Kate.

Appreciate you taking the time, man.

I appreciate you coming.

Still water?

Of course.

Yeah, it's been a minute.

It's been five or six years.

So I guess we've seen the heroic shots.

There's probably my favorite sequence from you of the year.

Um, just because this is not something where you need the ball in your hands, you need a is a step back high ball screen.

Any of that?

Just making a play.

Take me through this one.

Yeah.

So they ran.

They ran a four across.

Um uh, you know, usually that's all they're gonna be some type of high ball screen or a drive somewhere.

So I saw 13.

He kind of cleared out, and I figured I saw, you know, zero going immediately.

So I figured, you know, that was a dummy action and kind of just stayed to help at the realm.

And I was the, you know, the biggest guy out there on the on the so out for us at the time, So just staying to help out on the rim.

Avery made a good play trying to get back under the ball and and get his hands on it before he got it up.

And then, yeah, just trying to stay vertical and make him shoot into my hands.

Yeah.

So false action Thio get you running with an Aruna, right?

And then, really, it's Marcus Garrett.

Just want to get downhill on den the length of verticality.

I mean, those are those days is a big man, right?

Yeah, for sure, for sure.

Anytime.

You know, the do with the ball.

He can't see you after that.

Every made a good play in front of them.

He can't see this help coming.

And, you know, that's that's a free block.

Almost.

And then having the understanding of, like, locating your teammate and there's the football, gotta watch your feet before that.

Some, you know, they like to call the out of bounds.

Oh, you thought they might have called you here?

No, I was, You know, just trying to make sure you stay in, watch your feet before you jump.

Yep, and then find it.

And then again, that's that's a game winning playwright there.

Big time passed by one big time.

And that's not something you always see for usually number one picks.

It's like motor, you know, like the question.

A lot of those things, winning and tangible sometimes because talent is so crazy.

It's not that case with you.

Um, I'm I played on a lot of good teams and and with a lot of good players, But I think the biggest thing about it is, you know, I play with Scotty Barnes and they run and those two dudes that are like Crazy Motors and I feel like, you know, seeing guys like that.

No, motor something, it's it's all with you.

Like it takes no time to have that and then affects winning so anytime.

You know, if I'm one of better players and I'm not having a motor, you know what they're you know, my teammates gonna think what?

They're not gonna take too much importance to us.

So anytime I could help my team with that, that's what I would do.

Yeah, no question.

And you could definitely see it.

So All right, that's offense.

We're gonna rip through defense quickly and get you out of here.

But how do you think?

How would you grade yourself defensively so far?

this year.

I think I've had some A's and I think I've had some S o.

I think I've been It's been a rollercoaster for me defensively, I think just, you know, on the ball stand like that the whole time.

I think over help a little bit too much sometimes, and that's been probably the biggest problem for me.

So when you guys are a man, you're no middle team.

Is that you're trying to find a middle middle, every close out every angle, trying to funnel the ball to the rim?

Yeah, pretty much any time we can push the baseline.

So we're gonna dio so one thing.

Okay, let's see.

And I would agree with you.

You've had some moments where it's like this guy could be in all MBA defender and then some moments where, you know, maybe could ramp it up a little bit.

One thing I'll say is your so long like I think you can be more active with your hands to get deflections.

Is that something you've noticed?

Yeah, definitely.

And I think, like what do you see here?

Yeah, Anytime he's that high, he's in passing mode.

So he was.

He wasn't gonna beat me off the dribble.

I think, you know, getting up and making it tough on him.

Make it past.

Allow my teammates to deny a little bit easier.

I definitely would help us.

Yeah, I know that.

You know, it's not on you that he got back, but I think you could be really effective, you know, with your length for sure.

And this is an incredible defensive clip just to show, you know what you can look like.

Okay.

You're trying to blow up the D H.

O right sitting down, sliding, being disruptive.

Then you get clipped on the screen, get blasted.

But you recover.

You know, you're sitting down, heating them up ice makes a great play at the rim.

I mean, that's that's the blueprint right there, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I think if we could just have all five of us, I think you know, a lot of times is me sleep or one of us sleep.

If we could get all five guys playing like that, we're gonna be tough.

So what's the difference, then?

When?

When you're like that.

And when you're not?

I mean, he must have him.

I'm like He must have pissed me off for that because I was chasing him like I was mad at him.

But, you know, I think, Coach, he must have ended me up.

I mean, any time we could just get our our energy going, you know, it might have been a big play on the other and something like that, but I think that's probably the biggest thing I need to work on.

It's just, you know, keeping that consistent and throughout the game.

