I've been waiting to write this article only because I like to cover guys who may not get as much media coverage as other players simply because I enjoy supporting players who deserve the support. However, I wouldn't be being true to this series if I didn't cover Sion James, as he's one of the better prospects transferring up and out of the mid-major basketball ecosystem this off-season. Once I decided I would finally be putting pen to paper and actually sat down to watch his film, I was shocked by just how good he was this past season at Tulane. It all immediately made sense; I was watching the player who will go on to be the glue that holds this year's uber-dynamic Duke roster together. A lot of times I worry when I see a great mid-major player transfer to a team that has a ton of mouths to feed, but I'm not worried about James getting his just due. Not only will he be an active contributor on a team that should be competing for a national championship, but there's a world where he's their most important player. Notice I didn't say best player, but I think there's a very real scenario where he's the guy who keeps the gears moving in Durham. When you look at it that way, it's difficult to argue that he shouldn't be considered a potential selection in the 2025 NBA Draft. Let's break down what makes him so special, how he will impact Duke this season, and how his game may translate to the highest level of the sport.
pc: Tulane University Athletics
Player Profile:
Sion James is a 6'6" and 220lb combo guard out of Sugar Hill, Georgia and Lanier High School. He was a three-star recruit coming out of high-school, and decided to take his talents to Tulane, where he played four seasons. His stats improved every season during his time with the green wave, and by the end of his time with the program he had become a legitimate three-level scorer and all-around two-way player. After his senior year he decided to enter the transfer portal and eventually made the risky decision to take his talents to the Duke Blue Devils and head coach Jon Scheyer. Despite entering his fifth season of collegiate basketball, James is only 21 as of today and will be until December 4th. He will be 22 on draft night, meaning he's both an experienced player with a high floor and a prospect with plenty of room to grow. This past season he put up averages of 14 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals, and .7 blocks on shooting splits of 51.4% from the field, 38.1% from beyond the arc, and 68.3% from the free-throw line. By going to Duke, he risks lowering these averages in hopes that a strong supporting cast will elevate both his game and his status as a prospect to new heights. I am of the opinion that this was an incredibly smart bet.
Interior Scoring:
While James is an incredibly well-rounded player, his best trait is undeniably his ability to score around the rim. I see very clear shades of Isaiah Collier from last year when I watch film of James putting pressure on the rim, only he's a far better vertical athlete and three inches taller than Collier. He's an absolute animal when he's moving downhill, but he's so much more than a line-driving rim attacker. He has a tight handle and a fantastic first-step which allows him to dice up opposing defenses on his way to the hoop. Once he gets there, he's an excellent finisher who can contort for better looks, finish through contact, and throw down emphatic dunks. At his size and with his skills, he's about as good as a guard can get when it comes to creating easy offense around the rim and converting on these attempts.
James is probably at his best when he's on the ball, but what makes him such a versatile and dynamic option on the offensive end is that he's still very good operating away from the ball. For example, I believe he finds his easiest offense at the rim in situations such as the two you see above. Sitting in the weakside corner, James corrals a pass and is able to get his man in the air using a very convincing shot fake. This opens up the lane as the rest of the defense shifts to his side of the floor, but because he's so quick and so comfortable in these scenarios, most of the time the defense is simply unable to stop him from getting an easy look. At Duke he will have the ball in his hands far less than he did at Tulane, so it is paramount that he is able to capitalize in situations such as these, and based on what I've seen from him I think he will be.
Something that stood out to me when watching James' film was how he's constantly moving and looking for scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. We will go over this habit more throughout the article, but a good illustration of this when it comes to his interior scoring is his cutting. Most primary ball handlers who possess legitimate off-ball cutting skills get these looks via baseline cuts behind a defender. James is a far more opportunistic cutter whose looks usually come when it's time to bail out his teammates. This means that a lot of his cuts come from the top of the perimeter. You see this in the first two clips above. The third clip shows a give-and-go play that is likely drawn up, and he executes it perfectly. He doesn't need the ball in his hands to be an effective scorer, which is so incredibly important as he moves to a higher level of play.
