Jahmi’us Ramsey, who the Sacramento Kings selected at pick 43 in the 2020 NBA Draft, has concluded his time in the G-League bubble. The Sacramento Kings recalled Ramsey on March 6th.
His time with the Agua Caliente Clippers came to a close after a dozen games due to back spasms that Ramsey dealing with. It was an up-and-down run for the seventh youngest player on an NBA roster on a guard-heavy roster.
He seemed to grow more comfortable with time in the bubble, and he will need that same time to gain comfort at the next level in Sacramento.
The flashes were there, even though there is cause for concern when it comes to the score-first prospect.
Offense
Jahmi’us Ramsey’s primary impact is going to come on the offensive end of the floor. He is a microwave scorer who can quickly put up numbers in a variety of ways.
The quickest means for him to make an impact on Sacramento’s roster would be shooting the ball at a high level from deep. He was an elite shooter during his lone freshman season at Texas Tech, averaging 42.6 percent from range on 5.2 attempts a night.
The G-League bubble was a disappointment for JR when it comes to his shooting splits. He still managed 4.8 attempts per game from three, but only converted 22.4 percent. It felt like he was hitting the front rim often on a majority of his missed looks, and I wonder if that had anything to do with the groin injury he had before heading to Orlando.
The end date for his groin re-evaluation was February 5th, and his first game in the bubble took place on February 11th. This may have lead to Ramsey not having his legs fully under him, which often leads to shots being short. There is also a strong chance that he is simply adjusting to NBA range and I am making excuses. Regardless, it is more encouraging when a large majority of misses are long or short rather than erratically left or right.
Who knows, but the point is that I trust the shooting to eventually come around and his variance showed some promise. If defenders dared to go under on screens or have a lackadaisical switch, JR wasn’t hesitant to pull it.
Ramsey exhibited his understanding of where to find space on the floor by reading his defender. Notice how he chooses when to stop behind screens or keep going depending on if he is being trailed or the opposition attempts to close the gap.
Ramsey is going to garner respect as long as the percentage progresses back towards what was expected when he was selected at pick 43. Upside centers around his potential space creation with shifty left to right moves, pump fakes, and step-backs.
Tough shotmaking often leads to tough shot-taking, and there were plenty of moments where the coaching staff must have been frustrated with JR for letting it fly too early in the shot clock.
Monte McNair comes from the Daryl Morey tree, and while we have yet to see if the fundamentals of Moreyball will be implemented in Sacramento, Ramsey fits that style. Of his 118 total attempts in the bubble, three came from the mid-range – every other shot was either in the paint or beyond the arc.
JR doesn’t possess a lighting quick first step to blow by defenses at any given point, but his shooting gravity allows him that opportunity.
Overall, JR sank 51 percent of his looks within 8ft from the basket – which is a number that you would ideally like to see around 65 percent. For reference, Buddy Hield is 61 percent at the rim this season and that is from his strong suit.
It’s important to note that the Agua Caliente Clippers primary contributors were guards and ran a halfcourt offense which lead to Jahmi’us Ramsey being in a somewhat unideal position. It would have been great to see him with the ball in his hands a bit more rather than standing in the corner as I think there is some potentially untapped playmaking stock.
In his 12 games of play, Ramsey recorded 15 turnovers and 11 assists, but I am approaching the 7th youngest player on an NBA roster by paying attention to the flashes.
Currently, Ramsey is not a player that has skills that justify him having the ball in his hands at the NBA level. He is going to need to convert on these threes off-the-catch, attack closeouts, and be felt in transition.
By the way, Ramsey has some real bounce to him that surely will secure some highlights.
At his current stage, Jahmi’us Ramsey is probably a negative on offense for a majority of his minutes but there will be spurts where he catches fire and scores 10+ points in a quarter.
It would not surprise me if some poor shot selection and lack of movement (due to a lack of comfort) leads to frustration from the Sacramento fanbase, but I cannot preach patience enough and hold onto the promising flashes.
Defense
Jahmi’us Ramsey is a raw primarily offensive-focused prospect, and the defense is going to take time to come around. He has been praised as a hard-worker who grinds film work, and there will be plenty of time and a need for him to do that.
He looked increasingly comfortable in the later stages of his dozen games in the G-League bubble. There were moments where miscommunication seemed to be the issue, but also clear scenarios where the defensive breakdown centered around Jahmi’us Ramsey himself.
