Jarin Stevenson Scouting Report
Versatility is becoming a buzzword in draft spaces, but it's the best word to describe Stevenson's NBA role. What will his NBA future look like? And what will be his role? Find out below.
Introduction
We rarely see a freshman impacting teams that make it to the Final Four. In Stevenson’s case, he accepted a limited role and raised his importance by stepping up in the games where he was the most needed. Stevenson scored double-digit points in four of his eleven games where he played more than twenty minutes, including a 19-point outing against Clemson in the Elite 8.
The positive context around his role for the Crimson Tide is that in the early stages of his career, Stevenson will continue to play a complementary role. Therefore, the combination of flashes during the 600+ minutes of reps as a freshman, on top of playing for a contender, will add more value to his NBA profile before entering his sophomore season. This scouting report solely focuses on his NBA role.
Physical Profile
At 6’8.50” in socks, Stevenson has excellent positional size to play both a three and a four. At 210 pounds, he has to continue to fill his frame. That makes the value of being a young sophomore an advantage; Stevenson won’t turn 20 until October 2025.
He has good upper-leg strength and fluid hips. On top of that, his lateral quickness and decent burst give him all-rounded mobility to impact the interior while also serving as a strong option in closeout defense. Stevenson has a decent frame but looks vulnerable to play through contact. That’s a natural thing, as he’s one of the youngest sophomores in the country. Therefore, time to fill his frame and gradually get stronger will be a vital context for NBA decision-makers to add to their evaluation.
Stevenson also has good verticality. Combined with his foot speed, there’s room to add the five to his resumé, especially if he gets stronger in the next few years.
Defense
Stevenson’s ability to close out against shooters is vital for him to stay on an NBA floor. What immediately stood out is that he has a habit of going too deep inside the paint. This leads to him toughening his closeouts as he has to make up for much more ground. This makes him more vulnerable to fighting through pindowns in the process, as shown in the first play below. That’s not good for a team’s defensive rating, as the amount of open three-point shots will likely increase.
We see a similar outing in the second possession. Stevenson relocates together with the ball that is moving toward the corner. That made the side pass to the wide-open shooter above the break a simple execution for the opponents. Again, Stevenson makes it hard for himself to close out here as he has two feet inside the paint and completely moves away from his assignment.
Therefore, Stevenson has to work on having only one foot inside the paint, as his burst and lateral quickness make it easy for him to close out timely. His reactionary time is good, but the amount of ground given up in the third play below is the reason why he’s once again late to contest the open three-point shooter, this time from the elbow. An example of the speed of the closeouts can be seen in the fourth play. Despite Stevenson getting stuck in the back of the post-up big man, he does well to fight through it and impact the elbow shooter.
When opponents decide to attack Stevenson’s closeout, it’s clear that Stevenson needs to work on improving his defensive footwork. His last step isn’t followed up by a strong pivot foot placement. This leads to Stevenson putting more pressure on his ankles to take the hit of a lack of balance. Despite the burst being good, it doesn’t look like a feasible long-term way to close out against self-creating scorers. The first play below is a good example. The strong side of his closeouts is that he’s good at using contact to impact a finisher’s shot selection.
At 1.7 personal fouls per 16 minutes, Stevenson plays in control. He uses his physicality and size well against smaller guards and wings. The advantage is that his lateral quickness is good enough to respond to ball handlers wanting to blow by him. Therefore, the feasibility test to defend NBA scorers in closeout situations is a test Stevenson will pass with comfort.
In the second possession, the ball handler looks to create a finishing angle underneath the basket. Stevenson bumping into his opponent while using his size and length is a great example of the impactful defense he’s playing inside the arc. We see the same type of intensity in the third play below, this time against a bigger scoring wing. The versatility of types of players Stevenson guards with comfort is a value-riser for his draft profile.
The area of development that can turn Stevenson into a good closeout defender into a great one is his ability to improve his defensive footwork. Specifically meaning his last step while keeping his balance, without putting too much pressure on his ankles. The fourth possession below is an example of how a lack of a good last step leads to good looks for opponents.
An area of development for Stevenson is his processing speed. When having to close out, his target is clear and it’s easier to keep track of the game. However, as an off-ball defender against cutters, he has to process the whole defensive set which leads to struggles at times. This is seen in late reactions, as in the first play below. Instead of immediately relocating to the cutter, he first hits the baseline with his foot, choosing not to end up on a poster on the dunk.
