Jalon Moore Scouting Report
Bruizer-built floor-stretchers add much-needed versatility to an NBA roster. Jalon Moore's physical tools give him an immediate role in the NBA. Here are 3K+ words he'll get drafted this summer:
Jalon Moore (#14, Oklahoma): Senior, 6'7"
Small Forward/Power Forward — Born: Apr 10, 2003 (21 years old)
Introduction
Moore’s physicality often led to him playing in the frontcourt. That’s where he spent his first two years at Georgia Tech. The low volume as a floor-stretching spot-up shooter didn’t fully optimize for his qualities. Hereafter, he chose to commit to Coach Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners.
As a junior, Moore leaped to a double-digit scoring season, shooting 41.0% from three while doubling his volume. That earned him a bigger role where his plays out of closeouts increased, leading to Moore fully embracing his role as a combo forward. While putting up over sixteen points per game, Moore shows a complete package of defensive versatility while carrying a chunk of the offensive scoring load. That helps him to scale his role down in the NBA to fit fully into his future role, which is the emphasis of this scouting report.
Physical Profile
At 6-foot-7, Moore has a rock-solid upper body and excellent length. There is no official measurement available, but it should be north of seven feet. The combination of great hip flexibility, core strength, and quickness separates Moore from most of his peers. He can impact the game with his lateral quickness and his physicality. That adds value to his role as a switchable defender at the next level.
While listed at 215 pounds, Moore has underwhelming verticality. He’s a fundamentally sound combo forward whose footwork is the main investment for an NBA coaching staff. What immediately stood out was how well Moore absorbs contact. His broad shoulders and strong frame add NBA readiness to his profile.
Offense
Catch-and-drive
Moore’s leverage as a plus-shooter helps him to create driving angles when attacking closeouts. With his foot speed and strong upper body, Moore has two weapons to get downhill. He creates paint touches purely on will while actively attacking his defender’s chest. However, his main issue is the below-average last step, where he struggles to keep his balance before the finish. Despite the efficiency at the rim, as shown above, Moore finishes under 60% when taking away his dunks because of the lack of balance before his rim finishes.
He’s showing good leverage with the wide right pivot before exploding to the rim. However, Moore has some tunnel vision when he’s getting paint touches. Instead of hitting the corner shooter after help collapsed on him, Moore attempted to finish the unbalanced layup. His shot selection is an area of attention for NBA scouts. In the second possession below, Moore makes a good decision. You don’t always have to attack the closeout. After losing his assignment, Moore immediately pulls the trigger from three after setting up his feet fast.
In the third play below, Moore uses jab steps to create a better angle to attack the rim. He’s prioritizing the strong side with tight enough handles to avoid losing the ball with the help of defense reaching in. The last step was decent, but against length and physicality, Moore showed good patience to wait until he found the angle to finish the play. His footwork is the separator, making it feasible that he can improve as a closeout scorer in the future. Moore shows decent creativity, using his broad shoulders to attack his defender’s chest. He’s combining it well with his last step, making his spin move balanced. In the last play, he almost got the and-one as a result.
Pick-and-pop
Rushing his layups left many points on the board for Moore. That’s an area of development to focus on for the NBA coaching staff. The NBA is built on running sets with many off-ball screens. That’s what Moore will be asked to do. He’s a decent screener who needs to work on his positioning, but it’s being compensated for as Moore likes using push-offs and his broad shoulders to widen himself to still get in a screen navigator’s way. Shooting near 38% above the break, Moore is good at relocating to his spots there. However, the screening must improve to be a more effective pick-and-pop threat—a must-have for his desired NBA role.
As mentioned earlier, he’s also forcing his finishes underneath the basket as a result of his advantage creation, with the first play as an example. In the second possession, Moore pops to the rim and immediately catches the entry pass. He’s following his instincts to attack the defender’s chest, getting him the separation he needs. However, his lack of composure often leads to him forcing his finishes, as Moore had the ball up on what should be an easy layin for him.
He’s much more effective as a spot-up shooter. Moore’s quick feet lead to him being comfortable in setting his feet or taking one dribble. The extra step More took solidified his stance. Hereafter, he’s fluidly rising for his jumper with a decently high release point. That’s the leverage he holds to get downhill with ease. Moore times his shot-fakes very well. Hereafter, he uses long strides to get downhill. However, the lack of composure around the basket leads to him giving up on two points on the last possession below.
