The soft, sweet stroke on underrated 6-foot-11 Class of 2020 big man Emmanuel Ndatuje has the tendency to elicit matchup nightmares.
That's on every level of play. Similar to former NBA sharpshooter Sam "Big Smooth" Perkins, Ndatuje has a deft and reliable 16-20 footer, plus a 3-point game which really spreads the floor out.
Intangibles such as Ndatuje's height, length, and aesthetic form help give him a bird's eye view of the rim on his shot.
It all makes his fluid jumper and evolving pick and pop game a chore to guard. As he enters his junior season as an unknown commodity with upside, Ndatuje has the potential to be one of the state's most unique offensive threats.
After getting his basketball teeth cut in Canada, the forward/center adapted to the style of the American game. Ndatuje developed into a key source in a quick paced offense at Inspire Prep of Orlando, competing in the talent loaded SIAA conference of Florida.
"Playing in America has just been a great experience," said Ndatuje, who could eventually grow to above 7-feet and be sifting through Division-I offers.
"It really taught me just how hard you have to play at all times to be successful. Plain and simple, you have to have your 'A' game out there."
Becoming a sturdy additional leg of offense alongside high-scoring combination guard Khalyl Simmons and 6-foot-7 senior strongman Raymond Dieng at Inspire, the big Canadian's game really developed.
By ramping up with the unrequired work and incorporating a face-up game, Ndatuje became a critical piece.
"I had to have confidence in myself when no one else believed in me," he said. "That meant more of a workload and being a student of the game as they say and learning. You have to want it. It is 'killed or be killed' out there."
Ndatuje savored that mentality, looking to play the role of killer.
On the full monty of short jumpers, interior buckets, and shots from deep, he scored 15 points against state champion The Rock.
Against a DME national high school team featuring Florida Atlantic-signee Madiaw Niang and Fresno State-bound 7-foot-2 Center Assane Diouf, Ndatuje dropped 20 points.