Jahnathan Lamothe Player Evaluation

A smooth offensive talent who plays a balanced floor game, contributing to winning in numerous ways. Effectively interchanges between PG and SG as a true combo-guard. Very intriguing as a PG prospect.
Excellent positional strength with a good understanding of how to leverage it on both ends. An impressive playmaker and passer who displays nice court vision. Skillful finisher, combining strength, body control, and touch to convert around the rim.
Can play in virtually any type of offense. A very smart ball player who consistently makes good decisions; high IQ overall. Rhythm shooter who is comfortable from NBA range. Has shown improved percentages as the year has gone on. Very good foul shooter.
Solid on-ball defender and strong on the help side. Plays with anticipation and has tremendous hands. Mature and confident with a stable presence on the floor.
Should see an increase in his offensive role for his upcoming junior year. It will be interesting to see how he handles the jump in usage, as well as his progression in the PG position.

Stats from the 2021 Spring AAU Circuit

Stats from the 2020-21 High School Season

Physical/Athleticism

Good overall athlete with smooth movements
Sturdy frame and an athletic build
Excellent positional strength, which he leverages to key his effectiveness in different ways (I will visit this more below in different sections)
Long arms and quick hands
Possesses good anticipation and timing
Average-to-slightly above average explosion and burst
Good balance
Regular twitch fibers
Terrific hand-eye coordination
Excellent body control
Has a good mix of finesse and physicality
- Capable of handling physicality defensively, finishing, and as a ball handler
Keeps himself in shape, with endurance that allows him to play effectively in back-to-back games on the same day

Other Offensive Qualities

Offensive Qualities

Understanding the context of his offensive roles: it is important to note that, at St. Frances, he shared the floor with 3 other Division I guards, all of whom were seniors; as well as Maryland-bound center Julian Reese and 2024 forward Derik Queen (not to mention a couple other D1 prospects). This was a deep, balanced team. The same can be said about Team Durant, as he shares the court with a few high-major D1 prospects and a few more mid-major targets.
A smooth offensive talent who plays a balanced floor game, contributing to winning in multiple ways. Skilled in all facets of the game.
- Allows the game to come to him, but also has the ability to be more aggressive
  - Usually dependent upon his role within the offense
  - Attack mode stays within the confines of the overall team approach
Can have an unassuming way about him. You don’t realize it, but you’ll look at the book at the end of the game and see he has 15 points to go along with 5 assists and 5 rebounds against top competition.
Contributes from multiple roles. Because of his ability to play within different roles, he will be able to fit into many offensive styles at the next level.
- Point guard/primary ball handler
  - Can function as the main distributor who gets others involved off of pick-and-rolls, drive-and-kicks, and open court opportunities
  - He is a different (higher) level of prospect in this role due to his size/strength, IQ, and skillset
  - His ability to step in and play this role, while still being able to assume a shooting guard position is extremely valuable
  - An impressive playmaker who makes his teammates better

Traditional scoring guard approach
- Aggressively pursues buckets, fueled by the long ball and straight-line drives to the basket
  - Can score from all three levels, but prefers the two above
- Utilizes a change of pace move off the bounce that is usually set up by lulling the defender to sleep and giving a quick twitch push forward

Does a good job of getting the defense on his shoulder and keeping them there
Generally prefers to go left off the dribble
Runs the floor well and makes shots at the rim count
Capable of operating in iso situations

Has a nice crossover pull-back move into his 3. Shoots it comfortably and with accuracy.

Generally, he does not force for the sake of getting shots up, even when being aggressive
Will benefit from adding a step back to his repertoire. It will help him get more consistent quality looks off the bounce, especially with his ability to get to the rim and finish or put that shoulder into the defense to help create space.