Even with the ball in his hands, James is a fantastic opportunistic driver. I've separated the remaining clips (those you see above and the ones that will follow this paragraph) into screen-created offense (above) and completely self-created offense (below). While James is great at creating driving opportunities all on his own, it's when he works with a screen when he's basically impossible to stop. When he's allowed to switch onto a big, especially ones that prefer to drop into the paint, it's BBQ chicken every time. His quick first step and start-stop acceleration leave big men praying to a higher deity in the middle of each possession. He utilizes hesitation dribbles and body feints to throw opposing defenders off-balance, and once he achieves that goal it's basically a guaranteed two free points at the rim. Even if he is met at the rim with some sort of help defense, he's such a good finisher around the rim that it usually has no effect on him. For example, in the fourth clip above he goes straight through the body of the rim protector, and in the fifth he contorts around the rim to finish with his weak hand. All in all, when he is given an advantage, he not only capitalizes on it, but also makes the advantage significantly greater than it already was.
When James creates his own driving opportunities, usually via a burst of crossovers and body feints, the finishing becomes the focus. Because he tends to be matched up against better defenders in these scenarios, the attempts at the rim are not quite as easy. A lot of times he's not working against a big man, which means he's met at the rim by a big more often. This is where his elite finishing really shines. You can especially see this in the third and fourth clips above, as he's forced to improvise once he gets to the hoop. The first clip actually shows an example of him using contact as a way to increase his chances of converting at the rim, as the contact actually propels him to the rim and away from the defender. When you look at everything here you see a guy who can both create and make these shots in a myriad of ways and at an efficient clip. As I said, this is both his best current trait and likely his most translatable one. He's one of the better interior scoring guards I've covered, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.
Mid-Range Scoring:
James is the perfect type of mid-range scorer: a guy who would rather take a layup or three, but who can knock down the mid-range shot in order to keep defenses on their toes. Despite this level of the floor being his least prevalent, he's still able to punish defenses in several different ways from here. He's a good pullup shooter, he's a good turnaround shooter, and he knocks down push shots. All in all, his versatility in this region keeps defenses guessing, which allows him to be an even greater scorer from both the perimeter and at the rim.
He really likes to take these floater/push shot hybrid attempts. I don't consider them floaters because they're sort of stiff and he takes them off two feet while jumping vertically, even when they're generated on a drive. It doesn't really matter what type of shot they are, because either way he makes them look easy. These shots are an easy way to counter defenders who are dropping in anticipation of the drive. He doesn't take a ton of these, but him having this shot in his bag and his comfort level when taking them makes me feel good about him having an answer for basically every scenario involving a drop big.
The mid-range shot he takes the least is probably the turnaround fadeaway, and for good reason. These shots are in contention for the most difficult the sport has to offer, and players who take a ton of these usually find themselves dealing with efficiency issues. Unless you're Dirk, you probably shouldn't build your game off of taking shots like these. However, when you use them in the proper situations, they can be an effective way to create extra space. For example, here he's guarded by 6'7" Jaylon Tyson (who went on to be selected 20th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft). Tyson plays solid defense all the way to the paint, and his teammates do a good job of limiting James' passing options. He takes the turnaround fadeaway and creates a ton of space, artificially creating an open shot where one didn't exist before. He also looks comfortable in this position, so while I'm usually not the biggest fan of this shot, guys like James will turn you into a believer.
Then, of course, you have the most important facet of any solid mid-range scorer's game: the pullup jumpshot. This is the shot that cements a player as a true three-level scorer once they prove they can knock them down on volume and at an efficient clip. It's the shot that forces defenders to stick with their man every step from the perimeter to the hoop. James being a good pullup mid-range jump shooter is another reason why he's such an elite driver, and why he's gotten better beyond the arc every year of his collegiate career. The only clip above that I'm not the biggest fan of is the first one, simply because he could've created the same space by moving laterally and taking a three. The second and third clips, where he's able to target a big man sitting in the paint, are shots that I absolutely love.
While you shouldn't expect James (or any player) to take a ton of mid-range shots, it's vital that they are capable of making shots from this region if they want to be taken seriously as a three-level threat. Not only is James capable of creating and making these shots, but he's comfortable taking them and is able to diversify his game in this area by taking several different types of attempts.
Three-Point Shooting:
I don't like to form opinions by looking at box scores and stat sheets. However, when you look at James' stats over the past four years, it's clear to see his improvement as an outside shooter. From freshman to senior year, he went from 28% to 33.3% to 31.7% to 38.1% while increasing his volume every year. Before you say this could be an outlier, take into account that this same pattern occurred with his PPG, RPG, and FG%. He's simply a player who has proven that he is capable of consistent improvement over time. This past season he showed off those improvements and became a player that regularly punished opponents with his outside shot. Much like his interior scoring, he is very good both on and off the ball, offering a ton of versatility (which seems to be a theme in this article).
