Emoni Bates

Draft Notes

Emoni Bates was once considered a generational type of prospect and widely considered the top prospect in his class but his progression as a prospect has slowed and his ceiling appears to be much lower than what we originally thought. He’s still a high level talent but not a sure-fire star or even a starter at the next level.

After a really rough freshman season at Memphis Bates transferred to Eastern Michigan where he was able to show off his scoring prowess and get some his draft stock back, but was very inefficient and still brings a lot of question marks as a prospect.

Emoni specializes at scoring the ball. He’s very capable of getting his own shot from the perimeter but doesn’t have great blow by speed or explosiveness into the lane. This can lead to inefficient shooting numbers and settling for outside shots. He creates very good separation with his dribble and uses his height to get his shot off over defenders.

His lack of overall athleticism and his lack of length (he has a negative wingspan) are major concerns as he progresses to the next level of play.

Bates is a really good ball handler and is basically a 6-8 guard with a scorer’s mentality.

Although he’s not the most powerful athlete and is still very skinny, he’s got wiry strength and takes it hard to the rim.

He’s a competitor who seems to work hard and push to be the best he can be. This competitive spirit gives me hope that he can work his way into being a NBA player

Comparisons

• Brandon Boston
• Quincey Lewis

Draft Projection

late first to mid second round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft

2023 Small Forwards

1. Brandon Miller – 6-8 – Alabama
2. Bilal Coulibaly – 6-8 – France
3. Cam Whitmore – 6-7 – Villanova
4. Gradey Dick – 6-7 – Kansas
5. Rayan Rupert – 6-7 – France
6. Sidy Cissoko – 6-7 – G League Ignite (France)
7. Brice Sensabaugh – 6-6 – Ohio State
8. Maxwell Lewis – 6-7 – Pepperdine
9. Dariq Whitehead – 6-5 – Duke
10. Jaime Jaquez Jr. – 6-7 – UCLA
11. Colby Jones – 6-6 – Xavier
12. Andre Jackson – 6-6 – UConn
13. Jordan Walsh – 6-7 – Arkansas
14. Julian Phillips – 6-7 – Tennessee
15. Seth Lundy – 6-6 – Penn State
16. Keyontae Johnson – 6-5 – Kansas State
17. Emoni Bates – 6-8 1/2 – Eastern Michigan
18. Jordan Miller – 6-7 – Miami
19. Kobe Brown – 6-8 – Missouri
20. Jalen Wilson – 6-7 – Kansas
21. Jalen Slawson – 6-7 – Furman
22. Alex Fudge – 6-8 – Florida
23. Matthew Mayer – 6-9 – Illinois