I watched more WCC basketball this year than I ever have before due to the sheer amount of exciting talent that the conference boasts, from top pick Chelt Holmgren to lottery hopeful Jalen Williams, there has been far more interest in that league as the competition level has raised. One guy that continuously stood out to me was somebody I should’ve taken notice of earlier: San Francisco’s Jamaeree Bouyea, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard that should absolutely be taken in the second round of this year’s draft.
Bouyea averaged absolutely phenomenal stats for his size, 17.3 points, five rebounds, four assists, 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks for a team that boasted an absolutely respectable 5.24 strength of schedule rating. The San Fran product shot a 47/36.7/75.5 split on the year — taking 5.8 threes per game — with a 6-foot-7 wingspan, a plus-5-inch differential between height and span. Despite his shorter size, Bouyea had a higher HAKEEM percentage, a metric that combines steal and block percentage, than much taller players in the class like N.C. State’s Dereon Seabron, Colorado’s Jabari Walker, Milwaukee’s Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Duke’s Wendell Moore Jr.
Bouyea is a fascinating iso prospect, being completely fearless at going against guys and getting defenders with a nice jab-step move before driving in for the basket. Despite being smaller than the wings who guard him on switches, Bouyea consistently beats out guys and if he doesn’t, he has an exceptional ability to finish through contact.
I love the way that Bouyea shoots from downtown — it’s a compact form that he gets up quickly and can get over defenders with his long wingspan. Bouyea can be a bit streaky in that regard but he put up an 8 for 10 performance from downtown against UNLV early in the season. Speaking of fearless performances, the nerdy basketball fan matchup of the year took place when San Fran took on Murray State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and Bouyea put up an amazing show in a thrilling overtime matchup, becoming an instant classic. Bouyea finished that game with a whopping 36 points, going up against the awesome Justice Hill and Tevin Brown.
Bouyea also stood out at the G League Elite Camp. Even though he ultimately didn’t end up with an invitation to the official NBA Combine, Bouyea ran the floor well against elite competition and found several great passes to his teammates, finishing with eight points and five assists in the first scrimmage game and hitting two threes in the second. It’s surprising to me that Bouyea wasn't promoted to the official combine, seeing as he tested extremely well in the athletic testing. Bouyea finished the elite camp with the best max vertical jump and tied for the best standing vertical despite being one of the shortest players tested. Bouyea was also .05 seconds off the best quarter-court sprint time.
Bouyea is best when creating for himself, vastly improving as a three-point shooter in his last collegiate season, using long strides to create that kind of space for himself. Bouyea is great off the dribble and can cut well, as well as finish some acrobatic layups, using his long wingspan to get off whatever kind of shot he wants. Bouyea can hit threes and shots off the dribble or just be a spot-up guy when necessary. The San Fran product is more of a point guard but should be able to defend up a position and is an absolutely excellent stealer and blocker.
As for his weaknesses, Bouyea is just kind of what he is at this point. He’ll be 23 years old when the season starts so it’s hard to project much upward movement other than being a rotational guard. In order to attain that role, he’ll need to improve a bit as a playmaker since he doesn't have the size to continuously stick it to taller defenders at the next level, though I believe he can when necessary. The other problem with Bouyea lies in his turnover rate, which is fairly high considering how much he handles the ball.
Bouyea isn’t a lock to be drafted — he’s far from it — but I would absolutely select him in the second round and I think I’d go ahead and give him a guaranteed contract. If teams don’t value him that high, Bouyea would be one of the highest-priority undrafted free agents in the class and should be on a two-way deal to begin the season in the absolute worst-case scenario.