Class of 2024 PF Donnie Freeman (MD / IMG) COMMITTED & SIGNED TO SYRACUSE (5/11/23)

[Niastri]

Really in-depth scouting report on Freeman here with some videos to match, just click link and you can read through it. Lots to like here, and if he puts on another 10-15 pounds before arriving on campus watch out.

Thanks for the link, although watching videos on Twitter is a special kind of hell, I enjoyed the scouting report and videos.

 

[SP_Gilbs]

 

[kcsu]

Hes just starting to develop. In two years he will be ready for the league. Hes a special talent.

 

[SP_Gilbs]

I have been able to watch the games from this event and there are 2 more between tonight and tomorrow that I plan to watch. Hope to put together a more in depth report on how Donnie did. In short, super impressive to this point.

 

[cuseallday]

Wouldn't surprise me at all if Donnie contends for All-America honors during his senior year at SJC, which I expect to be a top-25 team in the 2023-24 season. Five stars for Donnie at some point, perhaps!

 

[orangenauburn]

Game.changer

 

[SP_Gilbs]

Heres my report on Donnies games this weekend, have game numbers with notes I made during the game followed by his overall totals. The competition was decent but definitely not as tough as what he sees in the EYBL:

Game 1

18 min

16 PTS(all in second half)

7/14 FG

2/3 3PT

1 blk

5 reb



2 in and out mid range jumpers. Very skilled but Needs to improve physicality. Dealt with foul trouble in first half and didn’t score at all. Needs to tighten up handle a bit but for someone 6’9” it’s pretty solid



Game 2

33 min(went OT)

25 PTS

10/16 FG

0/1 3PT

5/11 FT

9 reb

3 stl

1 blk



Runs the court well, finishes in transition. Active hands on defense, couple nice steals. Opposing team is really small and has no answer for Donnie. Lots of dunks. Really impressive and 1 drive to the hoop that I haven’t seen anything like from him till this point. Couple of nice jump hooks. Struggled at the line(missed final 5 attempts) and with his jumper overall although he had a very nice dribble from around the top of the key into a 15 foot baseline pull up that probably should have been an and 1.



Game 3

21 min

16 PTS(all in first half)

6/11 FG

1/2 3PT

3/5 FT

2 STL

2 blk

1 reb



Donnie played at the front of a press for a majority of the game and was a menace causing several deflections and turnovers. Really liked him in this role and think he’d fit our occasional press perfectly. First time I’ve noticed him recognizing when the double comes and making some solid passes out of it. Opposing team is pretty overmatched so it’s hard to read too much into this game but Freeman looks really good once again. A bit sloppy with the ball and has a few turnovers, first time I’ve seen him struggle with turnovers. Couple really nice blocks at the rim, which has been a theme throughout the games I’ve watched so far. Only 1 rebound is less than ideal but him being at the front of the press definitely contributes to this, still would like to see a couple more. Sat the whole 4th quarter because team was up 20+



Game 4

30 min

22 PTS

8/19 FG

2/6 3PT

4/6 FT

5 blk

6 reb

3 ast

2 stl



Struggling early, jumper looks off again. Active on defense, doing well staying in front of smaller quicker guys. Looking good in the press again, very active. Making a major impact on the defensive end so far. Some nice passes. Back to back drive to pull up 15 footers made then a made 3 followed by a couple free throws. Really taking over in the third quarter. Has had an unreal impact on the defensive end in this game, reminds me of the way AD use to take over games at Kentucky defensively. Hit a really difficult on the move 1 dribble highly contested 3 to give his team a 1 point lead with 17 seconds left that they ultimately won on a buzzer beater. Efficiency was lower this game but thought it was his best overall performance, heavily impacted the game in all aspects and I also think this was the best team that they played. Had a few guys that were similar in size to Freeman so he couldnt just overpower them and dunk everything.


