Jamie Kaiser, Jr. Player Evaluation

Top

Jamie Kaiser, Jr.

Bishop Ireton High School (VA)

New World (Adidas 3SSB)

Class

2023

Height

6'6"

Weight

~210 lbs

Position

Strong Hand

Right

Committed

Maryland

June 2022

Statistical Sample for the 2021-22 Season (7 Games)

Stats from the 1st & 2nd 3SSB Sessions (8 Games)

Physical/Athleticism

Good overall athlete with ideal size on the wing
- Possesses a college-ready frame
Former two-sport athlete (football) who was an emerging Power 5 recruit as a QB. Recently decided to concentrate on basketball only.
Owns a strong, muscular build. Built like a tight end.
- Big, broad shoulders
- Bulky arms and legs
- Excellent functional strength that translates on both ends of the court
- Appears to have slimmed slightly from winter-to-spring
Balances his game nicely between contact and finesse
- Capable of playing with power
- Growing overall in the use of his body on both ends
- Comfortable with contact
- Offensive game is generally predicated upon perimeter scoring
A small case of heavy-legs
- Has decent lift off of one foot
- Finishes above the rim on the break

Average lateral quickness and overall explosiveness
- Lacks some burst
- Will benefit from plyometrics and quickness drills
Good speed once he reaches the top of it
- Smooth, urgent strides
- Pushes off the balls of his feet
Good hand-eye coordination
Smooth, powerful, fluid basketball movements
Hips are a bit slow to open up
Plays with a strong motor on both ends
- Has great energy
- Plays with pep in his step
Very good balance, which he displays on both ends of the court
Good anticipation

Other Offensive Qualities

Offensive Qualities

An increasingly polished 3-level scorer whose game continues to grow at a fast rate
Excels from the perimeter when he is able to operate on the catch, limit his dribbles to an efficient usage, and work in space. Becomes a less efficient scorer as an on-ball creator, where he can have difficulties creating separation, leading to tough shots from mid-range and 3-point distances. However, logging a heavy usage rate during the high school season allowed him to gain valuable experience in this role. It sharpened his offensive skillset and propelled his growth as a multi-faceted scorer.
- Overall, he is working toward greater consistency as a shooter, and has significant upside (discussed at length throughout the evaluation)
Possesses a versatile offensive attack, which is fueled by a diverse set of shot types originating from a wide-range of actions, areas, and spots. Let’s discuss…
Progressing ability to score off the dribble in multiple capacities. Primarily looks to get to his mid-range spots, but has no issues pulling up from behind the arc either.
- Refined pull-up game, especially from mid-range
- Prefers to shoot going left off the dribble
- Uses an effective one, two, or three-dribble pull-up going in either direction
  - Favorite mid-range spots consist of the left baseline, elbows/foul line/key area, and the right short wing
  - Employs a promising jab-step series to lead into the pull-up, and will benefit from adding to its use

Improving shot creator off the live dribble. Again, he is looking to set up the pull-up jumper from various distances.
- Pushes hard in either direction for the quick pull-up, routinely elevating before he is squared (see more on this not far below)
- Will push hard and either pull it back or change directions with the behind the back dribble to set up the jumper
- Uses a one-legged fadeaway off the bounce going left
- Advancing his ability to push the defender backwards to set up the pull up
- Occasionally puts together dribble combos to set up the jumper

Ability to create space is aided by:
- A high release, the ability to fade without disturbing the integrity of his mechanics, and a sound understanding of how to use his body to generate additional space
- The ability to elevate before he is squared to the rim going right or left (more so to the right). Instead, he is able to square in mid-air. This method allows him to utilize his broad shoulders to keep his body between the defender and the ball until the last moment before the release.
  - Will also use that frame to drive his shoulders into the chest of the defender to initiate soft contact and shift the defender’s wait to his heels. He can then push off a bit to create extra space.
- An effective step-back going left that he is able to employ even at longer-range distances
  - Shot a low percentage on this step back, but the foundations are there for the future
On the other hand, his difficulties with creating separation stem from a lack of burst and wiggle/deception, going east-west, and limited dribble move effectiveness

Mid-post+ – capable of catching with his back to the basket from either short wing or in the foul line/key area. Showed the greatest comfort level at the left short wing.
- Prefers to use a traditional fadeaway over his right shoulder
  - The shot is usually set up looking over his left shoulder with the ball in his right hand, and is preceded by 2-3 dribbles
  - Will also shoot it over the left shoulder in similar fashion
  - Still working his way toward consistency on the shot, but it is a pretty shot that looks the part even on a miss

Will catch, pivot to face and go to work, often setting up the pull-up jumper

Rapidly growing shot maker
- Capable of knocking down difficult attempts with defenders draped all over him
- Shot making occurs in various situations, including off the bounce, out of multiple post positions, and on the catch
- Takes a relatively high number of tough shots throughout the course of a game, which negatively impacts his shooting percentages
  - Learning how to make the game easier for himself, and flashes progress by getting himself easy buckets in transition, on the offensive board, and moving without the ball
- See more on his shot making in the “Shooting” section below

