Wake Forest’s Jake LaRavia is a name that was not anticipated by most to be a late riser in the draft process before the college basketball season. After watching how the season unfolded and comparing his play to his peers, the Indianapolis native is worthy of not only being drafted but being labeled a mid-to-late first-round talent in the 2022 NBA Draft.
LaRavia transferred to Wake Forest after playing two years at Indiana State where he made the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team and Second Team All-MVC accolades as a sophomore. This season, the young 20-year-old junior was named to the Second Team All-ACC after helping lead the Demon Deacons to a 25-10 record.
Superficially glancing at his box score stats, it is obvious that LaRavia was an all-around producer. Per game, he averaged 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, one block, and 1.7 steals. However, after watching his game film, it is clear that those numbers undersell how well his game can contribute to winning at the next level.
While the ceiling outcomes for LaRavia are not as high-end compared to other players in this draft class, he has exceptional potential to be a connective role player that contributes sooner than expected in the NBA. LaRavia’s nice floor and ability to affect the game outside of scoring is the reason a multitude of NBA teams should consider drafting him.
Position: Foward/Wing Team/Class: Wake Forest (Jr.) Age: 20.62 From: Indianapolis, Indiana Height: 6’8”(in shoes) Weight: 235pounds
Wingspan: 6’9.5” Vertical: Max 34 inches Shot Hand: Right
Stats: Click Here
All-around skillset
From a skills perspective, LaRavia is an exceptionally complete player. The nebulous phrase that best describes why he was a successful ACC basketball player is his “high feel.”
He can legitimately pass, dribble, and shoot all at an NBA level for a team’s bench at the very least. He understands how to read the game and is capable of making the correct play more often than not. LaRavia was not truly a liability in any one particular offensive situation on a college basketball court.
He is comfortable at grabbing and going after a defensive rebound to score or dish a correct pass. He punishes smaller defenders on the block well, using drop steps and hook shots. As the co-star to Alondes Williams, the ACC Player of the Year and a potential second-round pick, LaRavia was an effective cutter at the 73rd percentile (1.303 PPP) and was often a lob target when going backdoor.
On the perimeter in the half-court, the 20-year-old’s passing and ball-handling are the linchpins to why his game is more diverse than many other 2022 prospects at his position and mid-to-late draft range.
His dribbling skills are functional in the fastbreak and against a set defense. In a Feb. 5 game against Florida State, he had a play at the 12:58 mark where he pushed the ball in transition against full-court pressure on the right sideline against a shorter, quicker defender. He performed a smitty (a half spin) above the three-point line to shift the defender’s stance and carve an opening to finish a basket in the paint.
Passing talent
At multiple points against Leonard Hamilton’s squad, he attacked aggressive closeouts to make proper passes once he engaged help defenders. He is a sweet ball mover that doesn’t necessarily pop as a facilitator compared to his partner in crime Williams — who throws a number of flashy passes — when you casually watch a game. But as a connective player, LaRavia greatly assists the team’s offensive flow.
When passing the ball around the horn against a scrambling defense, he wastes no time in hitting the open man, knowing where guys are located on the court. LaRavia does have some spice to his passing arsenal as he is adept at hitting kick-out passes on time and is an effective skip passer out of the post. He keeps his head up, reading the court, and is rarely one-track-minded in a given situation.
His strong sense of making the right delivery on the floor is due to his earlier experience of playing point guard for half of his time in high school. In an interview with Rafael Barlowe of NBA Big Board, he revealed that he experienced a growth spurt, growing from 6-feet tall to 6-foot-6 from his sophomore to junior year. Now at 6-foot-8, he still retains his ability to diagnose the weak spots of a defense as if he is a floor general.
Productive, unselfish, and efficient shooting
Offensively, he is a swiss army knife and the cherry on top is that he doesn’t need to hog possessions to be a productive player. He is impactful without dominating the ball, only averaging a 20.7% usage rate.
In the aforementioned game against Flordia State, he dominated, putting up a stat line of 18 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists — which should have been at least 12 if not for teammates' blown-open jumpers — and made 7 of 10 field goals. He did this with only a 19.8% usage rate.