I actually think he is better operating as an off-ball shooter than on-ball. This is good considering he'll be sharing the floor with Tyrese Proctor this year, who I expect to take a big leap as a playmaker. That constant off-ball movement that we talked about earlier comes in handy from a three-point shooting perspective, as he's always looking for a better position when another ball handler has the ball. This creates a ton of open looks, resulting in more volume on better efficiency. He's not a guy who takes a ton of difficult triples, not because he's incapable of making them, but because there's no need to take them when a better shot is still on the table. It's this level of offensive composure and solid shot selection that will allow him to fit seamlessly into any offensive system at any level.
He's not some sort of elite shot creator from beyond the arc like he is on the drive or even in the mid-range. That said, he's a very smart shooter from this level, and that's likely a major contributing factor to his improvements as a shooter. For example, in the first clip he only takes that shot because the defender is sagging so far off of him in anticipation of the drive. In the second he could have taken the mid-range jumper when he received the pass or even drove to the hoop, instead choosing to use a step-back to not only create a ton of space between himself and the slow-footed big, but also take a more efficient shot. This constant heads-up playstyle is indicative of his experience at this level and is a big reason why his floor is so astronomically high.
Passing & Playmaking:
This is an odd aspect of his game, because he's both an incredibly good passer and also not a super notable passer. It's weird, and it's something you rarely see from a lead guard who has the ball as often as he does. His 2.7 assists per game this year was actually a drop off from 3.6 his sophomore year and 3.4 his junior season. Why was this? Well, the team simply needed him to score this season more than they needed him to playmake for others. His yearly improvements in other categories would suggest that had he wanted to up his assist numbers this year he could've, but that that wasn't the role asked of him. That said, his turnover average remained very low, and he had a solid assist/turnover ratio. He's a very safe passer, someone who is not going to risk an offensive possession by throwing a questionable pass for the sake of his highlight reel. In my opinion, he is capable of being the lead playmaker and ball handler on a team but is also capable of playing a secondary role where he defers to a more natural playmaker.
Like I said, not an overly flashy passer, more so relying on kickout passes for open three-pointers (even though the wrap-around pass is pretty impressive). What stood out to me about these assists was his gravity, and how the mere thought of him attacking the rim causes the entire defense to collapse. This is why he's able to set up teammates for open looks on the perimeter, because opponents would rather give up the open three than the James layup. If Jon Scheyer puts him on the court with shooters like Kon Knueppel, Darren Harris, Isaiah Evans, and Mason Gillis, he's going to look like Tyler Kolek. If he's on the floor with guys like Tyrese Proctor, Cooper Flagg, and Khaman Maluach, he's going to make them look like way better shooters than they actually are. Either way, it's a win win. This is a big reason why I think he should be in the starting lineup, because even if he isn't a primary playmaker, he could be one of the better secondary playmakers in the nation in addition to his impressive scoring arsenal.
Rebounding:
James is an excellent positional rebounder for several reasons. His size is super helpful, as he's 6'6" with a very strong frame. He also has a seemingly endless motor and attack the rim relentlessly on rebounding opportunities. I wouldn't say he's a fantastic instinctual rebounder (that meaning having great feel for where the ball will come off of the rim), but instead relies on pure unadulterated hustle to stand above his peers in this department.
One thing I really like about James' rebounding is his tendency to quickly get the ball out to the perimeter to reset the offense, as he usually out rebounds several opponents and knows there's an open teammate somewhere. You're taught growing up to go back up with the ball after grabbing a board, but when you're a guard jumping with the trees, this isn't a great strategy. Instead, get the ball out before the defense has time to recover, and get an easy shot. I also liked how, in the third clip, he doesn't just chase the rebound as soon as the shot leaves his hand. Doing this throws off your shot, and just isn't a proactive strategy. Instead, he sees that he has a chance to get the rebound, and immediately attacks the rim once he grabs the ball. Again, showing that he's a very smart and opportunistic scorer.
