Post by Majic on Aug 20, 2021 14:21:00 GMT -5
William “Pops” Gates
SF
6’4
230
21
Benjamin Franklin High School
Born in Decatur, Alabama, Gates moved to New York City prior to high school and took the city by storm. While attending Jenjamin Franklin High in Harlem, he helped win the high school championship and 3 All-City titles with the YMCA teams. After a number of moves through his school years he was a little late to graduate high school and is now ready to make the leap to the professional game.
Gates is a dynamic player with all around abilities, contributing on both ends of the floor. Speed was his primary attribute and he can excel in any style of play, even handling the ball with ease. He is known as a sharpshooter, Gates can knock down a shot from anywhere and under any circumstances. His can lead to some high scoring numbers when he gets hot from the field.
Defensively Gates will be a plus defender and has the ability to lock down his opponents. He fancies himself as a “defensive specialist” and he has all the tools that should translate. The only concern is whether his size will limit his overall impact. Playing small forward he will be guarding players several inches taller almost every night, so his speed and frame has some advantages and disadvantages.
Gates could also be a plus rebounder as he uses his speed to jump in front of bigger players and snag timely boards. During his high school and YMCA career he was generally the best rebounder on the court but again, scouts are curious how it will translate with much bigger competition.
His smaller stature ,for his position, could limit his impact but his shooting ability cannot be denied. If he can find the right fit scouts expect him to flourish into a two way stud. Scouts don’t expect him to be a “pound the paint” type of player as he has more of a new style of play, so teams should take that into consideration when drafting Gates. He is still relatively young, so teams should expect some growth from him as a player as he learns how to adapt his play style.