NBA Comparison: Grant Hill
Size: For the junior high school level, definitely possesses a ripped body replete with good size
for the NBA wing positions. He's not overly strong and won't overpower anybody not even at the high school level, but he can
still take contact and finish. His height allows him to do many things well, from shooting over defenders to grabbing rebounds
to seeing over the top of them for flashy passes. He's also capable of putting on more weight if necessary.
Wingspan/Hands: Definitely has good hands, although it's not only his hands which make him effective
but a combination of his focus, awareness, savvy and general intangibles. He never seems to be one who gets turnovers especially
due to hands, always being aware of set plays, changed plays, and generally making the smart decision to catch passes and
finish when those plays are called for him. He never seems to lose his dribble that much as well, and hands play a big factor
here; he palms the ball relatively easily and knows how to swing passes and handle with ease. Ellis does not have the best
wingspan, at only 6'8.5", but he isn't building his game around physical tools as much and it is thus less of an issue.
Overall Offense: One of the many strong suits of Ellis, Ellis possesses an all-around offensive game
and he can be capable of spotting up from just about anywhere, complete with the ability to handle and slash and get himself
into triple threat positions if necessary to ward his defenders. Ellis not only is deadly offensively especially when he gets
going, but he always seems one step ahead of the opposition offensively, moving well without the ball especially and losing
his defender when he/she least expects it to get an easy layup or dunk, or an open shot. He knows how to make plays happen
with or without the ball, and with the ball he can be capable of passing, slashing or shooting off the dribble when necessary,
and he looks smooth and effortless playing both the paced style of game and herky-jerky one, playing either/or when necessary.
He knows how to dictate tempo extremely well and is fundamentally sound on this end, generally making wise decisions, possessing
a smooth stroke and the willingness to expand his range. Ellis is only a mediocre three point shooter at this stage, mostly
due to expanding his range, but as he gets more comfortable with that shot he will definitely improve. Ellis is not overly
explosive or athletic when slashing, but his niftiness, ballhandling skills and his savviness in taking advantage of off-balance
defenders more than helps him in this area, and he knows how to draw contact and get to the foul line when the defense bites.
His mid-range game is above average, generally being his preferred shot as he likes to get in no-man's land and spot-up, a
lost art in the NBA. Being extremely unselfish and having a great awareness and sense of his teammate's evolving and moving
locations, Ellis can rapidly swing passes off the dribble or make the simple pass off pick/rolls and cuts if the defense collapses
on him. A problem with Ellis offensively is that he may be too unselfish for his own good; he dominates the high school level
as expected, but more often he seems to be a pass-first type, honing his passing skills as the game progresses and showing
a desire to rack up the assists more than the points; he can get a little too pass-addicted, for better or for worse, and
disappear especially when his team needs a game-changer or go-to guy. He's too much of a nice guy, which will have a good
rep in the NBA, but he needs a stronger killer instinct.
Athleticism: Ellis isn't the most athletic of the bunch (especially for prospects coming out of HS,
most of them are expected to be very athletic or near freaks) but he is deceptive in this respect. His savviness and opportunistic
style of game as well as his general talent helps to offset his relatively slightly above athleticism to help him make an
impact all-around. Ellis knows how to play the game and routinely makes slash/dish type plays which many athletic players
simply lack the smarts to do. His speed, lateral quickness, vertical leap and general intensity/explosiveness aspects are
definitely not the best, but they aren't liabilities either; he will get by in the NBA. However, this may hinder his defense;
currently, he plays with solid effort staying with his man, but "solid" may not be enough in the next level even if he has
the strength/height to matchup with his man well; he may struggle against more athletic players, despite the fact that he's
solid at making rotations and hedging screens on defense and getting to the proper places off-the-ball with his smarts.
Experience: As a high school junior, Ellis obviously hasn't faced great competition, but that is
completely out of his control. With the new college rule, and the fact that Ellis has already made a commitment to join Duke,
however, he will certainly be handed the reins of the team as a freshman and will be able to face the top-of-the-top sort
of competition. Playing poised, mature and being wise beyond his years, however, it seems like Ellis can handle any adversity
and adjust his game no matter what team, or what competition, he faces. The game comes easy to him and he never seems to waver,
so experience is not entirely an issue even at this point.
Effort: Comes prepared to play and every game and gives a solid effort, playing paced and mature
at times, which comes with the good and bad in that sometimes he may make a great impact, sometimes a lesser impact which
stands out compared to his previous stretches and makes one wonder about it. Nonetheless, the effort is there, it's just his
style of game and his penchance for passing and getting his teammates involved which make him rather unique.
Intangibles: Ellis has solid intangibles, capable of making hustle plays when necessary and generally
making a solid impact everywhere; on the boards, in passing, some scoring, etc, making him a very versatile player. Ellis
plays for the team and has a good attitude both on the court and off the court, always making the smart play and doing anything
necessary to help win games in general. It's nice to see this level of intangibles and attitude in a high school player.
Injury Concerns: None to near none; Ellis actually shows a propensity to play through pain, but he's
not one to force the issue excessively and put himself into strenuous situations where he can get into an accident easily.
He knows how to control himself and plays to his limits, showing good conditioning (as proven by his body). He has had some
scrapes and bruises, but nothing major--he hasn't missed more than 2 games each season of high school as of yet.
Bottom Line: As the potential top pick in 2 years, and having the maturity and the capabilities of
play well beyond his years in the high school level, Ellis is frequently hyped and raved by many different NBA scouts alike.
He's not an entirely prolific scorer or an amazing athlete, but his general aura, his game-winning persona and his all-around
play as well as his NBA body at this stage are definitely things to rave about, and it's extremely rare to see such qualities
in a high school player. He doesn't have any great weaknesses, playing under control and being very effective under that,
as well. He looks to be a one-and-done player.
--Wilyem Sherbury and Derrick Jarfur, 7/19
