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Seven Takeaways from the Under Armour Finals

Diamond Stone

(Kelly Kline/Under Armour)

donovan mitchell

Kelly Kline/Under Armour

The second of July’s three live periods ended at 5:00 p.m. Sunday. We had writers traversing the southeast, going to and from the Under Armour Association Finals and Nike’s Peach Jam. Here are seven takeaways from Peach Jam:
MORE: Quotables Part I | Part II | Part III | All content from the 2014 July Live Period

ATLANTA -- Scott and I made a trip down to Atlanta to see the Under Armour Finals while we were in Augusta, Ga., for the Peach Jam. Here are our seven takeaways from the event:

1. Under Armour hit a homerun with The Finals: The Under Armour Association made a brilliant decision this year to hold their marquee event -- the finals of their summer long series -- in Atlanta during the same live period as Nike’s Peach Jam, which takes place two-and-a-half hours away in North Augusta, S.C. 17U play doesn’t begin at Peach Jam until Thursday, so UA held their showcase games on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Since many of the media members and coaches heading to Peach Jam fly into Atlanta, they created a must-see tournament that was easily accessible for everyone Augusta-bound. The event itself, held at the Suwanee Sports Academy was well-run, but ... (Rob Dauster)
RELATED: Peach Jam takeaways: Scott | Rob

2. The Under Armour Association needs a shot clock: Having covered events from adidas, Under Armour and Nike the first two weeks of the July live evaluation period, the one thing that is holding the Under Armour events back is the lack of a shot clock. While adidas and Nike offer shot clocks in their leagues -- and in some cases, camps -- Under Armour is still behind on the times. This led to some teams holding possession for long periods of time to break zones or to gain a final possession advantage during multiple-minute overtimes. It’s at times brutal to watch. And college coaches in attendance like to see how players respond to end of shot clock situations. It’s one thing for budget-strapped state federations to not have a shot clock in the high school setting, but a shoe company throwing significant money into its grassroots initiatives needs to have a shot clock. (Scott Phillips)

2014 Under Armour Association Finals

Kelly Kline/Under Armour

Kelly Kline/Under Armour

3. Josh Jackson needs to be more consistent to hold onto No. 1: There is no question that Detroit native Josh Jackson is a significant talent, but the 6-foot-6 Class of 2016 wing is taking too many bad shots and making too many poor decisions for a No. 1 player in a pretty talented class. Rivals has Jackson at No. 1 at the current moment, but guys like Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles, Thon Maker, Malik Monk and Dennis Smith, Jr. are all in contention to be in the top five. Jackson is probably the best combination of talent and athleticism for his position among that group, but he has to make better choices with the ball in his hands if he wants to be in the conversation for No. 1. For a guy that can get to the rim and make plays for others using his tremendous passing ability, Jackson hoists up way too many contested perimeter jumpers. (SP)
MORE: Josh Jackson outplays Jaylen Brown

4. Diamond Stone might have trouble against length in college: Diamond Stone is a consensus top-10 player in the Class of 2015, but the 6-foot-9 bruiser could have some trouble dealing with length on the interior in college. Although Stone is big enough, wide enough and skilled enough to do significant damage at the high school level, he’s had some issues dealing with tall big men with significant wingspans. In an opening-night showcase game against Atlanta Xpress, Stone was blocked at least five times by the combination of the Xpress’ Tim Rowe and Doral Moore. Now, Stone can counteract this a bit by stepping out and taking some jumpers -- which he has the ability to do -- but the Wisconsin native needs to figure out some more counter moves on the block to help out his game against longer opponents as well. Stone has the talent to do this, it will just be interesting to see how he develops in his senior season. (SP)

5. Donovan Mitchell is one of the biggest stock risers of July: After putting together an impressive performance in Philly for the Reebok Breakout Classic, Mitchell starred down in Atlanta for the UAA Finals. He’s a big, physical, athletic guard that can really rebound and pass the ball. He’s a bit turnover prone and he needs to improve the consistency of his perimeter stroke, but after missing last summer with a broken wrist, Mitchell has made a statement with his play this summer. He was planning on cutting down his list until the likes of Indiana and Louisville started offering him scholarships. (RD)

6. There are still some good guards left on the board: There aren’t many good guards for high-major programs in the 2015 class, but the Under Armour Association featured a few guards that can really play. Jawun Evans has had a really strong summer and he’s in the conversation among the best point guards in the class. At 5-foot-11, Evans may be undersized, but he can get a piece of the paint anytime he has the ball in his hands and he mixes in a lot of shots near the basket that keep defenders flat-footed. Illinois native Glynn Watson is another solid high-major guard option and the 5-foot-11 point guard has recently picked up scholarship offers from Maryland and West Virginia during the live period. Watson can be a tad turnover prone, but he’s smooth with the ball in his hands and can also make plays at times as a scorer. And Watson thrives in clutch situations. He has multiple buzzer beaters with the Wolves during this grassroots season. (SP)

7. If Jaylen Brown is hitting threes, watch out: I’ve seen Jaylen Brown play enough times now to know what to expect out of him. He’s a tough defender, he’s awesome in transition, he can get to the rim off the bounce and he plays that power wing role that has become more prevalent in recent years. When I watched him in Atlanta, however, Brown buried four catch-and-shoot threes from four different spots on the floor, which is significant because his perimeter stroke has always been the biggest concern in his game.