Jaylen Hands

An interview with elite 2017 high school prospect Jaylen Hands from the 2017 McDonald's All-American Game in Chicago, Illinois.

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 Interview


Video filming and production courtesy of Tad Hathaway of 312 Media.

Jaylen Hands, 6-2 PG, Mater Dei Catholic, CA, 2017 Class



Strengths
-Excellent athlete in terms of quickness and vertical explosiveness
-Impressive ability to stop and start with force from a standstill. Shifty with the ball. Doesn't need a ball screen to beat his man.
-Finishes above the rim in transition and the half court despite his average height (6' 2”) and length (6' 4”).
-Inconsistent, but shows potential as a shooter. Good footwork into his mid-range pull up, where he gets good rise and rotation. Should be able to extend his range in time.
-Fairly advanced ball handler for his age
-A bit wild as a finisher but mixes in high-arcing floaters over length at times. Soft touch in the paint.
-Score-first mentality but can create for teammates with simple drive and kicks and drop offs at the rim
-Has the fast-twitch quickness to be a pest on defense when he's focused and motivated

Weaknesses
-Doesn't have elite physical tools for a lead guard prospect at 6' 2”, 168 pounds, with a 6' 4” wingspan. Upper body has improved, but has very thin legs.
-Not a great decision maker at this stage of his development. Can polish up his point guard skills. Had 15 turnovers in 68 minutes in Treviso, compared with just 9 assists. Drives into traffic with his head down and no plan. Throws a lot of jump passes. Tends to overdribble. Settles for contested jumpers.
-Shows potential but isn't a great shooter at this stage. More comfortable in mid-range spots than out to three. Not much of a threat in catch and shoot situations.
-Can be predictable in the half court. Wants to use hesitation dribbles and drive left (his non-dominant hand). Can do a better job of taking what the defense gives him and reacting to positioning.
-Struggles to finish through contact and over length. Throws up a lot of wild shots in the paint. Opts for flash over substance, turning fairly basic finishes into difficult ones.
-Can improve his consistency on the defensive end.
-Doesn't always have the best body language

Outlook Hands is an extremely talented guard who's still working to put it all together. His tremendous explosiveness and ability to create offense without a ball screen will make him a nightmare assignment for opposing Pac-12 guards when he gets to UCLA. Hands' long-term potential heavily depends on his ability to improve his decision-making and shooting consistency, but he has a lot of tools to work with.

Wiry point guard Jaylen Hands (#19 Scout, NR ESPN, #19 Rivals, #27 24/7) grew 3/4 of an inch since October and added half an inch to his wingspan as well as six pounds to his frame (now 163 pounds), making him 6' 2” in shoes with a 6' 4” wingspan. Hands sports fairly average physical tools for a point guard prospect but, as seen by his slight improvements since October, the 16-year-old could very well still be growing. As a player Hands is ultra-quick and offers a nice blend of scoring and playmaking at the point guard spot. The San Diego native is comfortable knocking downs shots off the catch or off the bounce, sporting a quick release and the ability to create space. Hands is able to break down his man and either kick to shooters or drop it off to bigs, and is very comfortable operating out of the pick and roll, showing an ability to play at different speeds.



On the flip side, Hands has a tendency to turn the ball over a bit too much, oftentimes leading to less than stellar body language as a result. His effort level through the week was somewhat of a mixed bag, and he was unable to gain the trust of the USA Basketball coaching staff in his ability to run their team with a steady hand, leading to his release in the final roster cuts. With that said, Hands' quickness, solid shooting stroke, and ability to create for others gives him an excellent foundation as a lead guard prospect, and he has some of the best long-term upside of any of the guards seen here.

We talked to him about his development as a basketball player and much more in the following interview: