A national title changes everything for the Baylor Bears. Forever gone is the skepticism surrounding Scott Drew's coaching ability. Gone are the accusations of nefarious recruiting tactics. Gone are the pejorative "whole wheat bread" insults (oh wait, I said that? Yikes...). But unfortunately, it's not all positive--also gone are four starters and 59% of minutes from last year's championship team (per Torvik).
And yet, Baylor remains a constant in nearly every top-10 of "Way Too Early" polls (they check in at number 9 in the Amateur Hour Hoops "rough draft" rankings). Of course, the culture Drew has built commands respect and high expectations; but for this upcoming season, the Bears' incoming recruiting class is equally as important. Luckily for Baylor, the newbies provide plenty of reasons for optimism. In particular, four-star guard Langston Love and five-star forward Kendall Brown look like day one contributors. Let's break down their games. Langston Love 247Sports Composite Ranking: 38 Height: 6'4" Weight: 190 Regarding stylistic fit, Love found the ideal school in Baylor. His adeptness at handling, slashing, and movement shooting align perfectly with Drew's offensive philosophy. The head coach will likely utilize him like another Baylor guard who left high school a bit underrated—the 2021 Most Outstanding Player, Jared Butler. During Love's final season at Montverde, he thrived in similar action to what Drew ran for Butler. For example, see the clip below from Baylor's Final Four win over Houston:
Butler fakes a screen, leaks out and uses a pindown from Johnathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua (#23) to get free on the perimeter. He then drives into the paint where he finds Mark Vital (#11) on a dive for an easy bucket.
Now compare that to this possession from Montverde's lone loss on the season (a home game vs Brown's Sunrise Christian back in February):
The Eagles' Justice Williams (#11) screens for Love, who gets the ball in almost the exact same spot where Butler did in the first clip. Though Love isn't crazy explosive, he knows which angles to take, and he storms into the paint to finish over Sunrise's Zach Clemence (a heralded recruit in his own right). This clip represents the norm for the Montverde product; when it comes to fighting through contact on dribble penetration, he frequently optimizes his strength, which should make him one of the most efficient finishers in the freshman class.
But that isn't even Love's best attribute--it's his three-point shooting that should make the most immediate impact. Who could forget Baylor's impeccable spacing last season? (First nationally in team three-point percentage, per Torvik). But after losing Davion Mitchell, MaCio Teague, and the aforementioned Butler, the Bears need help replenishing that production. Butler, specifically, posted eye-popping catch-and-shoot numbers (98th percentile on spot-ups, 74th percentile off of screens, per Synergy). Harkening back to the earlier comparison, Love possesses this type of upside. With a quick release and solid base, he checks all the boxes of a prototypical sniper. He also excels at cutting on a dime, squaring his shoulders, and maintaining form when curling off a screen.
Drew will give the young guard plenty of opportunities to drain threes off of flares and pin-downs.
If there's any area for Love to improve, it's facilitating for his teammates. Montverde coach Kevin Boyle used him some as a ballhandler in PnR, but I imagine that will be where Drew seeks to develop him the most. With the addition of Arizona transfer James Akinjo, the Bears won't need Love to initiate the offense often; however, if he emerges as a secondary playmaker, Baylor can reach its lofty ceiling. Kendall Brown 247Sports Composite Ranking: 11 Height: 6'8" Weight: 205 Turning to the frontcourt, Baylor welcomes its highest-rated prospect since 2012 in the electrifying Kendall Brown. But despite his decorated pedigree, he likely comes off the bench in favor of the incumbent "4," Matthew Mayer. However, the two can play together, and he may prove too valuable for Drew to give him less than 25 minutes a night. Brown stands out an amalgamation of everything a coach looks for--he boasts springy athleticism, a top-notch feel for the game, and an always-churning motor. To see those traits in action, observe how well he moves without the ball:
With one quick plant, he leaves his defender stumbling, gifting Kennedy Chandler (#1) a free assist. It's easy to envision him executing perfectly-timed cuts to the hoop, similar to what Vital did throughout his time in Waco.
Considering how heavily Baylor's offense relies on guards creating off the dribble, Brown should be able to make opponents pay when they give extra attention to the ballhandler.
But he isn't strictly an off-ball player who needs the table set for him. This past spring at Sunrise Christian, Brown showcased a burgeoning offensive skillset, scoring in iso and out of dribble-hand-offs and expertly attacking closeouts. In the clip below, notice how he doesn't force a shot after getting IMG's Moussa Diabate (#14) in the air:
Instead, he spots Jaden Akins on the wing and delivers him an absolute dime. That's where that high-level IQ comes into play.
Finally, Brown will keep the Bears' transition game humming at an elite level (38th nationally in eFG% in transition offense, per hoop-math). He is ALWAYS ready to run the floor, whether it's off a defensive rebound, after an opponent's made basket, or off a live-ball turnover. There aren't many defenders who want to challenge him at the rim, either. On the defensive end, Brown already makes disruptive plays, jumping passing lanes and swatting shots as a help defender. But look for Drew to help him improve at guarding multiple positions. He's not bad at checking smaller, speedier players, but in Baylor's switch-everything defensive scheme, improving his lateral quickness and hip fluidity will increase his chances at staying on the court.
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AuthorRiley Davis Archives
June 2021
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Photo used under Creative Commons from MarsInOrbit