The storylines you need to know from Day 2 of the NBPA Top 100 Camp

Orlando, Florida – The On3 team was courtside for Day two of the NBPA Top 100 camp. Here are the storylines the readers need to know.

The matchup of the day

In a camp filled with talent, you never know when you will look up and see a matchup materialize into something personal. That happened in the afternoon session of day two when No. 1 ranked GG Jackson and No. 7 ranked Omaha Biliew squared off.

This matchup should have been one we all had circled as they are On3’s No. 1 and No. 2 ranked power forwards in the class. However, it ended up being one that snuck up on us.

The stats were not eye-popping, but the intensity each player brought for each possession was. The two made sure to guard the opposite, each time down the floor. They both sat low in their stance and were not afraid to take a foul if the situation called for it.

GG Jackson finished 4 of 12 from the field with eight points, 11 rebounds, and two steals. Omaha Biliew finished 4 of 10 from the field with eight points and seven rebounds. GG’s team won the game, 59-58, but the matchup was played to a draw.

It will be fun to monitor this rivalry going forward and see if it becomes a thing.

Who is Blake Buchanan

Blake Buchanan’s name was one of the first I circled once the NBPA Top 100 camp rosters were released. While I had seen his film, this was my first live viewing of the 6-foot-10 post from Idaho.

Both of his Day two games were on my court, so I got a good feel for him. The first thing you notice is Buchanan’s long arms and broad shoulders. He has a projectable frame that already has some sturdiness but also more room to grow. As he plays, you see that he simply knows how to play.

Buchanan has good feet and great hands. He is comfortable on the block in the mid-post or in pick and pop/trail big situations. Playing on the back line of the defense, Buchanan also is a good area rebounder, not afraid to mix it up in traffic but also he high-points the ball with two hands around the rim.

Buchanan recently put out a final two schools, Virginia and Gonzaga. His most recent visit was to Virginia just before issuing his final two schools. However, he lives within an hour of the Gonzaga campus and has unofficially visited there. Buchanan is currently No. 115 in the 2023 On3 rankings; expect a bump in the next update.

Good point guard play stood out

I cannot sugar coat that camp play got sloppy. A lot of the sloppiness was due to the lack of good point guard play throughout the camp. And while this did lead to low-scoring games and poor shooting percentages, it did allow the better point guards to stand out.

Elmarko Jackson has seen a bump in his recruitment over the last couple of weeks. On3’s No. 61 player has recently earned offers from Kansas, LSU, Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Syracuse, Maryland, and others.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound point guard is jet-quick with the ball in his hands, but his pace is what shined here. He has a quick burst in the half-court and plays balanced, off two feet in the paint. He can also finish on top of a late rotating big, which he did several times during camp. After playing at the NBPA Top 100 camp, On3 feels confident ranking Jackson higher than the industry.

We have the same confidence in our ranking for On3 No. 9 ranked AJ Johnson. The 6-foot-4 point guard from Woodland Hills (CA) Taft High has a crafty handle that gets him to his spots, but the burst and quick-twitch get him to the rim. He has a nice pull-up jumper and does not over-penetrate the paint (which he touches at will).

Four-star Chris Johnson also had a good showing at camp. On3’s No. 56 player touched the paint often and made great decisions. The vision was there, he delivered on target and on time, and he finished from multiple angles around the basket. The jump shot is still his achilles heel, but his ability to make a play with the ball in his hands stood out in this setting.