Yeah.

And there are glimpses of it, you know, pretty special.

Even here earlier in the year, um, trying to blow that up again.

And then, you know, you're trying to keep it on the side, right?

Yeah.

And ball pressure, active hands, making every tough, every passed tough and then, you know, forcing baseline into a turnover, right?

I mean, that's that's high level stuff.

And using your side playing angles and then even the ball pressure here.

You remember this place?

Yeah, I remember that.

I remember that.

Is that just instincts?

Yeah, I think you know, anytime somebody's trying to look, you often go on way.

If you could slide in front and just test it.

That's the flaming as a ball handler to see somebody you know fully take your move away.

So, yeah, Coach Boy, he really tells me with that matchup.

James brings a big time player.

He tells me with him.

And you were good.

I was ready for you.

Have you took multiple on ball charges?

Um, and then here, just keeping it in front.

So here, this is your boy, right?

You're in foul trouble.

Uh, what do you think?

See, that's another one Where just, you know, 24 7 being all the way locked in, sort of.

Even though I'm in foul trouble, there's no way I don't sit down and and get in the stands right here.

I just kinda played high.

Might Makes a big time player.

He's anytime he's gonna take that, he and see somebody stand straight that he's gonna go.

So yeah, just sitting down, right?

And containing contest.

All that.

You know, they're in two for one mode here.

Maybe a little upright again, but using the length give me that.

Would you would you say after that one?

Probably, uh, you shouldn't say.

Yeah, but again, it was like they woke the beast in the second half, and you could see it.

Um, but this is great.

Like, I think your I Q and size are gonna make you an impactful defender.

So this is what Terrence Shannon?

What does he like to dio?

He's going love left hand driver.

Right?

No middle, Take it away.

I mean, that's That's pretty good.

Um, defending without fouling.

And then you're going the other way.

And so winding down in the on ball stuff, I think your size is a big thing that's so intriguing about you is because you could actually like guards and fours.

Right.

Um, how many positions do you think you could garden?

Um, I think four comfortably e think anytime.

It's a small ball.

I think I could guard five every once in a while, but I think I could guard force positions pretty comfortable.

Yeah, and no question.

And I'll show you one clip of you doing exactly that.

This one, He gets you a little bit, right?

Yeah.

You know, middle base, our post too.

But this case is you can't give up that much.

Based on I said, wall them back up and made him try to shoot it from under the room.

And that's what we've seen your size offensively.

That's where I think you could use it defensively, right?

And this is a great clip.

Okay, help with the rim close out, keeping in front, slide wall up.

That's picture perfect right there.

That's just that's just the will.

Right?

So one of the fan?

Yeah, that's that's great, man.

And that shows your versatility.

Versatility, and then you chin it on down here, off the ball.

So in these clothes out situations, what's what's your goal?

Uh, hi hand.

He's He was a green, like he was a good shooter.

So you want to get I mean, definitely want to run him off and get him off that three line, but you don't want to give up a straight line drive like that, Right?

So in an ideal world, you can get him off and contain him, right?

So best of both, But that's a That's another one where I'm just too high.

I gotta be lowered to the ground and be in the stance.

Yeah, no question on gets to the front of the rim, but I love this okay here against TCU.

Um, I don't even know if this is your tag.

There's a lot of moving parts, but the physicality on the big fella.

You like that?

You like those tax?

Yeah, right.

Like football.

So and then getting back out to name hard, who's probably you close out to a hand contest, right?

Yeah, that's really good, man.

And just shows your your defensive range aan den here at the rim.

The awareness.

What are you seeing here?

I didn't think he was gonna get that passed through, so he kind of got me last second time to get my feet back under me.

But big time cut.

Uh, yeah, I know.

I'm the last resort.

I mean, you play everywhere on the floor, man.

Like four positions.

Pretty much both ends when you're locked in.

Do you not know you got a season worry about, but do you feel like you're the best part of draft?

Yeah, definitely.

Definitely.

I feel like I have a lot of things, a lot of tools that no are hard to find.

And, you know, I feel like I affect the game in so many different ways that you know it's gonna be hard to find somebody else that, you know, is this versatile and can affect the game this anyway.

So, yeah, I feel like I'm the best player.

But that's how I should feel sure that I know there's a lot of other big time players, but I think I'm the one, okay.

It's been great to watch your development, man.

We've seen you with Harvard use a, uh, Pangos All Americans all over the place.

And, you know, obviously you're playing the best basketball.

Your career in the future is bright, so I appreciate you taking the time.

I appreciate you coming.

Have e.

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