Bryn Forbes showed off at Portsmouth Invitational
With the top seniors in college basketball electing to skip the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, the showcase has instead turned to a way for lesser-known players to audition in front of scouts from across the world, whether that's ultimately for a chance to get drafted, for summer league invitations, or for an opportunity overseas.
Who were some of the top performers in this year's tournament?
Bryn Forbes, shooting guard, Michigan State
Forbes did what he typically does: make three-point shots. A lot of them.
He led the tournament in scoring with a 20.3 point-per-game average, launching 10 three-pointers per game, connecting on 43% of them.
Forbes led the Big Ten in three-point attempts on the season, shooting 48.1%. He still doesn't contribute much outside of that, as he averaged two rebounds and 1.7 assists at Portsmouth, despite playing nearly 30 minutes per game. Still, he showed that he could hit from NBA three-point range with little trouble, which should do nothing but help his stock as a prospect.
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A.J. English, point guard, Iona
English was second in the tournament with 3.7 made three-point shots per game. The Iona guard played a much more well-rounded game, finishing with averages of 16.4 points and 6.7 assists per game in addition to his perimeter shooting, earning Most Valuable Player for the tournament.
English is flying a little bit below the radar, having played in the MAAC and bounced in the first round of the NCAA tournament, which they qualified for after taking home the MAAC championship. Despite his performance, and having measured with a 6-feet-9 wingspan, which should help him overcome his 6-3 height, English still is unlikely to be drafted, but he raised some eyebrows with his performance this past week.
Dorian Finney-Smith, small forward, Florida
Finney-Smith was the only player heading into Portsmouth projected to be selected in our mock draft, and his play there, his hometown, showed why.
Finney-Smith looked like the class of the tournament from the moment he stepped on the court, having a combination of size, athleticism, and skill level that was tough to matchup against. He finished the tournament with averages of 18 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.5 blocked shots per game, shooting 43.8% from the field and 42.9% from three-point range.
It's sometimes hard to take much away from a performance when he clearly outclassed most everyone on the court, but Finney-Smith's performance certainly helped his draft stock, which appears to be in the middle of the second round at the lowest, and could improve over the coming weeks.
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Ryan Anderson, power forward, Arizona
Despite measuring under 6-9 in shoes, with a short 6-9 wingspan, and 234 pounds, Anderson led the tournament in rebounding, averaging 12 rebounds per contest to go along with his 18 points per game.
That rebounding was representative of the jump Anderson made on the glass this past season. Anderson had averaged 7.3 rebounds per game, collecting only 19.4% of the available defensive rebounds while he was on the court during his junior season at Boston College. That improved in a big way as a senior, jumping to 10.1 rebounds per game and collecting 26.1% of the available defensive rebounds at Arizona.
Anderson still has hurdles to overcome in order to get drafted, particularly on the defensive side of the court, and he hasn't yet been able to develop consistent three-point range. Still, competing on the glass the way he did at Portsmouth, against some pretty stout frontcourt matchups, was a good start to the draft process for Anderson.
Prince Ibeh, center, Texas
Ibeh's play on the court doesn't deserve consideration as one of the top performers. Not even close. The enigmatic Texas big man averaged 3.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in his three contests at Portsmouth, shooting 27.3% from the field in the tournament.
Where Ibeh did win was in the measurements conducted at the tournament, where he measured 6-11 in shoes, with an enormous wingspan and a 261 pound frame that looks ready to bang in the post in the NBA.
That, combined with Ibeh blocking two shots per game in 22 minutes per contest, is why he has a chance to be drafted, despite his incredibly raw skill level for a player who will be 22-years-old at the time of the draft.