Off-the-ball, mainly as a catch-and-shoot threat
- Playing off of screens or the benefactor of penetrate-and-kick passes
- Much more effective as a shooter with his feet set
- Understands how to move without the ball
- Knows how to create space for driving lanes with small relocations
- Understands how to operate within sets. Showed a nice ability to shoot the ball out of designed sets/screen actions

Can still thrive in this role because he comprehends how to make the game easier for himself
- Finishes in the open court
- Takes advantage of his opportunities at the rim
- Doesn’t feel the need to create most of his shots himself
- Gets the importance of moving without the ball, even if it is just moving to the open area

Finishing – impressive around the rim
- Smoothly maneuvers around rim protection to get the shot up and using a variety of spins off the board to convert
  - This is how he compensates for any lack of explosion, and he does it well; but the lack of explosion does tend to have an effect against good rim protectors
  - Has a really nice way of controlling his body to avoid contests and would-be charges, and maintains a calm mind in the midst of traffic. You will see this in other clips throughout the evaluation below, as well.

Leverages his strength to finish through contact; uses his body well to keep the defense at bay and convert in the middle of traffic

Finishes very well with his left hand

Understands how and when to use the rim for protection

Will benefit from getting the ball out of his hand and up onto the board more quickly, when necessary
Just a smooth operator around the basket

Pick-and-Roll Play
- You cannot go under the screen due to his ability to shoot the long ball
- Makes the right reads coming off the screen going left or right
  - Does not force shots or passes in an attempt to make a play
- Recognizes when to reject the screen

Can come off aggressively looking to turn the corner and make a play for himself and others
Delivers a nice ball to shooters and bigs alike
- Throws a very nice bounce pass with the right touch, making it easy for his bigs to handle
- Creates easy finishes for the roller

Showed improvement through this first half of the year in the angles he takes off the ball screen, exhibiting the ability to learn “on-the-job” as a primary ballhandler
Will need to continue working on handling the hard hedge and double-team approach

Displays very good decision-making in the open floor
Good footwork and is fundamentally sound overall. Here's a nice example of that footwork:

A patient player who does not get flustered easily, even in bad spots
Unselfish; team player
Could be characterized as a “glue guy” due to his intangibles and stabile force, but the characterization does not fully fit due to the quality of his overall offensive skillset

Shooting

Rhythm shooter; very relaxed. Can be a bit streaky, at times.
- Doesn’t rush the shot and has a smooth, clean release

Typically shoots a set shot whenever possible, but will shoot a jumper when needed, especially off the dribble
- The set shot needs more time to get off, and sometimes causes issues for him
  - Will benefit from knocking ¼ of a second off of his shot motion
  - That being said, you can’t give him the light of day because he will pull without hesitation
Can shoot it with range, and has improved his consistency from NBA distance as the year has gone on

Shoots it well off the dribble going left

Like his ability to run the wing, catch and shoot in transition/semi-transition situations

Let’s talk percentages:
- Shot a bad percentage in the 8 games charted during the high school season at 26.8% on 5 attempts per game. Just really struggled from behind the arc and from the field as a whole (40.8% on 9 attempts per game). I do not believe this is a good reflection of his shooting ability. This is no better supported than by his 46.2% from three in as many attempts during the 5 circuit games charted, as well as 46% from the field overall on 10 attempts per game.
- As noted above (not surprisingly), his percentage is much higher when his feet are set

Mechanics/form – shot varies back-and-forth between 1.5 and 2 motions. He is a better shooter with less motion in the shot.
- Feet slightly angled left
- Elbow is right around 90-degrees upon release
- Has some serious wrist, flick action
- Has a tendency to let his off arm cross over his shooting arm upon finishing the shot
- Can also tend to leave his left shoulder open, leaving him unsquared upon his release
Soft touch with good air on the ball
Maintains steady concentration
Shoots with a lot of confidence
Very good foul shooter
Shot selection
- Vast majority of shots are in the paint/around the rim or from behind the arc
- Although his mid-range is less visited, he has a good mid-range shot
  - Shots from 3 vary in distance
    - Tendency to take some ill-advised NBA threes, but not enough to be an issue, especially as he continues to improve his accuracy
- Has a short memory, but not so much that he will keep shooting it from the outside if he is not hitting. Instead, he will look to get to the basket.

