Defensive Woes
Scouting defense is a difficult task since it takes multiple viewings of a prospect to truly get a good sense of what their efficiencies and inefficiencies are on the defensive end.
Spatial awareness, cognitive functioning, speed of reactions, technical approach, footwork, lateral mobility, strength, length, rotational intelligence, motor, consistency, general basketball IQ — all of these things (and more) make up defense, and it’s practically impossible to genuinely get a solid read on a player’s true defensive capabilities if the sample is as incredibly small as what we have to work with.
Players can play subpar in some games and then put up otherworldly performances in others, so we can’t react too positively or negatively to a limited film sample. Although we can’t definitively call Jeremiah Francis a good or bad defender, we can point out legitimate concerns and issues with his defensive performances as a freshman and sophomore.
Some of his faults are the result of inexperience and age, as they’re areas that are generally teachable and correctable with time and coaching. Others are physical and mental, however, which aren’t necessarily correctable in all instances.
But, generally, at least from the limited sample that we have access to (with snippets included in the video above), Jeremiah Francis was a technically-raw and inconsistent defender, plagued by sloppy footwork, an undisciplined technical approach to various aspects of individual and team defense, and underwhelming lateral mobility when defending at the point of attack.
There were various instances where Francis would intermittently get out of his defensive stance, gifting his opponent a window to burst past him which, when combined with his average lateral quickness, slow hip turns and unpolished footwork, led to several blow-bys and defensive meltdowns.
His pick-and-roll defense was especially worrisome, as he would often not notice the looming screener or would barge right into him, often dying on the screen. It didn’t help that Sterling Manley, UNC’s junior center and Francis’ former high school teammate, was also horrendous at defending screen actions (there were times where he’d essentially set a screen himself due to such poor technique), but Francis’ screen defense was still poor nonetheless.
Considering the age of this film (2016, end of freshman and beginning of sophomore seasons), it’s likely that some, if not a lot, of his defensive shortcomings are capable of being improved with teaching and maturation. Young players, particularly high schoolers (and this expands into college and even the NBA), are unlikely to be positive defenders outside of outliers and exceptions.
His defense wasn’t all bad, though. His broad shoulders and strong 190-pound frame give reason to believe that he can put on even more strength, which would benefit him on the defensive end (and elsewhere) if he manages to learn how to utilize it in a functional manner. He generally competes on that end, although the results are evidently lackluster. And, although the technical and mental aspects of his defense were largely poor, he flashed a few strong possessions that give hope for future improvement.
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Here, Jeremiah Francis is able to close out on the perimeter in a controlled manner, keeping his hand raised to deter a shot and showing sound footwork. As the ball-handler attempts to take him off the bounce, Francis manages to mirror the player’s moves, sticking with him and flipping his hips quickly enough as to eventually force a pass-out.
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Here, Francis effectively ICE’s the pick-and-roll, leveraging himself between the screener and ball-handler to cancel the option and force the handler to reject the screen. He then manages to flip his hips and stick with the handler after a quick crossover and subsequently uses his chest to bump the driver off course and force a kickout, resulting in a missed jumper and ended possession.
There aren’t many positive plays to look at, some of which has to do with the general struggles from the then-freshman and sophomore Francis but also because of the nature of Pickerington Central’s defense. Since the team often played in a 2-3 zone scheme, there was only so much we could glean in terms of Francis’ capabilities as a defender. Perhaps this schematic decision from the head coach was one meant to take advantage of the roster’s size; or, perhaps it was a move intentionally made to mask the defensive shortcomings of the team’s players, Francis included.
It’s hard to say, but, generally speaking, Francis was far from a positive factor on the defensive end as a freshman and sophomore. Some of this is correctable with teaching, but only so much can be taught and absorbed; and, when it comes to one’s physical limitations, there is only so much you can do. His strength and what looks to be a decent wingspan should help him, but his defensive ceiling doesn’t look particularly high.
But, on the offensive end, it’s a different story.