2023 NBA Draft: Checking in on Emoni Bates

The former Gatorade National Player of the Year still has NBA upside.

Just a few years ago, Emoni Bates was on a superstar trajectory and looked like the best high school player in the country at 15. All signs pointed to the 6-foot-9 wing being a potential future No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

However, just like with any prospect, there was adversity along the way. As good as he was throughout his high school career, concerns about offensive efficiency began to arise. There was no question he could score the ball at a high level, but the quality of his shots were somewhat poor at times. While Bates had always been an advanced shot creator, keeping it simple has its advantages.

As a freshman at Memphis, Bates was the youngest player in the country. In fact, he was so young that he would be required to play two seasons at the college level to fulfill the age requirement to enter the draft.

It was a tough freshman campaign, as Bates dealt with injuries all season long and couldn’t put together consistent showings. Even if he would have been draft eligible at that point, it was clear he needed another season. He was playing at the college level at the age of a high school senior and the learning curve was steep.

Bates transferred to his hometown team in Eastern Michigan for his sophomore season, looking to get back to the player we all knew he had the chance to be. It was a positive season, as he proved to trend in the right direction. Although the level of competition in the Mid-American Conference isn’t the best in the country, it allowed Bates to showcase his talent.

He notched an 8.6 C-Ram according to Cerebro Sports as a sophomore, which was up from 6.3 as a freshman. As a member of the Eagles, he also increased his 3PE to 81 and PSP to 75. It was clear the scoring upside was still real.

In a much larger role, Bates averaged nearly 20 points per game as a sophomore while shooting 33% from beyond the arc on 7.7 attempts. He also was a better rebounder and was more efficient from the field and free throw line.

In Draft Digest Pro’s recent 2023 NBA Mock Draft, Bates is projected to go early in the second round to a team with an extremely bright future.

During the pre-draft process, the 19-year-old will attempt to continue to recover his stock and get back in the first-round conversation. Although he’s no longer the potential top pick he once projected to be, there’s clearly enough upside for a franchise to take the gamble on him.

NBA teams know he possess a deep bag of scoring tricks and can convert on highly advanced shot attempts. For Bates, it’s all about proving he can impact winning beyond simply scoring and can fit in a system as a complimentary piece without a high volume of shots. 

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