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basketball Edit

Film room: Aden Holloway

Auburn landed its first commitment of the 2023 class with top 40 guard Aden Holloway committing to the Tigers on Monday.

Holloway, known as a knockdown shooter and crafty finisher, is originally from Charlotte, N.C., and played last season at La Lumiere, but has since transferred to Prolific Prep for his senior season.

Here’s a deeper look into his game:

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Shooting

The first thing that pops off the screen with Holloway’s game is his shooting. He has the ability to get his shot off in a multitude of ways

He’s excellent at creating his own shot off of the dribble whether it be off of the pick-and-roll or just pulling up with a man in his face

He is also willing to run off ball which in turn gets him more open looks.


Not much dribbling here nor was it a catch-and-shoot. Holloway thought about the shot and gave a little jab to force the defender to back up a little giving Holloway all the space he needed to knock down the corner three.

A bit of an inefficient shot (K.D. Johnson likes this type of shot), but like Johnson, it's one that Holloway can knock down.

Defensively, you can't have a miscommunication when guarding Holloway, even if it's for a split second like this play.

Holloway does not need much space to get his shot up and the small lapse in the defense gave him all the space he needed.

Bonus points for the clutch shot.

This is what we call "in the gym range".

Holloway is a legit threat to shoot the ball once he crosses half-court. Him simply existing on the court causes defensive nightmares because he has to be picked up pretty much at half court which allows the floor to be opened up for the whole offense.

A good term for this is gravity.

Holloway is a very willing off-ball player which opens up his offense and the whole team's offense.

Holloway running around on the court can absolutely wear on a defense because they have to be with him step for step or he'll catch a pass and instantly pop a three.


Self-creation

As mentioned above, Holloway is great at creating his own shot.

In addition to creating his own looks from three, he also has the ability to drive downhill and get himself a good shot from either mid-range or around the basket.

He also excels at creating for himself (and others) as the ball handler in the pick-and-roll.

Holloway is under control when driving to the basket.

He starts the drive with a little hesitation which gets his man off balance.

From there, he is in total control and uses a hop step to stop himself and get an open look from mid-range because the defender is completely guessing.

Nothing too special here, but Holloway is a good driver and finisher.

He waits for his side to clear out and then attacks off of the iso (note the reverse finish).

There are some guys that are so good that they can take on the entire defense and still find a way to finish.

Holloway splits the initial double, gets by the guy trying to rip at him, and instead of driving into the teeth of the defense, he stops (always under control) and puts up a little floater.

There are a lot of NBA players that are still trying to master the touch on the floater. Holloway has it down as a high schooler.

Finishing

Holloway is an incredibly crafty finisher and it might be the most impressive part of his game.

Holloway can finish around the rim in multiple ways as has a nice floater in his bag and has the ability to adjust his lay-up based on how the defense contests him.

Despite only standing at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Holloway is adept at finishing around the rim against bigger defenders.

Incredibly strong drive here.

Holloway powers to the rim and takes on two shot blockers and is able to finish over them and draw the foul.

He's a strong finisher around the rim despite his smaller size.

Shout out to the refs for making the correct call here as well.

He has the ability to finish awkward shots that really look like they have no business falling.

Here, he drives baseline with a defender behind him and in front of him, so he is able to contort his body to where he is jumping backward in a way that the help defender can't block his shot but also to where the guy behind him can't get a contest off either.

I don't even have anything to say here, I just wanted y'all to see this because this is an absurd finish. His lay-up package and finishing ability are top-tier.


Passing

As a passer, Holloway isn't what Sharife Cooper was, but he is a smart passer that sees the court well.

Holloway only averaged 1.7 assists per game at La Lumiere as he took on more of a scoring role (which is what they needed), but he averaged 6.2 assists per game at the Peach Jam circuit including a 10 assist game.

Holloway has a tight handle and is always calm and in control when handling the ball.

Holloway is good at driving and kicking while also having the ability to pass out of the pick-and-roll.

After getting the pick he drives downhill and after noticing the help he kicks it to the open man in the corner. His own gravity will make it to where the defense will have to help on to him giving his teammates open looks.

Not a great pass, but it highlights his playmaking ability because he drew the help in just enough to get his teammate an open look in the corner.

Defense

Defense will always be tough for someone the size of Holloway, but there are things he does well on this side of the ball.

Holloway is good at ripping the ball at the right time from ball handlers and has a solid grasp on how to play passing lanes.

During Peach Jam, Holloway averaged 1.8 steals.

Holloway will gamble for steals.

Gambling for steals like this is a double-edged sword because if it works out then it's great like this, but if you miss it then your defense is at a 4 vs. 5 disadvantage.


This is a very smart steal.

The ball handler turned his head away from the basket (don't ever do that) and Holloway notices and comes behind and rips it away.

Bonus points for the controlled finish at the end of the play as well.

Holloway is a smaller point guard that can shoot from anywhere on the court, is great at finishing at the rim, and is a good playmaker. Sound familiar?

Holloway was made to run Bruce Pearl's offense.

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