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The Florida State program has produced seven NBA draft picks since 2019, including three in the 2021 NBA Draft alone. After no Seminole products were picked in the 2022 NBA Draft, they are back this season with three potential picks.
Baba Miller and Matthew Cleveland are very intriguing prospects in their own right but Jalen Warley deserves his fair share of the attention as well.
Warley is a 6-foot-7 on ball creator who often ran the point guard for Florida State last season as a freshman. He will be returning to Tallahassee for his sophomore season with an increased role and an opportunity to really raise his 2023 NBA Draft stock.
Turn on film of Warley and it does not take long to tell that his favorite play type is using ball screen actions. As we know, this is a staple of the NBA game and should translate very well to the next level for him.
Warley could stand to be more aggressive looking to score, at times, but you have to imagine the Seminole bigs love playing with him. Whether holding the defensive big long enough to pick-and-pop or attacking the big to drop a perfectly timed pocket pass to the roll man, he is always looking to get his teammates involved.
The former Westtown, PA high school product, and former teammate of Dereck Lively II, does have some areas to improve in his ball screen usage.
Far too often he does not set his man up to effectively run him into the screen. He could also stand to utilize some more nuance once he does use the screen like snaking the screen or putting the on ball defender in jail.
One of the biggest knocks on Warley following his freshman campaign is his shooting and overall scoring ability. The shooting must develop so defenders do not simply go under the screen and while he has shown a nice floater, he does need to increase and diversify his finishing package.
At 6-foot-7, Warley is another prospect that can provide great versatility on the defensive end. Combine that with playing in the Florida State defensive scheme and he has been tasked with guarding a variety of players in varying areas on the court.
There is room for growth in terms of Warley staying in front of his assignment and he will not have a ton of experience navigating ball screens because of the switch heavy scheme. With that said, his aggressive nature can be very disruptive and you rarely find a possession where he is not active and engaged.
His defense off the ball is what really stands out. It is hard to find a player that is more engaged and aware in those situations, something that is a must in the Florida State scheme. Combine that with incredible communication that stands out even on film and you have yourself a very valuable team defender.
It is hard to imagine an NBA scheme that Warley would not fit in but one that emphasizes and values aggressiveness, switching, and communication would only amplify his talents that much more.
Make sure you add Florida State to your short list of college basketball teams to watch throughout the 2022-2023 season and keep an eye on Jalen Warley, along with Miller and Cleveland, as a prospect who just might sneak into quite a few of the NBA Big Board top 60s.
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