“People tell me I play a little like Myles Turner and a little bit of Anthony Davis.”
It is no wonder 7’0” 2021 Jonas Aidoo of Liberty Heights out of Charlotte, NC has taken the recruiting world by storm over the past three months. “I stretch the floor, I am pretty versatile, I can bring the ball up the floor, I block shots, alter shots, a little bit of everything really.”
I realize comparisons are not natural as every player is different and you do not want to box a player into a specific path. But what comparisons can do is shed light on the archetype of the player’s style and strengths. While comparisons are something that come up quite often, in the case of Aidoo, the comparison to NBA players should show the ceiling he has.
While 2020 has been left of normal for many, it has been very unexpected for Aidoo. Coming into July, when the travel season kicked off, Aidoo carried a lone Appalachian State offer. Coming out of the travel ball season, Aidoo carried a national ranking to go along with over 20 offers.
It all came fast for Aidoo, “It’s been a humbling experience. I didn’t even know I was going to blow up like this. Meeting all these coaches, seeing what they have to offer, it’s just all really been a blessing.”
While Aidoo is still talking to some schools who have yet to offer, he does have in mind what he is looking for in a program, “I would love to have a family based environment, I just want to go where I can impact. Where I can get better, improve physically and mentally, you know improve the mental part of the game.”
He also carries with him a time frame of when he would like to narrow things down and ultimately decide, “I’ll probably narrow it down toward the end of October, mid-November and make my decision in January.”
Why I Like Aidoo
In today’s basketball where traditional threes are playing the four and all fives need to be able to protect the rim and move their feet, Aidoo has the natural physical make up of what the modern-day big looks. Last season he finished the year shooting over 40% from three while also averaging three blocks per game.
Aidoo is only 17 years old, and he still needs to continue adding core strength and learning the finer nuances to the game, footwork, his spots, angles, etc…his natural tools are impossible to deny. On offense, Aidoo is able to line up from multiple spots on the floor, back to basket, high post, trail big, corner, dunker spots, etc…He has the skill set to pass, shoot, handle, dunk from each position on the floor.
His aggression has been in question in the past, but throughout this summer the rebounding switch went off and he is controlling the boards like you would want a 7-footer to do. Through multiple individual matchups this summer with the likes of Top 5 Jabari Smith and Top 15 Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Aidoo played with and, as the season wore on, won his share of battles.
The upside is immense, the work ethic is there and the future is bright.
