Watch this video prior to reading the below, unless you've already watched the video previously:
Now, I am not saying AT ALL that Quentin Diboundje is the next Keon Johnson BY ANY MEANS, so don't take this as that (I know that will be impossible for greater than half the folks who end up reading this post, but c'est la vie).
There are two big reasons for that:
1. Keon Johnson is an ELITE ELITE athlete. His quickness and leaping ability are extremely uncommon. Those attributes, combined with his attitude are why he is consistently in the 6-8 range on basically any reputable 2021 Mock Draft.
2. Keon Johnson was a senior in HS the year before he got to UT. Quentin Diboundje was a post-grad the year before he will be at UT. Anyone who has ever followed baseball prospects is aware of just how important being younger is. This aspect is actually a decent part of why Jaden Springer is as high as he is on draft boards, being young for his class. Quentin turns 19 in May, for context, so even as a post-grad, he is not going to be out-of-the-ordinary old for a college freshman.
So, the 2 thoughts as mentioned in the post title:
1. This was pointed out recently on the board by someone else (pretty sure it was Ty @vols1024 ) but seems to be getting less consideration than I think it deserves. Landing 2 1-and-dones in the same class and both as almost the same position was not the plan when the recruitments of Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson was in its early stages. Keon Johnson's late "blowing up" into a 1-and-done was not expected and may be slightly skewing people's view of Rick Barnes's roster management. I will refrain from pontificating on the management of the rosters' bigs in this thread.
2. Quentin Diboundje does have a solid amount of similarities to Keon Johnson. I have already mention that Keon is an ELITE ELITE athlete. If you scored quick twitch abilities and agility from 0-100, Keon is very high into the 90's, w/ Quentin probably closer to the lower 90's right around the same level as Jordan Bowden. To better gauge the scale I am thinking of, I'd put Jaden Springer maybe in the mid-to-high-80's. So, clearly Quentin is not going to be a 1-and-done solely due to athleticism. I do see similar want-to on the defensive end to Keon. Again though, it would be tough to imagine him being at Keon's level in that regard. Shooting-wise, both guys have a need to work on their shot upon their arrival on campus.
All that said, I think that what the staff is likely seeing with their evaluation of Quentin is something very similar to what they were thinking earlier on in the recruitment of Keon Johnson, with several ticks lower on an explosiveness of athleticism meter, but a guy that they'll be glad to have on the roster and develop over several seasons. With Keon, the athleticism simply was overwhelming and jaw-dropping.
Now, I am not saying AT ALL that Quentin Diboundje is the next Keon Johnson BY ANY MEANS, so don't take this as that (I know that will be impossible for greater than half the folks who end up reading this post, but c'est la vie).
There are two big reasons for that:
1. Keon Johnson is an ELITE ELITE athlete. His quickness and leaping ability are extremely uncommon. Those attributes, combined with his attitude are why he is consistently in the 6-8 range on basically any reputable 2021 Mock Draft.
2. Keon Johnson was a senior in HS the year before he got to UT. Quentin Diboundje was a post-grad the year before he will be at UT. Anyone who has ever followed baseball prospects is aware of just how important being younger is. This aspect is actually a decent part of why Jaden Springer is as high as he is on draft boards, being young for his class. Quentin turns 19 in May, for context, so even as a post-grad, he is not going to be out-of-the-ordinary old for a college freshman.
So, the 2 thoughts as mentioned in the post title:
1. This was pointed out recently on the board by someone else (pretty sure it was Ty @vols1024 ) but seems to be getting less consideration than I think it deserves. Landing 2 1-and-dones in the same class and both as almost the same position was not the plan when the recruitments of Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson was in its early stages. Keon Johnson's late "blowing up" into a 1-and-done was not expected and may be slightly skewing people's view of Rick Barnes's roster management. I will refrain from pontificating on the management of the rosters' bigs in this thread.
2. Quentin Diboundje does have a solid amount of similarities to Keon Johnson. I have already mention that Keon is an ELITE ELITE athlete. If you scored quick twitch abilities and agility from 0-100, Keon is very high into the 90's, w/ Quentin probably closer to the lower 90's right around the same level as Jordan Bowden. To better gauge the scale I am thinking of, I'd put Jaden Springer maybe in the mid-to-high-80's. So, clearly Quentin is not going to be a 1-and-done solely due to athleticism. I do see similar want-to on the defensive end to Keon. Again though, it would be tough to imagine him being at Keon's level in that regard. Shooting-wise, both guys have a need to work on their shot upon their arrival on campus.
All that said, I think that what the staff is likely seeing with their evaluation of Quentin is something very similar to what they were thinking earlier on in the recruitment of Keon Johnson, with several ticks lower on an explosiveness of athleticism meter, but a guy that they'll be glad to have on the roster and develop over several seasons. With Keon, the athleticism simply was overwhelming and jaw-dropping.
