Jesse Edwards Scouting Report
Can the toolsy big carve out a role in the NBA?
Name: Jesse Edwards
Birth date: March 18, 2000
Height/Weight: 7’0 ½/237
Wingspan/ standing reach: 7’4 ½/9’2 ½
Hand size: 10
Position: C
Pre-Draft team: West Virginia
Tools: Athleticism, P&R roll man
Background: Transferred from Syracuse to West Virginia. Born in Amsterdam. Named to ACC All-Defense in 2023. His brother plays in Europe. Jesse is currently pursuing a masters degree.
Pros:
Great athlete
Outstanding roll-man aerial option
Has long arms and a great frame
Capable of defending in P&R drop coverage
Cons:
Lacks control on his jumper; wonky form
Doesn’t get much lift on drives
Loses his balance too easily on the catch as he rolls
Lacks fundamentals as a roll-man. Doesn’t properly roll, doesn’t position himself right in time
Can be prone to getting blocked out of turnaround moves; needs to be more aware of his surroundings
Doesn’t self-create offense or separate; lacks a handle
Needs to become more muscular
Doesn’t control the defense. Puts himself in poor spots defensively
Swing Skills:
How much of a shooter can he become? Has a little mid range game but lacks much shooting upside from deep to truly stretch the floor
How much can his feel for the game develop?
Summary:
Jesse Edwards is an athletic big that can function as a P&R big, but has major feel for the game concerns to overcome.
Offensively, while scouts can appreciate the effort and work Edwards has put in towards his jump shooting, defenses do not respect his shot enough, and his mechanics still need lots of work for this to become a useful skill. Edwards’ best role is as a P&R roller, with a threat to create some vertical gravity with his long catch radius and plus athleticism. However, the mechanics and style of which he rolls when he is not diving towards the rim hard for an alley-oop need work. He backpedals into his spots too much, which takes away momentum from his initial burst, and turns him into a below-the-rim finisher from that point. From that point, Edwards lacks great touch on layups and can lack awareness by struggling to read where the next defender will come from in a double team. While doubling him in the post is a situation he likely won’t face in the NBA system, he could face that in Europe, or at the least it paints the bigger picture of his lack of awareness of the floor at all times.
Edwards struggles with free throw shooting, and can be prone to forcing bad shots at the rim. At Portsmouth in the first game, where he went 4-12, he forced shots in traffic which was a killer to the rhythm of the offense. He also can go to the wrong spots at the wrong times, so figuring out where to be, what to do, and when to do it will be key in him fully developing.
Defensively, his reaction time against perimeter drives is worrisome. Take this play for example, which showcases both his positive ability to recover and block shots, but also a lack of attention puts him behind the driver.
Edwards is often guessing on the defensive end, making him prone to mistakes, losing his balance, and overcommitting against pick & rolls. His overall footwork as he approaches switches is poor, often going at full speed and not under control. As a drop defender, he doesn’t make much of an effort to help on some pick & rolls, which leaves his teammates out to dry sometimes in a 2-on-1 situation. While this may be part of the system, there is no attempt to hide his gameplan, which is something that pros will be able to easily exploit. Because of this awkward landing mechanism into rotations, he makes himself stiff and upright, making himself easily movable off his spot, or it makes it harder for him to explode off the ground to get a meaningful contest. Edwards’ overall switchability is concerning, and factors into a questionable translation of turning his tools into tangible assets.
Overall, Edwards has nice tools, combining athleticism and length. However, his feel for the game is alarming and limits his maximization of his tools. He projects to struggle away from dunking, his offense is minimally impactful. Defensively, he will struggle in the pick & roll when he cannot drop, and he will have to spend countless hours in the gym and film room to improve his defensive tendencies quickly. As an older prospect, his margin for error is slim, and his weaknesses are unlikely to be improved overnight in time for an NBA team to be patient enough with him.
Projected draft range: Undrafted
Expected role: Athletic rim runner
Unplayable if: Lack of feel for the game limits him from capitalizing on his offensive abilities
Exceeds expectations if: Decision-making can improve and his defensive habits can become more fundamentally sound. This way, he can be optimized as a toolsy P&R roll man that dominates the rim.
Videos:
Weird defensive habit leading to losing his balance
Shot chart:
