Jerry Easter Scouting Deepdive
USC freshman Jerry Easter brings a unique skillset to the Trojans while still providing the coaching staff with an intriguing developmental project
When evaluating high school basketball prospects, most scouts search for proficiency in a few select categories to determine whether they’ll find success with their college programs or not. Do they understand the intricacies of the game? Are they willing to make a consistent effort on both sides of the court? Are they prepared athletically to compete at a higher level? Can they knock down the three? If a player checks these boxes while adding a handful of other wrinkles unique to their personal playstyle, they’re often held at a premium within college recruiting circles. However, I think a few traits have somewhat fallen to the wayside, qualities that were once borderline requirements for high school players looking to make an immediate impact at the college level. Jerry Easter possesses these underappreciated qualities, in addition to most of the modern requirements previously mentioned, and because of this; I expect him to immediately contribute at the college level.
Player Profile:
Jerry Easter is a 6’3” and 190lb point guard from Toledo, Ohio who finished his high school career at Link Academy in Branson, Missouri after spending his first two seasons at Emmanuel Christian School and his junior campaign with La Lumiere. He played on the Nike EYBL circuit first with All-Ohio Red and then Team Final. The four-star recruit was a consensus top 50 prospect in his graduating class, collecting a long list of collegiate offers because of his efforts. Before eventually committing to USC and head coach Eric Musselman, he received offers from programs such as Michigan State, Tennessee, Alabama, Baylor, Arkansas, Michigan, Illinois, and many more. He joins five-star recruit Alijah Arenas as the only other freshman joining the Trojans this season, along with their nine-man transfer class.
He wasted no time cementing himself as a top-tier recruit during his tenure with his hometown Emmanuel Christian School. He posted absurd averages for a freshman during his debut season, finishing eighth in the state in points per game at 25 per contest, and leading the state in steals at 5 a night. He also grabbed 10.4 rebounds per game as a freshman point guard, a theme that would persist throughout his high school career. His sophomore season was when he truly emerged as one of the best prospects in the country, averaging 32.3 points per game and 7.5 rebounds. Following the season, he would take his talents to La Lumiere, where he would average 18.2 points per game, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals on the EYBL Scholastic circuit.
Easter spent his final season with Link Academy, where he played full-time point guard alongside five-star center Chris Cenac, emerging as a pass-first offensive agent while maintaining his elite perimeter defense and rebounding skills. He averaged only 9.6 points per game, but chipped in 4.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals. Now he heads to USC, where he will likely play a similar traditional lead guard role during his freshman campaign as he fights with upperclassmen for the starting point guard spot.
Interior Scoring – A Walking Paint Touch
I’m not saving the best for last when it comes to Jerry Easter; I’m starting with it. Almost everything that I love about his playstyle actively works through his driving and interior scoring games, making for a skillset that I think best illustrates his ability to contribute early in his college career. He utilizes impressive stop-start acceleration, creative ball handling, and elite playing strength to force his way into the paint at every available opportunity, which creates a ton of advantages for both him and his teammates. If he continues to structure his game around his ability to penetrate the paint, not only do I think he’ll find a ton of success in college, but I think he will stand out as a potential lead guard for professional organizations.
Easter has strong first-step acceleration, but his specialty is quickly alternating between acceleration and deceleration throughout his drives. He doesn’t achieve this via the herky-jerky body feint style that we often see from talented acceleration artists, but through simple split-second speed manipulation. He’s fond of jump stops and hop steps, bridging the initial drive and eventual decision whether to attempt a shot or find a teammate. His ability to force and absorb contact allows him to rely heavier on jump stops, which give him additional options but limits the advantages that most guards rely on such as speed-based separation and a quick release on layups and floaters. Instead of restricting himself to tough finishing like most quick-footed guards do, he’s able to convert at-the-rim looks, find teammates on the perimeter, or end up on the free-throw line (which he does a lot) while rarely finding himself in detrimental positions.
Off-ball rim pressure isn’t a major factor for his interior offensive production, but it is something we’ve seen him incorporate into his game throughout his high school career. More than off-ball cutting and play finishing, he’s far more likely to work off-the-catch from the perimeter via handoffs and stampedes. One may argue that these aren’t necessarily “off-ball” actions, as he proceeds to put the ball on the floor as he drives to the rim, but my point is that he’s willing to work away from the ball to put himself in advantageous positions to score once he receives it. While I don’t expect this element of his game to ever be pivotal for his overall offensive success, it is a useful wrinkle that strengthens his driving unpredictability and gives coaching staffs options regarding his fit alongside other guards and ball handling wings.
Easter is incredibly effective in the open court, as his speed gives him a major advantage, and his finishing weaknesses are minimized because of the weakened defense. In the half court, he often struggles with soft-touch issues on his at-the-rim attempts, something that doesn’t significantly affect him in transition. His non-scoring traits also bolster his transition effectiveness, including his strong positional rebounding, ability to create advantages via his passing, and defensive playmaking. Not only does he convert his opportunities in these scenarios, but he also creates them with his rebounding and ability to turn opponents over. That’s what makes him such a dangerous transition operative.
Mid-Range Scoring – Maintaining Versatility
As we will discuss shortly, Easter isn’t a strong three-point shooter, which is why it’s surprising that he’s very effective operating from the mid-range. Not only does he possess your typical package of floaters and push-shots, but he’s also a confident pull-up jump shooter. While this is obviously important for his offensive game’s overall versatility, most importantly for me, it suggests a future where he becomes an above average long-range shooter. If he can develop his outside shot, his mid-range game will become even more vital to his overall output, as it will perfectly complement his areas of heavier reliance.
I believe that he’s comfortable taking pull-up jump shots mostly because they’re an extension of his driving game. He doesn’t attempt them out of necessity like many mid-range reliant guards, instead choosing to mix them into his game to maintain his driving unpredictability. A lot of times you’ll see players settle for mid-range attempts because they fail to fight through a defender’s contact or because they’re weary of an interior defender, but those aren’t things that Easter struggles with. His mechanics on these shots are fluid and consistent, and the speed of his shot motion combined with his ability to stop on a dime makes contesting these attempts a difficult challenge for defenders. All in all, I expect this to be a major element of his game throughout his career, even if he eventually replaces some of his mid-range volume with three-point shots.
The strongest shot in Easter’s arsenal is probably his floater. Like his pull-up jump shooting, his floaters are an extension of his driving game, but I’d argue that the floater is far more important for his game. I don’t have his shooting splits for every individual shot attempt, but I’d take an educated guess that his floater is just as, if not more, efficient than his layups. His ability to decelerate on his drives makes this a relatively uncontested look every time, as defenders coast away from him toward the hoop. He’s also built significant depth into this shot, regularly knocking them down from the free-throw line and elbows. Like his pull-up jumper, the most promising element of this shot from a long-term perspective is his touch, which suggests shooting success in the future, even if floaters don’t directly translate mechanically.
He usually avoids attempting in-between soft touch jumpers whenever there’s a significant interior defensive presence. However, it is something that I think he could develop over time, as finishing through contact isn’t something he struggles with on his at-the-rim attempts. I noticed that, as his senior season progressed, he was incorporating the occasional driving hook shot into his shot diet, an attempt that would further bolster his versatility from this level. He didn’t make many of those looks (he didn’t attempt a ton either), but the willingness to attempt them was a promising sign for me. Based on his comfort, confidence, and effectiveness on other shots from this level, I expect his mid-range and in-between scoring games to continue developing throughout his career.
Outside Shooting – Work in Progress
By far the most glaring weakness in Easter’s game is his inability to consistently knock down the outside shot. This is, obviously, a worrying flaw considering he’ll almost certainly be a lead guard in USC’s rotation as soon as this season, even if it is in a backup capacity. For a lead guard to find success, being a competent three-point shooter is almost always a requirement (I see you TJ McConnell). We see guards like Easter, who are excellent on the drive and who have advanced physical profiles but who struggle to make shots from beyond the arc, have trouble sticking in the league relatively often. I expect him to fall into that category if he doesn’t solve his long-range issues, which I do think he can achieve throughout his time with the Trojans.
His off-the-dribble shooting from beyond the arc is incredibly limited. Not only does he not attempt many of these looks, but even when he does, they’re relatively simple looks that barely qualify as “off-the-dribble". By this I mean putting the ball on the floor one or two times following a closeout or pulling up when a defender goes under a screen. Very rarely do we see him create space for himself via his dribbling, which is strange considering he has a solid handle. Since we can’t blame a weak handle for this, I attribute this to confidence issues and a reliance on rim pressure. Why attempt an off-the-dribble three when you can keep searching for a driving lane? While this line of reasoning did support his in-game productivity, I think the lack of legitimate off-the-dribble outside shooting reps hindered his development as an all-around scorer.
As of right now, he’s primarily a catch-and-shoot option from beyond the arc, which isn’t the strongest long-term indicator for a player who spent almost all his minutes on the ball throughout high school. Because of his speed and ability to work around screens, he’s a solid off-ball mover, but that still won’t be his preferred role at any level. His catch-and-shoot work is certainly better than his off-the-dribble shooting, and it gives us a better look at his mechanics and overall approach to this part of his game. His mechanics don’t look bad, but his motion his slow and labored, and it’s clear that he’s making a conscious effort to maintain those mechanics. This is obviously a good thing in theory, but I’d like to see more fluidity in his motion, which I think would occur naturally through muscle memory. At this point, he needs to build that muscle memory through consistent repetition and practice, which will hopefully strengthen his mechanics to the point where he feels comfortable creating off-the-dribble opportunities.
Passing & Playmaking – A Mixed Bag
Easter is a traditional point guard, which means he was thrust into a playmaking role during his high school career, especially his senior season with Link Academy. However, he has consistently dealt with turnover issues and still has a lot of work to do before he becomes an elite floor general against collegiate opponents. That said, he was a primary scoring option for the first three years of his career, with passing being his secondary offensive skill. Only during his senior season did he become a pass-first point guard, which I think explains why he’s still a work in progress as an all-around playmaker. He has strong passing instincts and is clearly willing to play the role, so I am hopeful that, as his career progresses, he’ll cement himself as a very good passing lead guard.
He possesses a few key traits, which I believe are naturally occurring, that have allowed him to flourish as a pass-first guard despite the lack of experience. Those are accuracy and off-the-hand pop. Accuracy is self-explanatory, but to explain pop; I’m talking about the speed at which the ball leaves his hands once he sees an advantageous opportunity. This pop allows him to find his teammates through the natural flow of the offense, meaning he doesn’t have to be flashy or throw his defenders off using alternative methods. As the season progressed, he got better as a pick-and-roll ball handler and as a transition passer, but at the moment he’s clearly at his best working as a connective passer. Normally, that’s not a great thing for someone who’s supposed to be a lead guard, but I found that the things that make him such a strong connective passer should directly translate to his primary passing skillset in the future.
An area where he could afford to make major developments is kickout passing. He’s solid in this area, but he should be able to leverage his elite driving capabilities into being an elite kickout passer. He showed strong flashes during his senior campaign, but I expect him to make major strides in this area going forward. One thing he struggles with is settling for difficult looks on his drives instead of throwing passes to open shooters on the perimeter, probably because he has found so much success on those looks throughout his career. This issue requires a mental shift, which I trust won’t be incredibly difficult to accomplish. If he can continue to grow as a kickout passer and pick-and-roll handler, while maintaining his elite connective skills, I think he’ll eventually find a ton of success playing this role.
