Post by jhb on Mar 11, 2021 13:50:11 GMT -5
Monta Ellis
SG
6'3"
185
20
Lanier (HS)
Ellis comes to TMBSL straight out of Lanier HS in Mississippi and may be one of the more overlooked prospects on initial draft boards. Despite being a consensus top 5 recruit in the class of 2005, after declaring for the TMBSL draft, many publications have left him out of their first round mock drafts and he seems to somehow be flying a bit below the radar as some GMs and front offices appear to be prioritizing higher levels of playing experience in their draft boards.
Ellis is a smooth and quick athlete with a good frame to add weight moving forward. He has shown the ability to be a tremendous isolation player who is excellent out of the triple threat position and has a bevy of ways to create shots for himself, including an excellent crossover and a good step back move. He has a good first step and while his handle is just average compared to TMBSL-level combo guards, he's fairly advanced for his age and expertise. He's a dead-eye shooter for someone his age and he's tremendously lethal from the elbow to the free throw line out to deep range from three. He's shown the ability in showcases to get into the paint and finish adequately in that area, and he has the requisite strength to finish (although he'll need to continue to work to add more) through contact and get to the free throw line.
The real problem for Ellis is what a team will do with him. He's a heavy iso, ball-dominant player that doesn't pass much in a point guard's body. He's a stereotypical AAU player through and through and sometimes you worry he's going to dribble the basketball so much that it gets stuck in the floor. He hasn't played a lot of defense to this point in showcases and his effort is severely lacking. While he has the athletic ability to excel here, the intangibles are lacking. That doesn't help when he's a high school graduate that will be 20 in his first TMBSL game without any college experience. Hopefully he'll wake up and we'll see less of the bad body language and immaturity and Ellis will unlock his true potential.