Catch-and-shoot
Moore’s consistent jumper is the main sell for NBA scouts. He has a consistent shooting form with a smooth release. While being quick to set his feet, Moore’s often not relocating and sticking to his corner spot. He embraces his role as a weakside option with a strong pivot when he does move to always keep leverage on his downhill drives. Despite bringing the ball to his waist, Moore powers up fluidly keeping a decently high release.
He’s converting 39.1% of his over three attempts per game. These are sustainable numbers, especially when grading his consistent and fluid shot process. In the first play below, Moore does well to bend his knees before the catch, wasting no time to power back up for the shot with the weakside defender already closing out on him. In the second possession, Moore catches the side pass and brings the ball back to 180 degrees. When that happens, his shot process slightly differs, making his release look less natural.
Regardless, Moore’s value as a floor-spacer and knockdown shooter should help him to get his volume up on an NBA floor, especially considering his value as a screener.
Passing, ball-moving and playmaking
At 19 assists to 56 turnovers on the season, the numbers have an underwhelming return. Moore’s connective role on the team while carrying a scoring load rather than that of a ball-mover is a part of the reasoning. However, as mentioned earlier, his tunnel vision is another reason why his passing numbers are underwhelming. For the NBA, Moore has to have more eye for teammates while actively looking to make the extra pass. The best teams in terms of offensive rating have ball movement and selfishness in common. That’s the area for NBA decision-makers to focus on during workouts.
But there are positive flashes to mention. In the second play below, Moore does well to keep his face up in transition, actively seeking the extra pass. The execution of his bounce pass was decent but lacked accuracy. However, the habit of passing the ball ahead gives a good promise, as shown in the third play below. However, the lack of creativity as a passer is concerning. Moore does nothing with eye manipulation or using his craftiness to create advantages. It’s best for him to play as a ball-mover in the league, where his threat of the jumper holds leverage to draw multiple defenders on him. The tunnel vision as a scorer is part of why his potential as a passer seems limited, with the fourth play below as an example.
Why Subscribe to Ersin’s NBA Draft Newsletter?
I have set some ambitious goals for the 2025 NBA Draft Cycle:
My aim is to deliver over 125 detailed scouting reports, ensuring you are fully prepared for draft night.
But there's more to offer. I'll provide continuous coverage of college basketball, focusing on promising international and JUCO prospects. This means you'll be ahead of the curve when a lesser-known player starts to shine in Division 1 or even makes it to the NBA.
Here’s what you’ll receive:
In-depth scouting reports, each over 3,000 words, sent directly to your inbox
Updated Big Boards and Mock Drafts
Exclusive insights into players from smaller conferences and less-known levels of college basketball
And much more!
Join this journey by subscribing for only $5 a month, or opt for the annual plan at $50, which gives you two months free.
Defense
Pick-and-roll
Moore’s defensive versatility is mostly thanks to his pick-and-roll defense. He’s good at getting stops against both ball handlers, while he can switch and hold onto some forwards who act as rollmen. Regardless, Moore’s ability to slide his feet decently forms the base to grow into a better defender in the NBA. The lack of self-confidence at times is appealing, especially when ball handlers test out his patience. Regardless, Moore’s strength advantage helps him fight through screens while he’s an active tagger and forces scorers to beat him on the physical end. However, he’s not playing with toughness, which has to change. Instead, he’s cautious and leaves the initiative to scorers often.
In the first play, Moore takes on the ball handler after the switch but stays cautious. He doesn’t actively chase his man off the line, nor did the hand in the face come timely. He’s following his fundamentals and focusing on the scorer’s feet to make decisions. However, for NBA coaches, it’s vital to help him get more comfortable following his instincts more often. His cautious approach leads to him not playing physically and tough enough. In the second possession, he was pushed off easily, giving full separation around the basket. His active approach while planting his last step to use his frame as a strength was expected, especially considering Moore’s strength level.
Therefore, NBA coaches must help him get more comfortable and force defenders to get physical with him. The crossover in the third play below isn’t because of Moore’s footwork but because he’s avoiding the inevitable by handing control to the scorer. Regardless, the footwork, physicality, and versatility give an NBA coaching staff enough to work with, ensuring he can be a stable factor for their defensive rating.