During his season at Texas Tech, Ramsey presented some intriguing switchability for stretches but there were plenty of examples that featured Ramsey with poor rotations or getting blown by.
Typically, his effort levels are not a concern but it is more of a defensive understanding that needs to be developed. He can be seen ball-watching, biting on fakes, or reaching. Against the Deleware Blue Coats, Jahmi’us Ramsey played a mere eight minutes because he picked up fouls left and right during his time out there.
He ended that game with five fouls, two turnovers, zero points, zero assists, and zero rebounds. On the other side of the coin, there are nights where Ramsey managed 15 points in a half. Streaky is likely going to be the name of the game early in Jahmi’us Ramsey’s career.
The final note I have on his underwhelming defense is that Ramsey is strong enough with a decent lateral quickness that he could develop as an intriguing on-ball defender while he learns proper rotations.
It was rare to see Jahmi’us Ramsey close the game for the Agua Caliente Clippers, understandably. On more than one occassion, he was sidelined for a large majority of the closing minutes including one game where he went to the bench with roughly ten minutes on the clock in the fourth. That game went into overtime and Ramsey did not see the floor after sitting.
The seventh youngest player in the NBA needs more repetitions and will likely be a negative during his time on the floor in the NBA if he is thrown out there in the second half of his rookie campaign. In some games, he could catch fire and put up points in a hurry while supplying gravity for De’Aaron Fox and the rest of the team to attack the paint.
Patience will be key for JR, who was a clear upside swing by Monte McNair at pick 43. Hold onto the flashes that he shows and understand there is still plenty of growth to be had and film to be watched from the 19-year-old.
JR was projected late first round but fell towards draft day. There were a few other options at 43- Nwora, I. Joe, Riller and Paul Reed. Time will tell. He is young, he can shoot but can he find an NBA niche ? For a year or two he will look lost. At this point, he is not a PG.
Kings brass selected him and they did have choices. Let’s see.
Woodard certainly looks more promising and they were only 3 slots apart.
Woodard and he don’t play the same position, so there isn’t much to be learned from comparing the two. They’re both Kings draftees, but they’re paths going forward are going to be very different.
No one wants to hear “short” and “groin” in the same sentence.
Seems like he has a ways to go. He is young, but he’s also taking up a roster spot going forward. Kings, as of now, have 4 picks in this upcoming draft. I’d wager that Ramsey is going to be slugging it out with Justin James and who ever is taken in the second round this summer for final roster spots.
Nice breakdown.
I watched as many D-League games that I could and there was some downright awful basketball being played in Orlando with a few breaks of fun, team-oriented play. I didn’t see a many standout players in the bubble that weren’t 4-5 yrs removed from their draft (shout out to Jarrett Jack for being the old man at the Y, showing youngsters how to play). Tre Jones, Paul Reed, and Vernon Carey Jr being the only ones that I remember watching and telling myself to keep an eye on them.
As far as Ramsay goes, I like the kid and I hope he finds his role with the Kings. He has all the physical skills, good size and attitude for the position, just needs the game to slow down for him.
In other rookie news, Reese’s Pieces hooked Tyrese up with 400 pounds of candy!!
Some of that should go to whomever at TKH made the sweatshirt that he wore in that interview
Egads, that was poor English. Sorry.
It’s okay, you were excited. And rightfully so!
400 is kind of a specific number though.
don’t overthink it sims, don’t overthink it sims
His shooting form looks very good, so I doubt that his poor numbers will continue as he gets more floor time. I agree that he’s a good enough athlete to work himself into a capable defender in the NBA. He’s listed at 6’3″, which means that he’s probably only 6’1″, which won’t be ideal for defending shooting guards. If his playmaking develops, and he turns into a defensive pest, that may be a good niche for him.
Hell, he’s young enough that he may grow another inch or two.
I was thinking his shot needs work. He has a but of a two-part shot and a tendency to lean backward, both of which take his legs out of the shot and limit both his range and consistency. I think it’s a big reason why he’s short on his shot so frequently.
Very poor G League performance and doubt Kings will have the time to wait on his development ! Many young prospects that are available and better !
Didn’t they unfortunately give him three years guaranteed?
If a positive minded hometown writer is telling you there were ups and downs and not to be concerned, it usually means there were plenty of downs and cause for concern
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