Orion’s Odyssey | Josh Christopher

Written by Orion

 Measurables:

  Height: 6’4.5” 

  Wingspan: 6’9.25” 

  Weight: 216 lbs 

Info:

  Age: 19 

  School: Arizona State 

  Position: Shooting Guard

  Class: Freshman 

Statistics:

Strengths:

Finishing:

Christopher’s greatest strength during his lone college season was his ability to finish at the basket. 26.5% of Christopher's field goals were attempted at the rim, and he converted them at an excellent 72.7% (32/44) rate, which is exceptional for a shooting guard. For reference, only 11 NBA wings or guards with a height range of 6’2”-6’5” shot greater than 66% at the rim on ≥32 field goals made at the rim and ≥44 field goals attempted as freshmen were selected in the NBA draft all time. This list consists of players such as Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray and Devin Booker (full list attached below). This leaves Christopher in some great company, and although the smaller sample size may lower the validity of his finishing numbers, he has great technique and athleticism to back up the numbers. The ASU product also has a good first step on his way to the rim, a variety of moves to get there. He’s extremely crafty and uses moves like euro steps to get around opposing defenders –– especially in transition (where he excels as a scorer overall). This skill of his most likely translates right away.

Athleticism and Build:

If you have been following Christopher since his high school days, you should be very familiar with his explosive athleticism. He’s a great leaper off of two feet, posting a solid 37-inch max vertical jump at the combine.  Playing above the rim is definitely a strong suit of his;  he threw  down numerous highlight-worthy dunks at Arizona State. Christopher is built well; he weighed in at 214 pounds at the combine with only 5.8% body fat, and  a wingspan measuring in at 6’9.25”, +5 inches relative to his height. The guard uses his physical attributes regularly, absorbing contact well and playing with a lot of physicality when going downhill. Once he gets into the paint, he’s able to draw fouls well, registering a .313 free throw rate. His physical traits will ensure a smooth transition to NBA physicality. 

Shot Creation:

One of Christopher's main appeals is his ability to create off the dribble. Christopher utilizes a plethora of dribble moves like crossovers, hesitations, and in-and-outs to create space between him and the opposing defender. One of Christopher's main moves is his jump stop with a smooth  transition to his coveted fadeaway jumper. Christopher also has great deceleration allowing to weave through traffic well. Christopher can also create his shot well in transition and is effective on pull ups in that area. He's also got a nice, tight handle; this coupled with an explosive first step is all the makings for an effective shot-creating wing. 

Content made on Kapwing

On Ball Defense/Defensive Upside/Tools:

Christopher was an inconsistent defender at ASU, but in spurts he looked magnificent as a point of attack defender. When locked in, Christopher is a pest, staying in front of his man for extended periods of time. Christopher’s 6’9” wingspan helps him with his on-ball defense, and he moves well laterally. Christopher also has great hands –– he averaged 1.5 steals per game and disrupted passing lanes well with good reaction time. Christopher is also really good in recovery due to his speed and he flashed the ability to block shots from time to time due to his great athleticism. The main issues with Christopher’s on-ball defense stem from an inconsistent motor; he definitely has the tools to be an above average on-ball defender at the next level, but it all rests on how much effort he is willing to put in at that end. 

Content made on Kapwing

3 point Shooting:

Christopher shot 30% from three on nearly four attempts per game, which in itself does not lead anyone to believe in his potential as a shooter. However, in a seven game stretch to end the year Christopher shot 37% from deep, showing promise to end the season. He also only made one three during the combine scrimmages, but people shouldn’t put too much stock into small sample shooting numbers, whether good or bad. Here is a mechanical breakdown of Christopher's jumpshot:

1. He has minimal dip, which means a quicker release but less power generated.

2. While his elbow is to the side of the ball, he does a good job of getting his hand under it.

3. He's generating a lot of power through his wrist flick, to the point that his follow-through bounces.

4. In order to generate power for #1, he's bringing the ball up from the side to create a longer path to the set point.

I think the combination of #2 and 4 is where the worry is because that creates a small margin for error. Overall it's a good jumper but it's hard to clean up because there's very little margin for error in some of those places. If I were to guess the three point percentage at the NBA level with these mechanics it would probably be in the 35-37% range. Clip used in the critique - https://youtu.be/QUPV83xh7yY

Christopher’s jumper is good enough mechanically to project him as at least an average shooter which bodes well for him in the future, as it is important to be a capable shooter in today’s NBA. 

Weaknesses

Shot Selection/Tunnel Vision:

Although ASU had a bad system with very little spacing, Christopher still has the same issues with tunnel vision and shot selection. He  would often take ill-advised shots that were heavily contested and would miss basic passing reads. In the combine scrimmages, he had one somewhat encouraging game with six assists (which would have been a career high for him at the collegiate level). Yet, he still had multiple moments in which he took overly-contested jumpers rather than finding an open teammate. He needs to clean up those harmful tendencies at the next level.  

Off Ball Defense:

Christopher’s off-ball defense also must be improved upon at the next level. He ball-watches a lot, and his awareness lacks more often than not. He fails to make correct rotations at times, in addition to being susceptible to backdoor cuts and being caught out of position. To add on to his half-court defensive woes, he also loses his man in transition regularly. Although workable, his off-ball defensive issues could hurt the team he plays for at the next level as well as his own chances of becoming a starter in the NBA.

Overview + Predictions: 

Christopher had a solid year but underperformed his top 20 recruit ranking coming out of Mayfair High School. That being said, ASU’s 5-out isolation system with a lack of spacing didn't help him in the slightest, and I believe that he will shine outside of that program. A bulk of Christopher’s issues rest on his intangibles such as IQ and motor, which admittedly is harder to fix relative to other skills, but he still has a lot of upside. If he fills in these gaps with his shot selection and off-ball defensive issues while maintaining a positive trajectory as a shooter, he can be an All-Star level player.

Big Board Placement - 1.14

Looney Bin Consensus Board Placement - 1.19

Ceiling Projection - All-Star Scoring Guard 

Floor Projection - Bench Scorer/Microwave Scorer 

Player Comparisons - Shades Of: Kevin Porter Jr., Jaylen Brown, Anthony Edwards, Tim Hardaway Jr.