It’s difficult to argue with people’s perceptions about Phillips based on his season here. I saw him play live in high school a few times. I saw him practice with our squad last Summer, and had (oft stated) high hopes. Similarly, I watched DeAndre Hunter live in high school, and then through his time in college, and now in the NBA. They have very similar bodies, skills and are each guard/forward tweeners with great defensive footwork. As a HS senior, Phillips game was significantly more developed than Hunter’s. During practices last year and even early in the season, he showed quite a bit of promise at both ends of the court. In November he started get a series of recurring hand and wrist injuries, and later had a nagging hip pointer for the rest of the year. As teams packed in and guarded Santi as a defensive plan, his operating space tightened, and he drew doubles when he got the ball. All of this led to a decline in his offensive output over the season. He was a good teammate, disciplined player, and played hard. His injuries contributed both to his inability to hold the ball in traffic, and his reluctance to drive or rebound in a crowd. He continued to play great defense all season. As to what could have been, Hunter came in with the same frame, but redshirted, then played twenty minutes a game the next season as he got stronger, and ultimately became a dominant player in his third year on a NC team, and was picked 4th in the draft. It’s never apples to apples, but Hunter looked more like a baby giraffe than Phillips at 18. Phillips is a very good player, with a serious upside. He also remains in contact with CRB and the team. I’ve heard he’s leaning toward staying in the draft regardless of the projections based on feedback he’s gotten from meetings. Rest assured that we’d make a spot for him, as would anyone else in the NCAA. He had a disappointing season. He had lots of challenges. He’s not done growing into his body or his skills. As with every instance of potential, there’s a downside too, obviously. If someone develops him smartly, there’s a strong comp in Hunter for where he could end up. I’ll keep rooting for him.
