Five-star power forward Isaiah Todd commits to Michigan

Jerry Meyer made the Noah Vonleh comparison but I don’t remember Vonleh ever having this level of handle? Maybe it’s a decent comparison if you add a solid handle and subtract 20-30 lbs?

Partly my point I guess…If I squint really hard I can see Giannis type skills (ballhandling and good athleticism), but more realistically it’s very unlikely that he becomes a “unicorn” and instead he fits the mold of a top 20 high school recruit with a high skill level and good athleticism (Vonleh). No comparison is going to be perfect between players and then I think it’s just natural to want to reach and project to the top 15 NBA players.

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I think the All-Star NBA guy I see in Todd is Chris Bosh if Bosh has grown up in era where 6’10” kids could play facing up on the perimeter, instead of morphing into that at the age of 28.

I’m not sure I get the Noah Vonleh comparison either. Was Vonleh ever capable of creating and making step back off the dribble threes?

Uhh, it’s high school and AAU, where everyone believes they have Steph Curry handles and shot (and if basketball was just highlight tapes, they do!).

Now if you told me Todd was a 45% 3pt shooter on stepbacks on a statistically significant numbers of attempts, I’m listening…

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Spoiler: We have that data and it is not 45% :rofl:

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I get the comparison, but Todd looks a lot smoother on the court than Vonleh. We will see how the production compares.

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Yeah I think Todd is in the Giannis archetype as opposed to Vonleh being closer to a Jaren Jackson. Giannis is a million times better than Todd though so it’s tough to make the comparison. Maybe Tobias Harris is a better comp for Todd?

I agree with your sentiment on highlight tapes in general from AAU ball, just not that Todd’s game is overly similar to Vonleh’s.

In the Vonleh video you linked, I counted 3 stationary catch and shoot made threes, and a few crossovers that were alot slower to set up than anything I’ve seen from Todd, and coincidentally those clips ended before Vonleh attempted a shot every time he shook someone on the perimeter. In every single highlight tape I’ve seen from Todd, about half the video is pull up off the dribble jumpers, and one of the first things on the scouting report is that he needs to improve his shot selection.

People say new wave but I think the raw power of his game makes him more of a post-punk 3.

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Mainstream, but with that indie cred.

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Fair enough - I was really just making the point that Todd is closer to a Vonleh (stretch 4) than a Giannis. I’m sure there are better comparisons out there, just a former top 12 big ten recruit came to mind while watching style of play.

Although, just to further poke you, maybe they are the same player, but Vonleh was just farther ahead with his shot selection. Haha! Kidding of course. I’m cool with it being not a perfect comparison.

Either way, I’m excited to have Todd who has all the tools to be a really really good player, help us win some games, and be a successful pro.

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Still glowing

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That is a talented dude, but yuck to the defense (not even just the guys on Todd). Come on coaches!