A good spot-up 3-point shooter. Improving an already solid ability off of movement.
- Can shoot it from all around the perimeter, but frequents the wings and corners often
  - Like his mid-range game, he knows which spots he prefers to shoot from
- Capable of shooting on the catch from deep distances

Rim attack – has a tendency to rely on the jumper, but is at his best when he is mixing attempts from the paint and at the rim into his overall attack
- Most effective on the drive when he is decisive and moving more north-south than east-west
  - Exhibits an advancing competence of angles

Will use his strength to his advantage by absorbing contact on the floor in route to the rim. His frame allows him to advance on his path where others may be knocked off of it.
Likes to drive left and finish with his inside hand, but will also use the left
- Will improve by continuing to strengthen his left

Progressing ability to draw contact around the rim; still learning to finish through it consistently
- 28.0% free throw rate in the 15 games charted
Has a small tendency to miss high percentage shots around the rim
Will push the ball up the court himself in transition and finish around the rim (see more about his transition game below)

Low post work – comfortable working out of the low post with his back to the basket
- Establishes good position using his frame and backside, but will can improve with a consistent hard post
- Prefers to post on the left block or in the middle of the paint, where he uses his size/strength, footwork, and touch to take advantage of good position

Transition/semi-transition
- Consistently sprints to fill the lane as a finisher or spot-up shooter

Will finish above the rim, and is not afraid to challenge rim protectors
Capable of pulling up from deep in transition/semi-transition. Usually comes in the form of a one or two-dribble pull-up.
- Puts pressure on the defense to stop ball

Very effective on the offensive glass
- Averaged nearly 3 offensive boards per game over the first two 3SSB sessions, per Synergy Sports
  - Similar impact during the high school season
- Routinely picks up easy baskets via offensive putbacks
- Utilizes his strength, size, and motor
- Doesn’t just accept box outs. He makes the effort to circumvent and come away with extra possessions.
- Demonstrates good judgment of where the ball is coming off the rim

Proficient ball handler who is able to push the pace and make good decisions with the ball

Movement without the ball
- When he cuts, he does so with purpose

Understands footwork and angles, and preps well for the shot off of various cuts

Competent at reading screens

Improving pick-and-roll player and secondary playmaker as a whole
- Likes to work right-to-left, but capable of reading the defense to make adjustments, such as rejecting the screen
- Takes his time
- Looking for the pull-up jumper

Values possessions, registering only 22 turnovers in the 15 games charted (1.47 per game)
Fundamentally sound

Shooting

A highly capable shooter from mid-range and 3-point land, with fluid shot mechanics and a soft touch
Percentages are lower than ideal, but the potential for greater consistency is very high
- Possesses high shooting upside
As mentioned before, he is growing quickly as a shot maker. He consistently exhibited an ability to convert difficult shots.
- Improving game-by-game off the dribble but is still building toward consistency
  - See the “Offensive Qualities” section above for more details

Maintains excellent focus on the rim under duress
Clean transition from the pick up to the release going in either direction
Showcases a soft touch on the most difficult of attempts

Owns a very effective mid-range pull-up game
- Routinely adds a fade on the shot to create additional space
  - Fade is more pronounced going left
  - Despite the fade, he is still able to shoot the same shot with the same arc, emphasizing his strength and lever action in his shooting motion

Building a similar pull-up game from 3
- Currently shoots a lower percentage than from mid-range

Highest percentages come off the catch from 3, especially on the spot-up
- Preps well for the shot with sound footwork and fundamentals
- Capable of shooting it with ease from deep distances
- Tends to be a little streaky
- Has a quick trigger and great confidence
  - Short memory – doesn’t allow the previous shot to affect the next one

Maintains good balance, regardless of the shot type
Capable of shooting off of a jump stop or a 1, 2 step
Good free throw shooter – shot 79.1% on 4.5 attempts per game in the 15 games charted
Shot selection
- As mentioned above, he takes a high number of difficult attempts
  - His skill as a shot maker can sometimes result in forced attempts from 3 and mid-range
- Flourishes when he is mixing his attack from all 3 levels
- Has a steady diet of mid-range attempts
- Can be a bit dependent on the jumper in the half court
- 39.7% of his 239 attempts from the field were from behind the arc in the 15 games charted
Mechanics – beautiful shooting form on a traditional jump shot
- Relaxed, smooth, fluid shooting motion
- Elbow is at 90-degrees (or higher)
- Terrific lever action with the elbow and wrist
- Release is from the top of his forehead, nearly touching it, regardless of distance
- Finishes with a terrific snap of the wrist on his follow through
- Shoots the ball up, for the most part. Has a nice arc on the ball.
- Clean release

