In early April, Memphis landed a commitment from NCAA division two Nova Southeastern transfer wing Jonathan Pierre. Last season, Pierre lead Nova Southeastern to a 36-0 season, ultimately beating West Liberty in the NCAA division two National Championship. During their historic unbeaten season, he averaged 14.5 points, 3.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 40.5% from three-point-range.
Scouting Report
Pierre is a special player. He grew up playing the guard position; however, after a major growth spurt at the end of his high school career, Pierre transitioned to playing the wing position. He is a legit 6-foot-9, 195 pound wing with effective guard skills that allow him to create on offense and defend multiple positions. Now, let’s analyze his overall game more in-depth.
Strengths
Shooting
Pierre is a great shooter, as he shot 40.5% from three-point-range last season for Nova Southeastern. Also, he showed flashes of his extended range, shooting shots from multiple feet behind the three-point-line on numerous occasions last season. Most of his shots (67.3%) came off of the catch-and-shoot.
A lot of his catch-and-shoot shots came as the “trailing man” in transition, while others came off of designed sets (i.e. pick and pop, floppy action, etc.). He shot 45.3% off of catch-and-shoots from three-point-range when unguarded, which indicates that he will excel as a primary shooter in designed sets next season at Memphis.
Additionally, he shot 34.9% off of the catch-and-shoot from three-point-range when guarded, which shows that he can consistently make tough shots. He will add great shooting to a Memphis team that typically struggles from behind the three-point-line.
Playmaking
Pierre’s playmaking surprised me the most. At 6-foot-9, it’s rare for a player to exhibit the kind of court vision that Pierre displayed at times last season. He loves to create for others off of outside feeds into the post. He is excellent at reading the defense, determining whether help is coming or not.
In the post, he consistently finds open players cutting to the basket for easy layups and open teammates on the perimeter for good shots. He reminds me of Penn State forward Jalen Pickett, as they both share the same tendency to create for others with their backs toward the basket.
Defending
Pierre naturally slots into the wing position, yet he can guard the 2-4. His defensive versatility is off of the charts. He has the foot speed and awareness to keep up with quicker combo guards. Additionally, he has the length and competitiveness to guard against bigger wings and forwards.
Weaknesses
Will His Game Translate to the Next Level?
There aren’t many glaring weaknesses in Pierre’s game. However, it’s essential to keep in mind that he played against division two competition. Obviously, the talent level in division two is inferior to that of the division one level. There weren’t many guys that could match up against a talent like Pierre in division two last season. He dominated last season on a loaded Nova Southeastern team, who ended up sending four guys to the division one level in the offseason.
Additionally, the style of play is different at the division one level compared to the division two level. It seems as if most of Pierre’s games last season were spent in transition, with teams consistently scoring over 100 points. At the division one level, the game is different. Teams spend most of the game in the half-court, occasionally getting out in transition. The pace is much slower.
However, this could benefit a shooter like Pierre, who might experience less fatigue in his shot. It will be interesting to see if Pierre’s game can translate, but I am confident that he can at least produce at the next level.
