The Portsmouth Invitational is a college basketball tournament that’s hosted by the University of New Hampshire. It brings together many top NBA prospects, and had just concluded for its second year in 2018. The event proved fruitful for several former college players vying to be drafted into the future NBA as they set themselves apart from other hopefuls at this pre-draft event.
The “portsmouth invitational tournament 2022” is a college basketball tournament that was held in Portsmouth, Ohio on March 6th and 7th. The tournament features the best players from around the country and has been a great indicator of who will be drafted into the NBA.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) — The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT), which took place last weekend after a three-year COVID-induced suspension, officially started off the NBA pre-draft process.
NBA clubs were in full force for an event aimed only at NCAA seniors, and one that serves as a prelude to the NBA draft, which will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 23. The PIT was founded in 1953 and has a distinguished alumni list that includes Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, Rick Barry, Earl Monroe, Dave Cowens, Tim Hardaway, Ben Wallace, and Jimmy Butler.
Most NBA clubs sent five to seven scouts to Portsmouth, which is a significant amount by any standard, indicating a return to normality on the NBA scouting trail and the growing significance of scouting for their G League teams.
However, an event that included just 24 of the top 100 seniors in ESPN’s own rankings, and only four of the top 25, suggests that this year’s pre-draft schedule may follow a different pattern than normal, and there are a few significant reasons for that:
The NCAA’s ‘free year’ makes determining what a senior is difficult.
Because of the additional year of eligibility given to all athletes by the NCAA in October 2020, a large number of typical college seniors will be entitled to return for a fifth or even sixth year in 2022-23 if they so want. Because the NBA currently requires fourth-year seniors to declare for the draft through the early-entry list, any player with remaining eligibility who participated in the PIT would have to petition the NCAA to have their amateur status restored, which prompted a number of players to reject. To add insult to injury, owing to an administrative blunder, several of Portsmouth’s best prospects, including Tyrese Martin, JD Notae, Jared Rhoden, Darius Days, Courtney Ramey, and Michael Devoe, were ineligible to be interviewed by NBA clubs.
The relevance of G League camp and NBA combine is expanding.
Last year, 18 of the 40 eligible invitations to the G League Elite Camp, a relatively new pre-draft tournament hosted in Chicago just before to the NBA combine, went to college seniors. When refusing the offer to join Portsmouth, several of the greatest four-year players in this cycle seemed to have taken it into consideration.
No top-10 seniors from the ESPN 100 chose to attend the 2022 PIT, and with just 64 players participating, it seemed like a talent-light camp. Even several European club general managers in attendance from leagues based in Italy, France, and Greece said that the event only comprised a small proportion of 2022 players who are expected to play at their level anytime soon.
What does the low-quality turnout suggest for the NBA combine and G League Elite Camp, the two remaining pre-draft camps? Several things come to mind.
Before 2021, NBA clubs were obliged to travel across the nation for weeks at a time, lingering in traffic for hours while going from pro day to pro day, a situation with which NBA scouting departments had become impatient. Last season, the NBA ordered that all agency-run pro day workouts be held during the week of the NBA combine, citing COVID as a consideration, which ended up being a significant advantage for executives. However, the agent community, which utilizes pro days as a marketing tool for potential customers, was outraged by the rules change.
Heat versus Hawks, Game 3 on Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m. Suns at Pelicans, Game 3, 9:30 p.m. (ABC) Bucks at Bulls, Game 3, 8:30 p.m. (ABC)
Game 3 between the Celtics and the Nets will take place on Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. Game 3: Grizzlies at. Timberwolves, 10 p.m.
All timings are in Eastern Standard Time.
This year, the NBA is attempting to condense all pro days into a smaller time frame at the NBA combine (May 16-22), rather than extending into a period lasting almost a week thereafter, as was the case last year. While the league attempted to hold all pro days in Chicago during the combine, strong opposition from agents and the NBPA forced the league to compromise and create a 72-hour window following the conclusion of the combine in which agents can hold pro days in one designated U.S. city, which was confirmed by a league memo on Wednesday as Los Angeles.