Not only does LaRavia make plays happen without dominating possession of the ball, but he is also consistent in hitting shots. In the conference, he was third in field goal percentage (55.9%) and shot 38.4% from three-point range. In the half-court, he ranked at the 93rd percentile (1.169 PPP) on all jump shots and was at the 95th percentile (1.6 PPP) in unguarded catch and shoot opportunities.
The shooting percentages are impressive when considering he is respected as an offensive player and scores in a multitude of ways outside and inside. He doesn’t force many poor shots and if he does, it is likely due to a mismatch he has in the post.
Athleticism and defense
When high-feel players are evaluated at the college level, it is not unsurprising to realize that it is needed to compensate for athletic foibles. That is not the case for LaRavia.
Vertically, he has solid pop on alley-oops finishes and overall dunks. He is a smooth mover without the ball, which hints at respectable flexibility in the lower body and is in a good frame at 6-foot-8 and 235 pounds that can be better chiseled in an NBA strength and conditioning program. He is not a speedster or an intimidating athlete by any means but is better than expected for a player with his skillset.
On defense, LaRavia put up a 2.7 percent steal rate (14th in the ACC and the second-best for a non-guard) and a three percent block rate (14th in the conference). He doesn’t have elite measurables for an NBA front-court player and was overpowered by conference opponents such as Paolo Banchero of Duke. However, he will be an above-average team defender as he knows the correct principles of rotating and is a consistent-effort guy even if he’s in a disadvantageous situation.
The rim protection of the Wake Forest product will not be his strong suit when projecting toward the NBA, but the on-ball defensive potential to hold up on starting to bench quality wings in a couple of years can materialize. He slides his feet and on occasion held his own on perimeter shot creators.
Strengths
Strong post player, ranked at the 97th percentile in post-ups (1.2 PPP) and post-ups including passes ranked at the 94th percentile (1.186)
Smart playmaker not just for his position but overall; in the ACC, ranked 14th in assist rate and 8th in assists percentage
Efficient scorer — in the ACC, ranked 3rd in field goal percentage (.559), 2nd in true shooting percentage (.649), and shot 38.4% from beyond the arc
Better than expected athleticism with alley-oops finished during the season
Block and steal numbers are telling of good position and anticipation of the play (5th in defensive win shares)
Still only 20 years old
Weaknesses
Can be turnover-prone averaged 2.7 turnovers per game and had 10 games of four or more turnovers
Did not shoot a high volume of threes (2.2 attempts per game)
Unwilling to shoot contested jumpers and when he did was ranked at the 29th percentile (0.783 PPP) on guarded catch and shoot in the half court
Lacks blow by speed, which would lessen his chances of being a good scorer if he plays the wing
Functional ball handler but not a space creator off the dribble based on his Wake Forest tape
Nice size for for a wing but not too quick and good skill for a four-man but not the greatest size on the NBA level
Final verdict and comparisons
LaRavia is a case where a team should draft the already good basketball player even if the perceived upside doesn’t jump off the screen when watching him play. Interestingly, one can argue that his potential might be underrated since he’s a younger than average junior player at 20 years old and is around the same age or younger than more touted players in the frontcourt
LaRavia is only six months older than Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren, six months younger than LSU sophomore Tari Eason, and 13 months younger than Iowa sophomore Keegan Murray.
Realistically, about 20 or so players pan out in a given draft to have multi-year careers and contribute outside of garbage time. It would be surprising if LaRavia is not one of the players from this class that is not playing several years from now in a real role on the bench or a starting lineup. His jump shot will translate and his instincts for making the right play are above average today.
As far as player comparisons, he is in the vein of a Nemanja Bjelica during his time with the Sacramento Kings and has shades of a better playmaking Maxi Kleber. He is a couple of inches shorter than both of those players and in the NBA he will have to increase his willingness to bomb away from beyond the arc. His peak outcome may be at a true wing spot, which he didn’t play at Wake Forest, where he can be a connective third-scoring option who play-makes some and drills triples.
LaRavia should be drafted anywhere as high as 17 where the Houston Rockets pick and should not escape the first round. He fits in a lot of situations and the high feel he has for the game should only sharpen with more experience.
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