Catch-and-drive
At close to three fouls per game, Moore has to compensate for mistakes as a closeout defender. He has the tools to earn a niche role in the NBA, but he must correct a few vital areas in his closeouts. First, he’s not closing out at 180 degrees consistently. He often gives away driving lanes, with the baseline being the one in the first play below. That’s devastating for a team’s defensive rating as it completely collapses a defender, forcing multiple help defenders to react and either give up an open layup or a wide-open three.
Moore is more comfortable when closing out, giving flashes of his toughness. However, he should use his physical tools and length much more often. The vital part to work on is his last step. He’s not closing out at 180 degrees and thus always gives one lane away. To compensate, he’s closing out much more closely to the scorer, at least taking away the three off the catch. The other side of the coin is Moore’s lack of burst. This often leads to him not responding with the needed lateral quickness to keep his assignment in front of him.
In the third possession below that leads to a positive. He’s reacting well to the entry pass, daring his opponent to take a floater while focusing on the five underneath the basket. However, like with his pick-and-roll defense, Moore seems to avoid physicality inside the paint, which is a potential red flag for his profile. However, when he does close out properly, Moore looks to execute. In the last play below he took away the baseline driving lane while being physical before picking up the foul. The more I evaluated his fouls, the more it seems Moore takes his foot off the gas, knowing he’s prone to get fouls called against him due to his physicality.
Catch-and-shoot
The most surprising part about Moore’s physical tools is the underwhelming bounce. That’s hurting him when closing out against spot-up shooters. Although it’s inconsistent, Moore does well to rotate and focus on his 180-degree closeouts. However, when contesting jumpers, he oddly needs half a second to get his jump up instead of immediately popping after his last step. That’s one of the reasons why spot-up shooters often shoot over the top, despite Moore having wing size and plus-length in his arsenal.
In the first play below, Moore gets caught ball-watching and has to rotate to the corner much earlier. Regardless, he used long strides to get into the shooter’s space. His effort level and motor are promising, but the execution is far from consistent. In the second possession, Moore offers timely help defense but lacks the burst to immediately pop to the corner after the extra pass. Despite a decent shot contest, Moore could have gotten there earlier. It’s a combination of footwork that must improve and the lack of burst, which his footwork should compensate for. He’s also often gambling against shooters. In the fourth play below, Moore had to close out much harder against the wide-open three above the break but instead tried to take away a driving angle that was never materialized by the shooter.
Cuts
To give Moore a path to play in the NBA, he can always rely on his team's defense. He has a good feel for the game as a help-side defender, adding some toughness around the basket as an extra rim protector. He’s not consistent in his rotations, but when defending on the weak side, Moore uses his chest actively when rotating to the strong side that needs help. While averaging one stock throughout his four-year career, the counting stats don’t show for the physicality of his defense, as he’s mostly looking to get a stop, but without that stop leading to a potential transition play.
In the first play below, Moore makes a good decision to keep the assignment of the elbow shooter, seeing his teammate on the weakside corner. Rotating or helping inside the arc only would add more passing options to the shooter, who could only bail out himself with the shooter on the weakside corner. As a result, he picked up the deflection and started a transition play. In the second possession, Moore’s timely help defense forced the play-finisher to get the layin over the top. The area of development for Moore is that he has to play much tougher in these sequences, regardless of being more likely to pick up a foul. Raising his hands in the air isn’t enough, especially considering these scenarios against stronger and more athletic NBA forwards.
The lack of toughness and physicality continues in the third play below, where Moore stays out of the way to not get posterized on the dunk. These small details mean a lot for NBA scouts, and the willingness to play hard has to be a part of his game, as his motor and physical tools are more than sufficient for him to grow into a niche defensive role in the NBA.
NBA Draft Projection
Based on the strengths and areas of development mentioned in this scouting report, I project Jalon Moore to be a great candidate to land a two-way contract in undrafted free agency. His value as a spot-up shooter, alongside his physical tools, gives NBA teams two vital assets to continue to strengthen their depth. The defensive issues keep him from getting his name called on draft night. Regardless, the versatility of his defense with enough flashes and promise of improvement should lead to some NBA scouts getting convinced during team workouts.