Was it more COVID-induced limits on scouting the 2021 NBA draft prospects that made last year’s top prospects more inclined to participate in the combine? Or was it part of a broader trend that brings the league closer to its objective of complete pre-draft participation? This is one of the stories we’ll be keeping an eye on throughout the cycle.
At the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, who stood out?
In the most recent NBA Basketball Power Index, who is ranked first? Go to the Ratings page.
With his superb build and massive 6-10 12 wingspan, Rhoden has all the makings of an NBA wing player, comparable to guys like Andre Roberson and Demarre Carroll, who spent time at power forward in the NBA like Rhoden did at Seton Hall. After his head-down, bully-ball approach inside the arc against Seton Hall, which featured too many defensive breakdowns, Rhoden, who shot a terrific 43 percent on catch-and-shoot jumpers this season, has some issues about his feel for the game.
After a strong showing at Portsmouth (16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals in 26 minutes per game, while shooting 5 of 9 from 3-point range in three games), Rhoden will likely step up to Chicago and have the chance to show that the professional style suits his game better than what we saw at Seton Hall this season.
Jamaree Bouyea | 6-112 | Guard | San Francisco | 22.8 years old | No. 91 on the Top 100 list
Bouyea had a hit-or-miss PIT, with his side being blasted out in each of the final two games, but he still exhibited some of the traits that make him a potential possibility. When coupled with his remarkable shot-making abilities from NBA range, as evidenced in the NCAA tournament with a spectacular 36-point effort in a loss to Murray State, Bouyea’s shifty ballhandling and blow-by speed when altering pace out of hesitation plays are interesting.
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Despite just being a hair over 6-foot barefoot, Bouyea’s 6-7 wingspan lets him to play larger than his stature, however his slender 168-pound body will always work against him creating inside the arc, and at the top levels, he will most likely be a one-position defender. Bouyea demonstrated at Portsmouth that he still has a lot of work to do as a facilitator, as he takes too many dribbles to get to positions on the floor, can be a last-resort passer, and is a streaky shooter who hit just 33% of his career 3-pointers. Nonetheless, scoring guards in Bouyea’s mold have a huge market in contemporary basketball, and he’ll receive plenty of NBA looks throughout the pre-draft process.
Quenton Jackson | 6-4½ | Guard | Texas A&M | 23.5 years old | No. 100 in Top 100
Jackson parlayed his positive momentum from the end of the college season into a solid showing at Portsmouth, especially on the defensive end where he was an absolutely disruptive force, averaging an impressive 2.7 blocks and 2.7 steals per game. Jackson played a huge role in Texas A&M’s late-season surge, with the Aggies winning 11 of their final 13 games which included a run to the championship games of both the SEC tournament and NIT, shooting 42% from 3 during that span.
Jackson’s toughness on both ends of the floor, combined with his explosiveness and improving shooting, gives him a niche he could potentially fill as a change-of-pace combo guard off the bench. A microwave scorer who lives at the free throw line and puts constant pressure on opposing defenses with his aggressive style, Jackson’s toughness on both ends of the floor, combined with his explosiveness and improving shooting, gives him a niche he could potentially fill as a change-of-pace combo guard Jackson’s decision-making and general efficiency might need some improvement, as he had more turnovers than assists last season and had a few out-of-control moments at PIT, but he helped himself and will likely be a popular choice for private workouts this spring.
Observations from the Nike Hoop Summit
The Portland, Oregon-based Hoop Summit, which is part of the high school all-star circuit, featured largely 2023 draft prospects, with the exception of Jean Montero and Leonard Miller, who may both become 2022 NBA draft eligible if they want. A strangely assembled World Select team was severely outmatched talent-wise by a loaded United States squad, losing by 22 points on April 8, but both Montero and Miller had excellent moments in the days leading up to the game, as well as in the game itself, which was heavily attended by NBA executives.
