Jake LaRavia was one of the best transfers in college basketball this season, making the jump from Indiana State to Wake Forest, and improving as a player against tougher competition. He started the year immediately after his 20th birthday as a junior, making him young for his class. As a junior, LaRavia averaged 14.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 1 BPG, and 2.7 TOPG on shooting splits of 56/38/78. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Jake LaRavia
Height/Weight: 6’8/227
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’9 ½ / 8’8
Hand size: 10 ¼
Position: Forward
Pre-Draft team: Wake Forest
Tools: Versatility, feel for the game
Pros:
- Soft touch at the rim
- Good shooter with a good stroke
- Quick at recognizing the extra pass on the perimeter
- Comfortable getting to the line
- Lethal spin and fake spin
- Adequate footspeed on defense
- Good cutter
- Strong feel for the game
- Good passer that always keeps the ball moving
Cons:
- Mediocre frame
- Must reduce turnovers
- Mediocre first step and overall athlete
Summary:
Jake LaRavia is a do-it-all forward that offers versatility on both ends, with a fascinating feel for the game and an overall ‘student of the game’ mentality. With an incredible bunch of intangibles, including: being a student of the game, strong work ethic, living in the gym, and being extremely young for his class (starts the season still at 20 years old despite playing three college seasons). LaRavia is an advanced stats darling, and wins with basic stats. He achieved the elusive 1 BPG + 1 SPG with dominant efficiency and high assist count. With his intangibles, versatility, and on-ball skills on both ends, these advanced stats should act as a warning to the NBA in finding one of the biggest sleepers in the draft.
Similar to: Franz Wagner lite, Kyle Anderson, Caris LeVert
Projected draft range: 19-35
Expected role: Connecting tissue piece that does a little bit of everything, offering consistent mismatches.
Unplayable if: Almost impossible he becomes unplayable, but if he struggles with turnovers and defense scaling up, he will have more limitations, particularly in the playoffs.
Exceeds expectations if: Strong work ethic and drive bring him to translate his high volume efficiency to the NBA in a limited capacity role.
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