Defense:
This is going to sound crazy, but watching James' film made me think he was a diet version of Reed Sheppard in help defense, while being a better version of him as a point of attack defender. This sounds ridiculous because Reed is such a fantastic help defender, and really the only hole in his defensive game was his ability to consistently defend at the point of attack, but it just popped out to me that way when watching James. He throws hands in passing lanes and sneaks behind big men to poke the ball away. He's a good secondary rim protector for a guard, using his athleticism to elevate for blocks. He also uses that athleticism in addition to his motor to move laterally super well, staying in front of opponents and making their lives difficult. I was super impressed by his overall defensive impact, as it's something that definitely shouldn't be overlooked when evaluating him as a potential prospect.
See what I mean? Everything there is textbook Reed Sheppard stuff. I never do player comps in these articles, but man it's just too obvious to ignore. Not to mention he's doing this stuff as a 6'6" guy with a 220lb muscular frame, so there's no size concerns for him like there were for Sheppard. That IQ that we've been talking about all day for James doesn't just end on the offensive end. He's a guy who you never have to worry about being in the wrong spot or checking out of a possession. This is going to be a huge on a Duke team that is going to put a ton of younger players on the floor, who may deal with those focus issues. Even if he's not the centerpiece of this Duke defense (he won't be), he will be a fantastic leader on this end of the floor.
Now, you shouldn't rely on a combo guard to be a real rim protector, but the fact that he is capable of doing this is very impressive. These aren't just sneaky blocks where a small guard knocks the ball loose from behind. No, he's positioned as if he's the starting center on these possessions. He averaged .7 blocks per game this year and .8 last year, which is really solid for a guard. All in all, there's a chance that his defense flies under the radar on a Duke team that projects to be very very good on the defensive end. However, when you look at him as a prospect, remember that he is a very solid and active defender with a great frame and impressive athleticism. That sounds pretty good to me.
Summary:
Before I give a full summary of James' game, I want to list out any weaknesses that I noticed while studying his game. As always, no player is perfect, and no player is immune to criticism. I will say, James does not have as many weaknesses as most players that I cover in this series, so take that for what you will.
His number one weakness is that he's a horrible free-throw shooter and has been throughout his collegiate career. He's never shot higher than 71% from the line on the year, and this past season he shot 68.3% from the stripe. This is super concerning not only because guys who attack the rim are going to inherently shoot more free-throws than other players, but also because it could suggest that his improved three-point shooting was indeed a fluke.
Much like a player like Isaiah Collier, James can get sped up to a point where his composed game begins to disintegrate. For the most part he's able to keep this from happening, but on occasion it can result in fouls, turnovers, and bad shots.
Sometimes I think he's too passive as a playmaker and will choose to make a pass that achieves nothing rather than risk a turnover for a better look. This is a bit nit-picky, as I do like that he doesn't turn it over, but at points it can be a tad frustrating.
As far as three-point shooting is concerned, I'd like to see his shot volume increase before I definitively say he will maintain a high percentage from beyond the arc for multiple seasons.
Defensively, I actually think he could get more aggressive, similar to how Reed Sheppard (sorry for bringing him up so much) is constantly looking for advantages in help. I think he should go full Pat Beverley on this end of the floor, and I think he has the motor and endurance to do that.
To summarize, Sion James is the epitome of a glue guy at the college level, and I believe he can leverage that into a role at the NBA level. He's one of the best rim attackers in the nation, which opens up his game in so many different ways. He's a solid mid-range and outside shooter who proved this season that he can be trusted to not only create these shots, but also make them at an efficient clip. He's a sneaky good playmaker who I believe could be a full-time point guard if he were asked to play that role. In reality, he will likely play the two, where he will be an elite secondary playmaker who uses his gravity to create a ton of open looks for his teammates. His relentless drive is evident every time he steps on the court, which just pushes everything he's already good at to the next level. All of that, and his biggest impact may not even be felt on the offensive end, especially for Duke this season. He's a pesky help defender who is athletic and agile enough to play very solid point of attack defense. He's mobile enough to stick with guards, and strong enough to hold his own against opposing forwards. Despite entering his fifth year of college basketball, he is only 21 and will only be 22 on draft night. He's the perfect mix of experience and upside, and I think he will make a fantastic role player at the next level. That said, that outcome hinges on his performance this year at Duke, but I have faith that Sion James is a name you will hear called on a draft night in the near future.
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