07 Jan 2025

Point Well-Taken at The City of Palms Classic

Four of the top point guards in the national Class of 2025 took the court at the City of Palms Classic.  With that in mind, we searched out a variety of both college and professional scouts, as well as college coaches, to get an overview of what the point guard position has become.

The point guard position has greatly evolved in the age of analytics and reliability on the three-point shot.  As the game has become more spread out and more spacing is involved, the point guard needs to have greater range on his shot.  There needs to be a good understanding of how to play, make good decisions with the ball, handle the ball vs. pressure without turning it over and be able to shoot with range and consistency.  Size and athleticism have become an important part of the equation as well.  Defensively, the point guard needs to be able to switch onto bigger guys and at least make it difficult for them to receive the ball.

With those factors in mind, let’s take a look at those four point guards.

Darius Acuff, 6’3, Bradenton IMG Academy, committed to University of Arkansas

Acuff has ELITE scoring ability.  Whether finishing at the basket in traffic through contact or manufacturing shots on either side of the arc off the dribble or in ball-screen action, he’s very difficult to defend.  He plays bigger than his size thanks to his physical strength, has a very high basketball IQ, and has the essential speed and quickness with the ball needed to play up-tempo and break down defenses.  Acuff has become a much better teammate over the course of the past year in terms of ball distribution, body language, and on-court communication.  Defensively, he could become a much more disruptive defender by using his strength to guard the ball and making the opponent more uncomfortable.

Cayden Boozer, 6’5, Miami Columbus, committed to Duke University

Boozer has great size and length for the position.  He plays big and makes a significant contribution on the defensive end of the floor.  Boozer does a very good job of playing within himself, is an excellent distributor of the ball, plays with good pacing, and has become a better perimeter shooter over the course of the last year.  He does not have elite quickness or burst off the dribble and isn’t what one would consider an elite bucket-getter.  Boozer compensates for any shortcomings by having a very high basketball IQ and simply knows what it takes to win basketball games.  While Boozer may not be “the man” on a team, he certainly is a valuable complimentary player that knows what it takes to win games and goes about doing just that.

Mikel Brown, 6’4, Daytona Beach DME Academy, Uncommitted

Brown has good size for the point guard spot as well as a high basketball IQ.  He is very aggressive at the offensive end and can really score the ball, especially when coming off ball-screens.  Brown demonstrates patience, vision, and passing skills when running the offense.  He does a good job of finding open teammates when defenses cut off access to the basket.  Brown makes good decisions with the ball in his hands.  He will need to add strength and get better defensively at the next level and the guess is those two things go hand in hand.  One other positive aspect is that Brown has learned the game from a wide variety of coaches in his high school career.  This makes him easily adaptable to wherever he decides to play at the next level.

Jalen Reece, 6’1, Orlando Oak Ridge, committed to Louisiana State University

Reece may be the smallest of the four players, but he is no less effective on the court.  He is a catalyst offensively, has a great understanding of how to play and is an easy teammate to play with.  Reece has become much better as both a scorer and a passer of the last year.  His ability to make and create shots off the dribble from the perimeter makes him difficult to guard and his speed, quickness, and vision make the game easier for his teammates.  Reece is disruptive on defense, making his opponent as uncomfortable as possible.  It is clear that he is the son of a coach, comes from a winning culture on both the high school and travel team scene, and understands what needs to be done to get wins.

 

 

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