Totals:
25.5 MPG
19.75 PPG
51.6% FG
41.6% 3PT
54.5% FT
5.3 REB
2.3 BLK
1.8 STL

Overall impression:

Coming into this I had only watched Freeman play in AAU games which is a far different setting. There are so many great players on his team in AAU that he doesnt get to showcase his entire game and is simplified to mainly just post ups and occasional pick and pop sets. On his high school team however, Freeman is looked at as the go to option and given freedom to do basically whatever he wants in order to win the game. While there is still a lot of development to be made on the offensive end you can see glimpses of a truly dominant modern day big forward that the NBA covets. The jump shot is pretty inconsistent but when he gets hot he can hit 3 or 4 in a row and its not limited to spot up shots. There were several instances where Donnie took his man off the dribble and hit a contested 15-17 foot jump shot. He doesnt attack off the dribble a lot, and when he does it looks a bit wild, but you can see it starting to come together for him and I think with another year plus of development it can be a solid weapon when he arrives here. Defensively, he was a force and teams had a ton of trouble scoring on him in the paint. In the final game that I watched, it was one of the more impressive defensive performances ive seen. He was all over the places causing deflections and altering/blocking everything near the rim. In the press, he operated at the top in a similar role that we saw Maliq Brown play last year and he was phenomenal. Several deflections and forced turnovers that led to easy buckets and I think he'd be a real weapon here for us. The main weakness for him right now is his weight. He can get pushed around down low and needs another 15 pounds of muscle to counter this. Overall, was left extremely impressed by this weekends performance to the point where I now only expect him to be with us for 1 year. Even without a lot more development by the time he arrives on campus, Donnie has the measurements, athleticism, and flashes that the NBA looks for. If he does happen to have another strong developmental year and puts on some weight, I think were looking at a top 10 type of draft pick.

 

[SP_Gilbs]

Was able to track down a couple of the plays mentioned in my report above. High-level moves for someone thats 6'9".

 

[orangefog]

Was able to track down a couple of the plays mentioned in my report above. High-level moves for someone thats 6'9".

That defender was fouling him pretty bad on both plays.

 

[Cuse181]

Was able to track down a couple of the plays mentioned in my report above. High-level moves for someone thats 6'9".

I like the move, but id be okay if I never saw him shoot that first shot in a game lol

 

[Wrinkle]

I like the move, but id be okay if I never saw him shoot that first shot in a game lol

Donnie is that kind of swaggy player he's going to be taking a ton of swaggy jumpers and I for one support it

 

[Orangezoo]

I like the move, but id be okay if I never saw him shoot that first shot in a game lol

I like it better if it's a forward taking that shot than our PG who someone has to make sure they cover back for.

 

[Orangezoo]

Donnie is that kind of swaggy player he's going to be taking a ton of swaggy jumpers and I for one support it

Swaggy Jumpers ... this feels like something that has potential.

 

[Ozone!]

Love you Donnie!

 

[MSOrange]

 

[MSOrange]

 

[Zelda Zonk]

He’s got some Durantish skills. Needs some leg strength, but wow—what promise.

 

[SP_Gilbs]

 

[PauliePeppas]

Top 15 in class cant tell me any different

 

[50YRsofCuse]

I watched him play today on-line. 90% were good shots. His jumper was on today and his inside moves worked nicely. His early scoring set the pace for the entire games

 

[Nicknack]

Top 15 in class cant tell me any different

I hope you're right, obviously. However, after seeing Kentucky and some of Dook's teams come up short over the last several years with 3-4 5 star players, I'm just as concerned that the player fits their role versus what their final ranking is in high school.

 

[Scott11]

I hope you're right, obviously. However, after seeing Kentucky and some of Dook's teams come up short over the last several years with 3-4 5 star players, I'm just as concerned that the player fits their role versus what their final ranking is in high school.

Agreed. But Donnie is a different level of talent that we’ve been getting recently other than Judah, and we need talent to win.
Plus, admittedly from afar Donnie doesn’t seem to be an aau diva like the Dior Johnson types of this world. Seems like a kid we will enjoy rooting for.

 

[sufandu]

I hope you're right, obviously. However, after seeing Kentucky and some of Dook's teams come up short over the last several years with 3-4 5 star players, I'm just as concerned that the player fits their role versus what their final ranking is in high school.

I'm not really worried about that. Some of our most talented teams came up short, but they were nationally ranked and relevant on the national landscape. NC's can be a crapshoot. Consistently being in the conversation is what I want.

 

[Orangezoo]

Freeman and Moore is a hell of a haul add Bethea and holy hell.

 

[OrangeXtreme]