Jaxson Terry Scouting Report

Before the season gets underway, I wanted to write something about Loyola’s newest commit, Jaxson Terry, especially since footage/information about his game seems to be limited out there.

A 6’6” wing out of Acton, Massachusetts, Terry played his summer ball for Expressions Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit, where he led his team to a final four finish at Peach Jam.

Just in case you need a quick guide to the whole AAU summer circuit setup, Nike EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League) is the most prestigious of the summer circuits. Chuck Love played on this circuit. Adidas 3SSB (3 Stripes Select Basketball), where Ryan Kreager played this summer, and Under Armour UAA (Under Armour Association), where Nic Anderson played, round out the big three shoe circuits.

Historically, Nike’s been the top dog though. Over 50% of current NBA players played on the Nike circuit per data that’s on the interweb. After multiple weekend sessions throughout the summer, the Nike circuit culminates in Peach Jam, the most influential showcase event.

Between Kreager’s team finishing as the runner-up at Adidas and Terry’s team finishing in the final four at Nike, Valentine and the staff continue to prioritize players that have been a part of winning basketball. And while this of course sounds good on paper, I do believe there’s an actual edge to be gained with this approach. There are still so many winning plays made on a basketball court that cannot be quantified, so the very simple act of prioritizing players with winning backgrounds helps to ensure you’re not being led astray by empty calorie numbers or highlights.

Alright, back to Jaxson Terry. He led Expressions Elite in scoring with 12.6 ppg on 47.7% 2P, 31.1% 3P, and 74.2% FT shooting over 22 EYBL games. Terry held offers from a few of our friends, including George Mason, Saint Louis, GW, and Rhode Island, as well as Providence and Xavier (before Sean Miller moved on).

Terry is primarily a shooter on the offensive end, but he’s very capable at all three levels. The most exciting part of his game is his ability to play with his back to the basket, both as a scorer and a playmaker.

Terry definitely has some shades of Des Watson in his game — 44% of Terry’s FGAs were from deep, which is exactly where Des was as a Rambler. He’s not a player with the most explosive first step off a live dribble, but he knows how to use his strength and quickness inside the arc. It felt like every time Terry got the ball near the elbow and operated out of a triple threat, something good happened. You don’t see many guards or wings at this level look so poised in the mid-post, so I expect this to be a defining part of Terry’s game as a college player.

As a shooter, there’s no question Terry will be a reliable spot-up threat. He’s got the same quick trigger that Chuck Love has off the catch and he’s similarly unfazed by closeouts.

Terry did struggle to create separation on the perimeter, so it’s unlikely he becomes a lead initiator type, but he’s still going to put up points through other avenues. Again, very similar to Des in that regard, who managed to average 13 ppg by doing just that.

Around the basket, Terry has great feel. He’s adept at using shot fakes to get defenders in the air. His touch around the basket bodes well for his post-up development.

Defensively, Terry is very solid. Shocker, I know. He uses his strength to body up ball handlers, and he has enough lateral quickness to hang with speedy guards. There were a couple closeouts I saw that could’ve been better, but Terry was playing through an ankle injury over the summer, so I’m going to cut him some slack. Even so, Terry had some really nice moments on the defensive end.

Those last two plays came against Lucas Morillo, a top-60 guy, so Terry’s proven it against very good competition as well.

Overall, Terry’s a consistent player in all aspects of the game. The absence of glaring weaknesses has been a clear throughline among all the wings that Valentine and the staff have brought in recently — a baseline competency in decision-making, shooting, and defending. When players have a reliable foundation in all facets, it allows for more chances to have a development breakthrough. For example, Daniil Glazkov’s best skill by the end of this past year was his defense. Sure, he was solid on that end at IMG, but I certainly wasn’t expecting to see as much growth defensively from him in year one as he showed. And even though Daniil’s shot took awhile to come around, he still earned playing time by making an impact in other areas. That’s what Terry’s capable of. Maybe he becomes a lights out catch and shoot guy. Maybe he becomes a go-to post scorer. Or a defensive-minded wing. However his game develops, he’s got a great shot at becoming an impact player in multiple areas.