In the second possession, we see Stevenson ball-watching. This ends up in him getting backdoored for the alley-oop finish. In general, the lack of experience is one of the reasons why certain habits developed the way they did. For an NBA decision-maker, improvement via more reps should be the goal. In a faster-paced NBA game on better-spaced floors, simple things such as ball-watching or not rotating timely can lead to defensive ratings going up with him on the floor.
In the third play, Stevenson gambles on the steal while the opposing big man is posting up his teammate. Due to a well-timed spin move followed up by a quick drop-off pass, his assignment finds himself in a favorable mismatch, as Stevenson is late to rotate back and contest the one-feet finish. The willingness to make winning plays and not being afraid to make mistakes are things that need to be applauded, especially considering a freshman doing it in a must-win game. However, Stevenson needs to improve his decision-making in when to gamble and when not. The fourth play below is another example of gambling going wrong, this time while doubling near the sideline.
As a pick-and-roll defender, Stevenson can set himself apart from his peers. The combination of his physical tools with size, length and lateral quickness, and intangibles such as his decision-making are a good combination in responding to the NBA’s need for more versatility on the defensive side of the ball. As mentioned earlier, Stevenson is more impactful and focused as a defender when he has a certain task and one focus. Therefore, responding to ball handlers or the screener is what makes it easier for him to consistently make good decisions.
In the first play below, Stevenson takes away the value of the rolling big man by fully bumping into the ball handler, forcing him to take him off the dribble in isolation instead. The ability to slide his feet while not giving away an angle to drive into makes it a great defensive play that can scale up the level of the average NBA pick-and-roll ball handler. Actively going over screens is what the NBA needs, with the second possession being an example of his decision-making without initiating contact with the ball handler.
In drop coverage, Stevenson does well to not drop too far in the interior. With the drag screen on the transition play, he manages to not grant access to the paint after the dribble-drive via the ball screen. Good body control while maintaining his balance followed up by a hard shot contest led to the miss on that pull-up midrange jumper. However, at times Stevenson looks too reactionary when playing drop coverage. In the fourth play, instead of stopping the ball handler’s drive by initiating contact, he let the opponent generate the paint touch, making the lay-up too good of a play to stop.
Offense
With a sample size of 101 three-point attempts in his freshman season, there’s a clear evaluation possible for Stevenson’s three-point shooting. While shooting 31.7% throughout the season is a below-average number, the context around it matters. There are positives in the process of getting to his catch-and-shoot jumpers, but also areas to work on.
Stevenson shows good body control while setting his feet quickly. He does well in moving toward the ball, with the first play below being an example. He follows up by not overbending his knees after the catch, followed by a fluid power-up. The release point is high enough to not get blocked by players of his size. However, at times it looks as if Stevenson is forcing his shots, rather than making the extra pass, with the second play being a good example.
If Stevenson can turn into a volume shooter, it will do wonders for a team’s offensive rating. But for that to happen, he must recognize what a great look is, and be able to pass up good looks for a great look from another teammate. The third play is such an example. With 20 seconds left on the clock, there was no reason to take the contested elbow three.
When focusing on the ability to get open threes, we see Stevenson using great timing in his popping to the perimeter. The fourth play below is a great example, locking his opponent to suddenly pop away to force a rotation. Quick execution while coming off movement is another plus value to his draft profile. The release has an Andre Miller-esque non-jump. He keeps both feet on the floor or has a small jump, as in the fourth play below. Considering Miller played over 1,300 NBA games until the age of 40, it’s a proven way to remain durable. Stevenson building such habits shows that he takes good care of his body.
It’s clear that Stevenson’s lack of upper-body strength while having great mobility is going to lead to him being a three-point shooting heavy forward. Therefore his screening is another must-have for his NBA profile. In pick-and-pop sequences, we see a willingness from Stevenson to screen hard and not shy away from contact. In the first play below, he places a hard screen after the hand-off but looks to lose his balance after the physical contact from the ball handler. Regardless, the pop to 180 degrees from the basket was timely. He followed that up with quick execution after the catch.
In the second possession, the speed of the game didn’t ask for a hard screen. Instead, we saw a subtle ghost screen leading to the open three at the elbow. The decision-making in the types of screens Stevenson will use is good. To remain durable and not focus on developing his upper-body strength, injuries around the area of his chest need to be avoided at all times. So that was a good play from Stevenson, solely by his decision-making to go for the ghost screens.
