Props & Opps: The Class Of 2020

Following elite basketball prospects has its positives and negatives.

As for the positives, most recruitniks can have a generally good pulse on what a high school prospect does well on the hardwood. There are plenty of articles, scouting reports, analysis and quotes from the coaches and the player himself. You can scour YouTube and find plenty of highlight reels and mix tapes on any given prep star. And there’s also more and more coverage of these elite prospects’ games on television.

What is difficult to find is an objective breakdown of a players’ strengths and opportunities. Most scouts will talk freely about what a player does well, but there aren’t a lot of writings about areas that they struggle or may need to improve.

And that is why this idea was born. Props and Opps covers not only which areas of the game that the prospect excels, but also points out the opps (opportunities) needed to make an impact or improve upon as they get ready to enter college.

THI’s Clint Jackson sat down with Rivals.com national analysts Eric Bossi and Corey Evans to discuss each of North Carolina’s signed recruit for its class of 2020.

Below are the props and opps for all five future Tar Heels:

Corey Evans, Props – “Tremendous downhill driver and competitor. Brings his best whenever it demands it. Going to show up when the lights are the brightest.”

Corey Evans, Opps – “Showing that he can consistently make shots while also running his team at the lead guard spot. It is one thing to be labeled as a point guard but to achieve the various tasks and do it efficiently at UNC will be his best opportunity to improve upon.”

Clint Jackson, Props – “I really like Love’s size and shifty burst in the open court. He dusts people off the bounce with his change of speed and first step. He’s an athlete who defends, rebounds and scores.”

Clint Jackson, Opps – “I think shooting the ball more consistently is an area of growth for him. That, and being a better pure point guard. He can run the point and he’s a good passer, but he still has room to grow as a floor general.”

Eric Bossi, Props – “Caleb Love has tremendous burst with the ball and can really score off the dribble. His long arms and quickness are allowing him to become a high end defender at the point of attack.”

Eric Bossi, Opps- “Love can go and get his own bucket off the bounce and is plenty athletic, but he's a streaky jump shooter at best. Also, he's still learning how to really run a team.”

Corey Evans, Props – “Just a super refined half court big man. He can score facing the basket and with his back to it. Kessler is a game changer at the 5 that can already play next to another big man of his standing stature.”

Corey Evans, Opps – “He must show that he can and wants to defend for prolonged periods. We already know how great he’s going to be on offense; if his defense can come anywhere close to it, North Carolina will be tough to stop.”

Clint Jackson, Props – “Walker is so skilled and comfortable outside the lane. He will shoot it, put it on the floor and he passes it well. You can tell he developed his ball skills early on and when he grew, he didn’t lose his comfort playing facing the basket.

Clint Jackson, Opps- “I think lateral foot movement in space could be an issue as he will be asked to defend some more mobile combo-forwards in space. He needs to be as agile as he can be, defending threes and fours on ball screens and switches.”

Eric Bossi, Props – “Walker Kessler can stretch the floor as well as any big man in the class. He's also pretty good around the basket and has outstanding touch on the interior and rim runs better than people give him credit for.

Eric Bossi, Opps – “Despite his size, Kessler is just an ok rebounder. He'll need to be more physical and more instinctive for big boy battles in ACC play and NCAA Tournament.”

Corey Evans, Props – “He is a premier shot maker. RJ Davis doesn't see a shot that he doesn’t think that he cannot hit. He will bring tremendous confidence with how he scores the ball to Chapel Hill day one.

Corey Evans, Opps – “Can he be a playmaker, too? While Caleb Love will be learned upon the greatest early on, it will all come down to how capable Davis is to creating for others and if he can score efficiently around the basket against great athletes and length.”

Clint Jackson, Props – “I think Davis is so shifty and his ability to shoot it keeps defenders off balance. They’re always trying to recover and close out on him, but they’re constantly on their heels because they’re never balanced defending him. I think he scores, both as a shooter and as a shifty, change of speed driver, and that’s what makes him so tough to defend. He’s also a nice ball-handler.

Clint Jackson, Opps – “He’s not a huge kid out there, only about 5-11 and he frequently plays off the ball. Will his size hurt him on defense against the bigger guards in the ACC who run 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-6? That’s my biggest question.”

Eric Bossi, Props – “R.J. Davis can really let it fly from deep. If he gets a clean look at the rim from deep he's not likely to miss and that shooting affords him some ability to beat guys off the dribble despite just ok quickness.”

Eric Bossi, Opps – “Who is Davis going to defend? He's pretty small for a two guard and he's not a speed burner and is going to have to commit to being better when he's not scoring.”

Corey Evans, Props – “A capable 3-and-D wing, Puff Johnson is a confident shooter that should excel within North Carolina’s up-tempo schemes. He’s also an underrated defender that should impact the game on both ends.”

Corey Evans, Opps – “Johnson must show that he can create his own offense and also handle the physicality that is presented within the college game. Will his body hold up over the long haul and can he produce through physicality? His shot making will get him onto the floor so the opportunity will be within reach to prove he is capable at each.”

Clint Jackson, Props –“Like his older brother, Cam, Puff is a long limbed shooter who can get his shot off very efficiently. He doesn’t need a lot of space and he launches quickly. I love him as a weapon on a team surrounded by a playmaker and a stud big. You cannot cheat off of Johnson and have to stay close. He’s got super long arms and is a better rebounder than most think he is as well.”

Clint Jackson, Opps – “Getting stronger is one area of concern for me as well as adding in more ways to impact the squad. He’s a good passer, but I think he could help himself there with a couple of shot-fake, drives where he can collapse the defense and pass to the open man. Also, defending in open spaces.”

Eric Bossi, Props – “With Puff Johnson you are making an upside play. He's got good positional size, his jump shot looks good and he has a high basketball IQ. Not to mention he has an older brother in the NBA whose developmental path was similar to the one Puff is currently on.

Eric Bossi, Opps – “Strength is something that Johnson is obviously lacking. The bigger worry is his consistency as a jump shooter. The shot currently looks better than the typical results.”

Corey Evans, Props – “A physical presence. He is a premier tone setter that carves a giant space out down low and has great hands and athleticism off of two feet. He is a walking double double that dominates his area.”

Corey Evans, Opps – “Sharpe must show the ability to play out of the high post and prove to be a threat to 15-foot with the jumper or the pass. He is already so great in the paint so extending the range with his offensive prowess might be the next step.”

Clint Jackson, Props – Hands, motor, strength and just grown-man post play are some of the best areas for Sharpe. He really is a beast inside and he’s got a ready to battle body in the post. I love his vision as a half court passer too. Nobody talks about that enough.”

Clint Jackson, Opps – “Nowadays, the bigs in the NBA have to be versatile. It’s rare to see a low post center who doesn’t play away from the basket. So I think he’s in need of diversifying his offering. So a lot of dribbling and shooting work – even if he can just hit the 14-18 footers at a high percentage will help him on the secondary break at UNC and the NBA down the road.”

Eric Bossi, Props – “Day'Ron Sharpe is a bully who doesn't take plays off and has strong hands. He loves to dish out punishment in the paint and has really developed his touch.”

Eric Bossi, Opps – “On the other hand, Sharpe could be considered somewhat lumbering by today's college standards. Playing him with any of UNC's other true bigs is going to require that he learns to defend away from the basket.”