Case File No. 4: Sauce Gardner

 

Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (1). Photo Credit: rotoballer.com.

Today, I look into the case file of New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner. Coming off a stellar rookie season, Sauce is looking to continue to build off that momentum and then some. Before I continue, visit rdxsports.com and become a part of Team RDX. Get the latest on martial arts and fitness gear at a 10% discount.

Team: New York Jets

Position: Cornerback

HT: 6-3 WT: 200

Credentials

Defensive Rookie of the Year

First team All-Pro

Strengths

-Lengthy, physical defender

-Able to shadow and lock down the receiver or at least slow him down

-Rangy, he can rotate from the receiver he's covering to make a play on another receiver, once he sees the quarterback has committed to throwing to that particular receiver

-A willing tackler, he's not afraid to help in run support

Weaknesses

-One of his strengths is also his weakness. Like most physical corners, he has tendency to be touchy feely or too physical

Final Analysis

From what I've seen, the sky is the limit for Gardner. He has everything you look for in a corner: size, speed, the rare ability to go on an island with a receiver. One of his strengths--his physicality--however, can also be his weakness, although he did a better job with monitoring his hand usage last year. There were a few close ones where I thought a flag would get thrown, but nothing happened.

There have been good or exceptional rookie corners, but it's rare you see a rookie cornerback accomplished what he accomplished. If he picks up from where he left off last year or better, the possibilities are endless.

Case File No. 3: Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama (1). Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Today's case file is on Victor Wembanyama. Drafted with the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs, he has yet to play in an NBA regular season game, and he's might be the most talked about player already. I understand the enthusiasm; he's a rare combination of height, length, and ball skills.

Team: San Antonio Spurs

Position: Power Forward/Center

HT: 7-4 WT: 210

Nationality: French

Credentials:

Pro A MVP

Pro A Best Scorer

Pro A Best Defender

All-Pro A First Team

Pro A Champion (2022)

Strengths:

-He's 7-4 but he moves like a guard

-A two-way player

-Has a low post and an outside game

-He can shoot off the dribble, can create his own shot

-Handles the ball extremely well for a big man

-A rim protector who will rotate to block or disrupt shots

Weaknesses:

-Needs to get stronger. He could get pushed around under the rim by stronger players, and it could affect his low post game in terms of him getting in position to get the shot he wants

-Add more post moves

Final Analysis

As far as physical tools, nearly everything is there. I couldn't find too many flaws in his game. I think he needs to get stronger--he's currently listed at 7-4, around 210 pounds--but without compromising his athletic ability. He can play both the power forward and center positions, but as of right now, I think he's better suited as a 4. As I said when I did an analysis on him here, I know none of these players are guaranteed to work out, but with his ceiling, potential/upside, he was too good to risk passing up.

Case File No. 2: Zach Edey

 

Zach Edey (15). Photo Credit: David Hickey.

Today, I look into the case file of Purdue's Zach Edey, and whether or not his game can transition to the next level.

Position: Center

HT: 7-4 WT:305

College: Purdue

Class: Senior

Credentials: 

National College Player of the Year 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (nation's top collegiate center)

Consensus First-team All-American

Big Ten Player of the year 

First-team All-Big Ten

Big Ten All-Defensive team

Big Ten Tournament MVP

Strengths:

-Takes full advantage of his size.

-Moves without the ball. 

-Has a low post game.

-Good passer out of the double team.

-A rim protector who will rotate to block or disrupt shots.

Weaknesses: 

-Purdue takes advantage of Edey's size and low post abilities through the half-court game, but this could hurt him at the next level with big men being practically required to be able to get up and down the floor.

 -While he has a low post game, he comes off as predictable to me. He has a tendency to turn to his left after receiving the ball in the post, and it's usually an up-and-under type move, a hook shot, or he gets close enough to dunk.

-I didn't see him take any jump shots, everything was on the inside, which would've been great about 20 years ago, but it's a different game today.

Final Analysis

Edey has an extremely old school style in today's game. While I like that he's taking advantage of his size, he's too one-dimensional and predictable offensively. He reminds me of Yao Ming, except he lives in the paint, and Yao had more of an in-and-out game (i.e., he had post moves and a mid-range game) and shades of Arvydas Sabonis as far as passing from the low post. I'm glad Edey decided to return to school. There's a lot to like about him, but his playing style could come into question.

 It's possible his game could transition to the next level, but I think he needs to develop more post moves and at least a mid-range shot to make that happen. Well, then again, the NBA is a trendy league, so it could go back to the big man who dominates the paint, but as of right now, these are areas I think Edey needs to improve to be more effective in today's game.

He could be a first round pick, if he continues to develop and add to his game. If this were the 90s or the 2000s, he would be a lottery pick. I wouldn't even question whether or not he was going in the first round.

Case File No.1: Hailey Van Lith

 

Hailey Van Lith (10). Photo Credit: Matt Cashore/USA Today Sports.

Welcome to the S Files! To start, the "S" stands for scouting. The name is a play of words on the TV show The X-Files. This is a blog page that I will dedicate to providing scouting reports on athletes, whether it's football, basketball, wrestling, etc. For my inaugural post, I'll dig into my first case file on Hailey Van Lith. 

I was on my YouTube feed last night, and I came across a thumbnail that had the statistics of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and then-Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith, and on a whim, I decided to do a scouting report on the now LSU Lady Tiger.

 

 Position: Guard

HT: 5–7

College: LSU

Class: Senior

Credentials:

2x All-ACC (2022, 2023)

ACC All-Freshman Team (2021) 

Strengths:

-Well-rounded skill set.

-Able to absorb contact and finish when attacking.

-Keeps her dribble and usually makes the right decision in traffic.

-Jump shot is respectable (I’ll go into more details in the final analysis).

-Can create her own shot; loves using the jab step. She has a quick release. Can shoot off the dribble and spotting up.

-Good moving without the ball, finds ways to get open, but seems to be more effective with the ball.

-Couldn't find a lot of defensive highlights, but from what I’ve seen, she gives effort as far as playing passing lanes.

Weaknesses:

-I don’t see any glaring weakness in her game, but at 5–7, chances are she’s going to struggle against bigger guards.

-Averaged a career high in assists (3.2) last year, but as a guard, I would like to see her numbers increase in that area.

Final Analysis

Hailey has a well-rounded game offensively. She’s a natural born scorer who is a good passer with good court vision, but I would like to see her facilitate more without compromising her scoring prowess. She comes off as a volume scorer; her jump shot looks pure from what I’ve seen, but her numbers doesn’t quite match up with that assessment (42% FG 34% 3P so far) which leads me to say that while her jump shot isn’t the greatest, it’s respectable.

Overall, I think her addition makes the current NCAA Women’s champs LSU Lady Tigers more dangerous. I think the rich just got richer. Coming off a career year — she had career highs across the board: games and minutes played, points, FT percentage, rebounds, and steals — if she continues to improve her game, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s a lottery pick in next year’s WNBA draft.