Admiral Schofield

Just really love these kinds of sportsmanship examples.

Every since this man decided to change up his play style a little and go to the basket more, this man has been unstoppable.

Three straight games with 20+ points (which is even more impressive given how low scoring our games can be).

This is very promising for us going forward since teams have been doubling up on Grant under the basket.

I see him going in the second round in most mocks. (If I’m looking in the wrong places let me know). I like his game a lot and would not mind my team taking him in the mid 1st.

I see an above average athlete, strong, with good leaping ability at a solid 6’6, 240 pounds, kind of a beast of an athlete...Thicker frame, can potentially be a plus defender at the next level. Shot 41.5% from 3 this year which you hope translates.

Imagining a draymond type player/body at the next level with maybe less defense/playmaking but better shooting.

P.S- hate the idea that seniors can’t improve at the nba level as well, just such a misnomer

Hey Wizards fans, I know you guys haven't had much to be excited about lately, but I'm here to give you some hope for the young bucks. First off I always have my top 5 overrated and underrated players going into a draft and both Rui and Admiral were in my top 5 underrated. I really like them both and the improvements they made in college.

I do a bit of scouting so I thought I'd share with you guys my thoughts on Schofield today and what you can look forward to.

STRENGTHS

Admiral Schofield is a 6’5” 241-pound beast of a wing. Schofield is incredibly strong and looks more like a NFL defensive end than a basketball player. He also has high level athleticism that can led to some of the most powerful dunks in all of college basketball; however, Schofield put this on display less than I would have liked while at Tennessee. He excels at shooting from range and scoring through multiple defenders on one-dribble post-ups but struggles when he must put the ball on the floor and create for others. He has always been an efficient scorer, putting up an overall points per possession (PPP) of 1.003 last season (82nd percentile in the NCAA). Many scouts have disagreed about his on the court impact and how he will translate to the next level, but no one disagrees that he has some of the best intangibles of any prospect. He comes from a military family that has instilled in him a level of maturity and hard work that few players have. His four years at Tennessee have also helped him develop great leadership attributes and confidence in big-game scenarios. He is always working on his game and should be someone that NBA teams will want around for a long time.

Schofield has worked on adapting his game to fit into modern basketball schemes. In the 2017-18 season, he took 18.5% of his possessions from post-ups which was his highest of any possession type. However in 2018-19, post-ups have only accounted for 12.7% of his possessions and spot-up shots have accounted for 24.3% of his possessions, where he is scoring 1.116 points per possession (82nd percentile in the NCAA). Admiral has also shown flashes this season of an impressive mid-range game. He can use a quick spin move or step back to create space and nail shots. When Schofield has this part of his game going, he is near unstoppable on the offensive end. A good example of this was Schofield’s 27-point 9-rebound performance against LSU. This is indicative of Schofield’s greater focus on perimeter play and a transition to becoming a more prototypical wing player. He has made this transition while shooting 41.8% from three and sporting a 56.2% true shooting percentage, showing that even when leaving the paint he can still be efficient. Schofield has also adapted his play style to the modern game by getting out in transition more, where he is scoring at an incredible 1.5 points per possession (98th percentile in the NCAA).

Schofield provides solid play on the defensive end of the court and can use his size to guard positions 2 through 4. Many doubt how his defense will translate to the next level because of his lateral quickness and relatively low blocks and steals. But Schofield has relentless effort and his frame and muscle down low make him incredibly hard to move. On shots within 17 feet of the rim, he only allowed 0.429 PPP (89th percentile in the NCAA). Schofield is also a good rebounder for a wing which has many hoping that he may be able to play some minutes as a small-ball center similar to PJ Tucker. This versatility will be very valuable at the next level, as Schofield projects to be a 3-and-D wing who can easily fit into a switching defensive scheme.

WEAKNESSES

Although Schofield has greatly improved on his weaknesses and adapted his offensive game, he does still have some of the same weaknesses that scouts identified before the 2018 draft. He does not have great handles and most of his points come from spot-up three pointers, long-range twos, or one-dribble post-ups. Because Schofield does not drive to the basket as much, this limits how many free throws he can draw. Schofield is only averaging 4.2 free throw attempts per 100 possessions. Someone with his physical tools should be drawing near double this amount. To truly reach his potential at the next level, he will need to improve his ball handling and drive to the basket with more consistency. One of Schofield’s biggest negatives from most reports is his lack of creation or isolation scoring. He also only averaged 2 assists per game this season. Schofield has decent court vision but does not initiate much of the offense for Tennessee. He also does not operate in isolation much with only 50 possessions all season. However, he does have untapped potential here that many reports are not mentioning. Schofield scored 1.08 PPP in these possessions and when driving right scored 1.19 PPP (92nd percentile in the NCAA). He is not as effective going left which is mainly due to his lack of tight ball handling skills.

Schofield is a decent defender, particularly in isolation situations where he has shown the ability to lock down the opposing team’s best player only allowing 0.484 PPP (87th percentile in the NCAA). However, he does struggle following quicker players around screens. When guarding the pick and roll ball handler, he allowed 0.842 PPP (31st percentile in the NCAA) and struggles getting around screens for hand offs which opponents scored 1.105 PPP (17th percentile in the NCAA). Schofield has cut weight throughout his college career and only has 5% body fat now, but he will need to continue to slim down and work on his agility if he wants to be an elite defender in the NBA. Lastly, Schofield will need to continue to work on his conditioning. He carried a large load offensively and at times can be slow to get back on defense in transition.

PROJECTION

Schofield has been underrated in this draft because of his age, but he is one of the safest picks in the draft. He can score from deep, in the post, get out in transition, and guard positions 2-4. Unfortunately, he is a little shorter than most teams would like for their forward, but he can play multiple positions and his size and muscle will allow him to contest taller players like PJ Tucker does. Most have compared Schofield to PJ Tucker, physically this makes sense, but Schofield prefers to play on the perimeter. Schofield takes a high number of spot-up shots but when he does drive to the basket, he is explosive and uses his body like a bowling ball to create space. These attributes are reminiscence of Eric Gordon in his Clippers years.

Although he shares some attributes of both players, Schofield does not have a perfect NBA comparison. He is also not the rebounder or big defender that Tucker is, nor does he have the ball handling of Gordon. Schofield will need to work hard in the summer to truly define his game. Will he focus on defense and rebounding and transition to a PF/C like Tucker or improve his ball handling to be a bigger Eric Gordon? If Schofield never finds his role in the NBA then his floor is Semi Ojeleye, but if he can put the pieces together and use his body more to draw fouls then he could easily be the biggest steal in the draft bringing a mix of PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon. I would rest on the side of optimism and look to take Schofield anywhere in the late 1st round to 2nd round.