In the third play below, we see Stevenson pop to the perimeter, but still going for the three-point shot despite a good closeout and shot coverage. The recognition of when to attack the closeout is not consistent yet. That’s an area of development for his sophomore season.
To develop into a volume three-point shooter, Stevenson has to show that his finishes as a cutter will develop to the level of him keeping an offensive rating on par. As a 62.5% rim-finisher on 48 attempts, the numbers are promising, considering the lack of upper-body strength and thus matching the intensity against stronger college centers.
There are two areas of development needed to take the most out of his rim finishes. The first one is to stay more composed around the rim. Stevenson has a good touch but doesn’t have the comfort of keeping a cool head before the finish. It’s mostly forced or rushed as Alabama’s quick execution while focusing on dunks and three-point shots gives them a clear task to execute fast when having good scoring opportunities. This is obvious but complicated for teams to reach, as playing simple basketball is still the hardest thing to do.
To make it more specific. Stevenson doesn’t shy away from finishing hard, despite his body not being ready for it. In the first play that leads to him having to earn his points from the line, where he is a 68.9% free-throw shooter. We see more comfort in the second possession, where Stevenson has no issue in finding the angle to finish around two opponents underneath the basket.
Passing out of cutting opportunities is another area of development. In the third possession, Stevenson does a good job in cutting timely through the middle where he’s trying to aggressively finish the play. However, the relocating shooter to the corner was not seen, as a kick-out pass to change a contested rim-finish to a wide-open three is a level of execution that is expected from an NBA forward. Thus making more reps and ball-touches vital for his development to make the best decisions out of cuts, and thus improve his overall game as a cutter.
At 16 assists against 34 turnovers, the numbers don’t indicate that Stevenson has a passing game. At least that’s not how Alabama utilized him on the floor. There’s value in his profile to serve as a ball-mover who will occasionally serve as a playmaker in the post. Therefore, the context behind the numbers is crucial to explain to properly evaluate his draft profile.
Stevenson shows a good feel as a passer in finding cutters. That fits the modern NBA that focuses on motion and ball movement. His size and length allow him to keep the ball away from opponents after entry passes while seeing over the defense and determining the best possible execution of his reads. We see a simple but crucial execution in the first and second plays below. With dunks still being a scarce outcome, it proves the value of good court vision combined with off-ball movement.
NBA teams want to position their shooters. So that raises the must to have passing big men and forwards on the depth chart. In Stevenson’s case. His execution in finding the dunker via the elbow will do wonders in serving as a spacer for his shooters. The gravity of his passing is what he can utilize in his sophomore season, where he will have more ball touches to operate with.
However, Stevenson needs to work on purposeful passing. The third play below contains a pass where he’s bailing himself out on the drive, rather than creating space or feeding an angle a teammate has. The creativity as a live-dribble passer isn’t a part of his offensive arsenal. And that’s okay considering the lower-usage role he’ll have in the NBA. Stevenson will asked to play as a ball-mover more often than not, thus making it vital for him to recognize cutters and rollers immediately, as shown in the fourth play below.
NBA Draft Projection
For an NBA decision-maker, here are the above-mentioned areas summarized:
Strengths
A capable pick-and-roll defender who combines drop coverage with aggressively going over screens. His defensive versatility adds value to extra counters to keep a team’s pick-and-roll defense on par.
A good screener who can take the most out of the potential to play as a pick-and-pop option and thus grow to a volume shooter. Stevenson looks to generate separation with his screens, rather than just forcing the ball handler to make a decision.
He doesn’t shy away from contact, especially when defending against smaller but faster guards and wings. Has a good habit of taking over control of the possession by forcing scorers to adjust to what he wants.
Areas of development
A lack of upper-body strength leads to struggling to handle contact against older and stronger frontcourt players. Continuing to fill his frame in the next few years is a must for his development.
Stevenson lacks the court vision out of cuts to make the correct passing reads. While he’s great at finding cutters from a standstill, passing out of live-dribble situations remains an issue. This limits his value to a ball-mover, rather than a creator with the ball in his hands.
His defensive footwork needs to improve. Specifically, the last step when closing out against shooters is what leads to problems. With Stevenson’s habit of having two feet inside the paint, it’s an uphill battle to answer to the team’s looking for open shooters with his willingness to help the defense at all times.
Based on the above-mentioned strengths and areas of development alongside the details in this scouting report, I project Jarin Stevenson to be a potential first-rounder in the 2025 NBA Draft. Depending on how much his role improves combined it can vary from the 25th pick to falling into the second round around the level of 35 to 45.
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