Dribbling

Possesses a fully functional handle with good ball control in various situations; displays consistency as a reliable secondary ball handler
- Exhibits good ball security
Adequately handles full court man pressure
- Uses his body to protect the ball and sustain space
- Has a small tendency to move too east-west against half-court ball pressure, but is able to maintain control/possession of the ball

Also handles the zone press with competence
Has a tendency to perform his dribble moves in a stationary manner, harming his ability to create separation
- The ball is moving from hand-to-hand, but his body is not covering ground or displaying deception/wiggle (not selling the move)
- Dribble is borderline crisp on dribble moves, and has shown an increase in sharpness from the winter-to-spring play
- Overall, his handle is proficient in the half court from the point of attack, and shows a progressing ability to get to his spots off the bounce

Dribbles with his eyes up
Has a tendency to use a lot of dribbles when functioning as an on-ball creator
Comfortable handling it with the left or right hand
Growing ability to handle it in the open court when pushing the pace or advancing with the speed dribble

Passing

Despite being such a skilled scorer, he possesses passing skills that add to his value and overall versatility
Accurate passer off the dribble

Capable of passing accurately with either hand
- Demonstrated a skilled left-handed bounce pass from various distances
Throws a strong chest pass with zip and distance
Puts good touch on the pass
- Passes are easy to handle
- Also delivers the ball with good location/placement
Good jump passer, but can sometimes leave his feet without a plan

Demonstrates good vision of the floor
- Sees the cutters from the perimeter with the ball in his hand
- Finds shooters out of the double team, both in the post and on the perimeter
- Good court awareness; knows where his teammates are on the floor

Improving drive and kick game

A willing passer
- Looks for the open man when experiencing an increase in attention
- Makes the extra pass
Shows the ability to deliver the pass in transition as the ball handler

Looks to advance the ball with the pass
Shows trustworthy judgment as a passer

Defense

Takes defense very seriously and plays hard until the horn sounds, regardless of the score. A real competitor on this end.
Solid on-ball defender who demonstrates effectiveness guarding his counterparts on the wing
- Consistently attempts to apply pressure and defends with desire
- Works hard and defends with his feet
- Exhibits some difficulty containing the dribble drive when guarding quicker ball handlers
  - Will benefit from staying lower in his stance to maximize his lateral movements. Further, refraining from opening up too much and giving the advantageous angle to the defender should also improve his effectiveness.
- A bit slow to react to the initial move, but busts his butt to recover
- Active arms/hands
- Flashes a willingness to dictate to the defender, instead of the other way around
- Tends to cross his feet, but it’s usually during recovery efforts (which is fine)
- Rarely on his heels

Size and strength allow for short-term switchability onto opposing PFs/Cs, within reason
Slides his feet on the help side to get into proper help position, as opposed to simply reaching
- Displays good hands

Can be a little slow to recover back out to his man on the perimeter when helping on the dribble drive, and can struggle defending the dribble drive when closing out
Maintains a healthy balance of attention between ball and man while off the ball
Pays attention to detail and anticipates the next pass

Hustles back in transition
Serviceable on the board
Finishes possessions by putting a body on his man and holding the block out

Basketball IQ

Very smart ball player – being a former quarterback seems to carry over to the court
Has a nice feel for space and time, as well as an advancing feel for the defense as a whole
Quick to recognize player personnel, such as a mismatch, and understands how to take full advantage
Reliable decision maker in nearly all circumstances
- Awareness of time and score can stand to improve a bit
Able to absorb and execute game plans on both ends of the floor with short-term notice
Understands who he is as a player, what his strengths are, and how to maximize them
Plays the game to win; plays with purpose
Reads the defense and is able to react accordingly
- Knows where his spots are and moves with or without the ball according to the defense
Growing ability to manipulate the defense with the ball in his hands
A heady player with good instincts

Dispostion/Presence

Disposition/Presence

Plays hard on both ends. Really puts out. Very competitive.
- Competes with a great motor
- Plays hard through adversity
  - Doesn’t allow misses, turnovers, mistakes (his or his teammates’) to affect his effort
Even-keeled
Exhibits positive body language consistently
Does not argue with the referees
Good, positive teammate
- Runs to help his teammates off the floor
- Encourages his teammates
- Patient with his teammates’ mistakes
A team-first player who plays to win
Let’s his game do the talking
High character

Coachability

Extremely humble
Very coachable player who seeks to gain a better understanding of what he can do to be better for his team
- Accepts coaching/constructive criticism
- “A joy to coach” (New World Head Coach, Juan Wansley)
Gym rat – extremely hard worker
Sets the tone for his team in practice
- Practices how he plays – goes game speed
Student of the game
- Watches film to identify areas of needed improvement
- Learns from his mistakes
Leads by example

Back to the Top