Jean Montero (1) continues to show first-round potential, but his position for the 2022 draft is still up in the air. Photo courtesy of Getty Images/Steph Chambers
Jean Montero, 6-212, Overtime Elite Guard, 18.7 years old, No. 28 in the Top 100
Montero led all players in scoring with 23 points in 29 minutes, and he would have had double-digit assists if he had more talent around him to complete the litany of fantastic reads he made playing out of the pick and roll – something he’s done a lot of this season. Montero’s ability to handle the ball on a string, get anywhere on the court, and either find teammates off a live dribble using both sides of the floor or make shots off the bounce stood out in a big way, far surpassing what we saw from the similarly aged US guards at the Nike Hoop Summit, several of whom are projected to be lottery picks next year.
Montero’s ability to convert 30-foot stepbacks, challenging transition pull-ups or spot-ups diving under handoffs, as well as almost every shot he tried in practice drills, making it difficult to reconcile his 27 percent 3-point conversion rate the last two seasons (on a huge volume). As proven by his career 81 percent free throw shooting on over 500 tries, he definitely possesses natural shot-making instincts, but shot selection has always been a concern, as has consistency with his approach.
Montero is clearly a great offensive talent with a lot of game when he has the ball in his hands, but he didn’t show much to allay clubs’ fears about his defense, as he seemed to give up just as many points as he scored. He doesn’t put up much of a fight getting past screens, is frequently caught flat-footed off the ball, struggles to hold his ground on inside switches, and just doesn’t have the urgency you’d expect from someone who had a large captive audience of executives every time he stepped onto the floor in Portland.
At the NBA combine and in private sessions, Montero will have plenty of opportunity to wow scouts, and his style of play may easily translate to more remarkable moments. He had a decent week in Portland overall, but there are still doubts about his weak build, which according to measures has only gained one pound in the last 26 months, and lack of length, as well as his quiet temperament on the court.
Leonard Miller | 6-foot-11 | SF/PF | Fort Erie International Academy | 18.3 years old | Not in the Top 100
Miller, who just completed a postgraduate year at Fort Erie International Academy in Canada, is currently deciding whether to go college (Kentucky or Arizona) or sign with G League Ignite. He’s also thinking of entering the NBA draft in 2022 to see where he stands with clubs and if he can get guarantees that his name will be called in the first round.
Miller was restricted to only 18 minutes of play at the Hoop Summit due to two fast fouls in the opening two minutes, but he still managed to score 11 points and grab five rebounds. Miller had a fantastic week of practice, looking like the top prospect on the World Team every time he went on the court, particularly given his 6-11 size, 7-2 wingspan, and 9-foot standing reach, which might enable him to see some minutes as a small-ball center once his frame fills out. Miller, who has grown 6 inches in three years, has obvious guard talents, averaging over 30 points per game this season while displaying enticing shot-making ability from all over the court. With his herky-jerky approach, he applies continuous pressure on opposition defenders, sniffing out plenty of buckets pushed or seeping out in the open court, off hard cuts, and through the offensive glass.
Miller’s lack of strength and expertise in high-level situations appears at times, as his shot selection may be suspect and his unconventional shooting mechanics result in a wide range of outcomes. Miller is clearly an NBA talent, as 18-year-olds with his size, length, scoring instincts, and potential defensive versatility don’t come along every day, but a year in college or the pros could certainly help ease the significant transition he’ll be making from the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association, which he dominated without much resistance.
Jonathan Givony is the creator and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics firm used by NBA, NCAA, and international clubs.
The “2022 nba draft picks by team” is a list of former college basketball stars that are expected to be on the radar of the 2022 NBA Draft. The teams that were represented in Portsmouth were: Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon, and Villanova.
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