NBA evaluators pause in projecting his shot as it moves up levels early in his career. I thought his defense was inconsistent, trending toward negative. He had moments when his feet got caught in mud and he’d get blown by. He’d jump to the ball on his closeouts instead of taking balanced steps. He could get hit there when scrambling. He was late to react often. It felt like he wanted to defend, and on the first action he’d go hard, but then if his man countered his second and third efforts were a bit slower, he wasn’t very reactive. He got lost on secondary actions regularly. It‘s all about Edwards processing the game faster. He'll need to get quicker at understanding what’s happening around him. He has the tools but will be a project on this end of the court, too. SUMMARY: I wanted to buy into Edwards as a bit of an upside swing — a post-hype wing who could come in and make some things happen for an NBA team after not fitting in well at Kentucky. I buy into his shot and like that he got better throughout the season after a disastrous start. However, his game was too limited, and he didn’t process things quick enough to project rapid improvement in the crucial areas. He’s so left-hand-dominant and doesn’t have a counter if defenses take that away. The game moves so much faster in the NBA that I find it hard to believe that Edwards will be able to keep up from day one. That means it’ll be a long process. I would rather another team work through that instead of me, if I were on the team side. I have him with a clear two-way grade right now.
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