Passing

The most underrated, least talked-about aspect of his game, but this may be my favorite part of it. He can really set the table for his teammates, and does so in a variety of ways.

Advances the ball very well with the pass; always looking up the floor first

Understands the proper angles on his various passes
Puts the necessary snap on the pass, and has an excellent touch overall
- Knows when to put the ball on a rope and when to take some steam off
Passes with his wrists
Love how he throws his bounce pass – proper spin, right touch, good placement
- Capable of fitting it into tight windows of space

Very good court vision and awareness

Knows where each player is on the court
Sees the play well as they develop, and can sometimes see them beforehand
Sees opposite court

Good placement, hitting shooters in the pocket, leading teammates nicely in-stride, and delivering easy-to-handle passes to bigs

Ability to deliver accurate passes off the live dribble

Knows how to manipulate the defense to create openings to slide passes through or to simply get a teammate an easy bucket
Displayed a nice acumen for touch passes
Makes the extra pass regularly and at the right time
Capable of passing with either hand

Dribbling

Handles the ball with strength; able to absorb contact and keep moving forward
- Good for drawing fouls on the floor

Capable of single and combo dribble moves

Showed he was able to handle it in the backcourt against pressure
Comfortable going right or left
Has solid ball control, but will need to continue to tighten his handle as he assumes the role of primary ball handler more often
- Struggles at times with his handle in tight situations
Good speed dribble – can move full speed under control with his eyes up
Replaces himself well with the dribble
Protects the ball well with his body. Uses his shoulders very well to keep defenders at bay.
Uses his dribbles efficiently, for the most part

Defense

Solid overall; crafty and shrewd. Thinks the game on this end.
Understands team defensive schemes and his positioning, rotations, and responsibilities within them
Above average on-ball defender, and is most effective when he sits down and is engaged
- Can play with his feet and without fouling

Good help defender, stepping in with his body and not just reaching
Uses his strength to corral ball handlers, wrestle loose balls, and fight through screens. Watch him blow right through this screen and defend:

Sneaky in the passing lanes. Always anticipating the next pass/move.

Not afraid to get into the mix and get his hands dirty
Has largely done away with some lazy tendencies that appeared to be lethargic as the year has progressed
Outstanding hands – again, making plays without fouling
- Strip-downs in the post/around the basket
  - Uses great technique, stepping in, as opposed to reaching out
- Deflections in the passing lanes
- Strips and pokes on help side step-ins
Good shot blocker for his position. He had several games with multiple blocks, including one with 4 blocks.

Solid positional rebounder; a consistent help on the defensive board

Basketball IQ

High basketball IQ; really smart ballplayer
Makes the right play; makes winning plays
- Reads and reacts – quick processor
- Consistently makes the simple play
- Smart and calculated decision-maker
  - Really good decision-maker in the open court
- Knack for making heady plays
Excellent basketball instincts
Displayed the ability to run sets from nearly every spot within the offense
Understands when to attack and when to let the game come to him
Does not place himself in a lot of adverse situations
Very aware of time and score
Good overall court awareness on both ends
Plays in a way that limits mistakes on both ends. As he continues to mature, I expect this to continue. Should be interesting to see the balance with his increased usage.

Dispostion/Presence

Disposition/Presence

A winner who is a main contributor to winning teams
- Starter for a top high school team in the nation
- Starter for a top 3 AAU team on the circuit
Hard to fluster and is difficult to speed up
Usually a very calm, smooth operator
- Has a small tendency to outwardly express frustration after turning the ball over or experiencing consecutive misses
Mature player
Confident and relaxed
Showed bouts of nonchalance
Accepts a challenge head on
Has a stabilizing presence for his teams
Tough
Does not allow mistakes to compound into more mistakes

Coachability

Plays with a ton of confidence
Stays to himself on the court; quietly encourages teammates
Competitive
Solid motor
Aggressive on both ends, but will benefit from consistent defensive intensity
Short memory

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