The NBPA Top 100 Camp provided a great opportunity to watch some of the country's top players at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort.
Here’s my take on 10 camp standouts – listed in alphabetical order.
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More: Top-100 F Akil Watson talks tentative visit plans
2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Top 125
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Biliew brought incredible energy each time I saw him, particularly when he faced up with G.G. Jackson. At times it seemed that Biliew defended the entire court thanks to his length and with top flight athleticism and he attacked the rim like it owed him money. Despite playing 45 minutes Biliew’s effort level never seemed to wane.
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Whenever I saw Buchanan it seemed that he was either scoring or grabbing an offensive rebound. The skilled 6-foot-10 center out of Lake City (Idaho) High School is a fluid athlete with great size, hands and footwork. He defends ball screens very well and cuts guys out when shots go up. Buchanan has a very good second jump. I first heard about Buchanan in March but he made a believer out of me at this camp. As I watched him I felt like I was seeing Colin Castleton 2.0.
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Cain is a capable shot maker with range but he is not a chuck it at the bucket player. He has the shot selection of a much older player. When Cain was not scoring he simply did other things to help his team. He is a very good rebounder from the guard position, including on the offensive glass. Thursday afternoon he had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists and a great drive and dish, with seconds left, which resulted in a game winning layup.
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Nobody got to the free throw line on Thursday like Demary Jr. He is tough to keep out of the paint, especially coming off a ball screen and going downhill. Demary is a strong guard who finishes through contact or gets to the line. Thursday afternoon while operating almost exclusively inside the arc, Demary scored a game-high 16 points on five shot attempts because he made 10-of-11 free throws. He also grabbed six rebounds. With continued performances like he had this week I would not be surprised to see Demary re-enter the Rivals150 at the next rankings update.
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Estrella scored efficiently around the basket, was an effective rebounder (particularly on the offensive glass) and showed his shot blocking skills. While Estrella did take a few three-pointers he didn’t settle for jumpers or focus on putting his face-up game on display. Estrella also played with toughness and walled up well on defense.
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Jackson is a strong physical guard with a very good first step. If he gets his defender on his hip, it’s a wrap. A good two-way player with a high IQ and an equal amount of toughness. I was impressed at how Jackson doesn’t just use ball screens to get downhill or to get his shot off. He made some good reads and good passes. He definitely played above his current ranking.
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Jackson missed each three-pointer he attempted in his afternoon game on Thursday but he was productive in so many other ways and lived up to his No. 1 ranking. I love his motor and volume rebounding. His ball handling – let’s just say Jackson and the ball have a relationship – is very impressive.
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I only got one viewing of Miller but the Compass (Ariz.) Prep guard played like a top-five prospect on Thursday. He came off the bench to score 10 points, grab four rebounds, dish three assists and grab two steals. He also had several deflections. He has great size for either guard spot, knows how to create space to get his jumper off, is very good in ball screen action and did a great job getting to the free throw line. Miller is also a willing defender. Down the road we might look back at the 2022 NBPA Top 100 Camp as Miller’s coming out party.
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Peterson might have been one of the youngest campers but he has elite written all over him. A very capable defender and shot maker Peterson has a great feel for the game. Wednesday afternoon I watched him make 5-of-10 shots, get three steals (he easily had five deflections) and block two shots. Peterson’s game has a lot of polish for a young player.
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Tucker’s combination of size, shot making ability, ball handling and bounce made him one of the best wings I saw. He has a high basketball IQ and values the ball. When I watched he only missed two of his six shot attempts, had two assists and zero turnovers in 23 minutes. The 2024 class in the DMV is loaded and Tucker is arguably sitting in the top spot.