Defense – A Safe Bet
Easter is a strong offensive player, and his rim pressure and in-between games will ensure he finds success on that end once he reaches the college ranks. However, his defensive playstyle is structured around not just a handful of solid traits, but instead a well-rounded toolbelt that will keep him on the floor no matter how he performs on offense. He was one of the best perimeter defenders in all of high school basketball during his junior and senior seasons, and I don’t think it will take long for him to emerge as one of the best perimeter defenders at the college level.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever evaluated a player who generates as many steals as Easter without consistently taking risks. When most evaluators talk about defensive playmakers, they are referring to someone who’s good at picking and choosing when to make a “play” or take a risk to turn an opponent over or hinder their possession. Easter does do this on occasion, but most of his steals are generated via strong point of attack defense. His quick hands, strong frame, and lateral agility support his ability to find success in this manner. Screens don’t phase him, and he’s excellent at recovering if his matchup properly uses a screen to create an advantage. When he does take a risk, it doesn’t feel risky because he’s so incredibly calculated. He rarely fails to make his opponents’ life harder, even if he doesn’t get the steal. He can be quick to pick up fouls at times, but he’s good at managing his fouls, knowing when and when not to commit one.
Passing lane steals are what pop into my mind when I think of defensive playmaking, the art of perfectly timing a jump in order to turn an opponent over and create a fast break opportunity. However, for Easter, most of his passing lane steals occur within the natural flow of the offense. His instincts are so strong and his hands so quick that he often finds himself plucking balls out of lanes without moving his feet. He is willing to jump a passing lane, but like I mentioned in the last paragraph, he rarely fails to convert on these because he’s so good at picking and choosing when to do so. I doubt he’ll be asked to be a twitchy defensive playmaker at the college level, simply because he doesn’t have to be to make an impact. Overall, while I do recognize that a learning curve will likely be present once he matches up against bigger and better opponents, I’d venture to guess that he’ll cement himself as a premier defender far earlier than most players do.
Summary:
Before I summarize Easter’s game, I want to list out any and all of his weaknesses and flaws to garner a better understanding of it in its entirety. I include this disclaimer in all my scouting deepdives, but having weaknesses isn’t a career death sentence, instead they should be viewed as areas in need of improvement. What makes the great players great is their ability to improve upon their weaknesses while bolstering their strengths, a philosophy that should be adopted by every player at every level.
He’s not a great vertical athlete, rarely finishing above the rim even when the basket isn’t properly defended by a legitimate rim protector. If he were an elite under- and around-the rim finisher, this wouldn’t be as big of an issue, but I wouldn’t classify him into that camp.
For the most part, he’s a solid finisher who has found a ton of success attacking the hoop and finishing beneath the rim. However, he does occasionally suffer from faltering touch, putting too much or too little on his attempts. This isn’t a major concern, but it needs to be fine-tuned.
Although contact doesn’t usually deter him, when matched up against solid rim protectors he often settles for easily blockable attempts. This didn’t do too much harm during his high school career, but I fear it will emerge as a bigger issue at the college level.
He’s an explosive player, but his first-step acceleration won’t work as well against college defenders, which means he needs to find other ways to consistently create driving advantages. I think he’ll have to achieve this via his handle, which while it is above average, probably isn’t college lead guard caliber. He’ll have to spend a lot of time developing his handle throughout his freshman season.
He’s still developing his mid-range and in-between shot arsenal, specifically his driving non-floater jumpers. Even if he does get rather good on these looks, I doubt they’ll ever be a major part of his game. For that reason, if this never comes along, I don’t think it’ll make or break anything.
He’s fantastic at drawing contact and ending up at the free-throw line but isn’t a standout free-throw shooter. If he maintains his ability to find his way to the charity stripe, he’ll have to improve as a shooter to maximize his output.
He’s an okay catch-and-shoot outside shooter but is still probably below average for his position. As I mentioned in the outside shooting section, he shouldn’t rely on catch-and-shoot work throughout his career. However, he will attempt these looks on occasion and needs to improve because of that.
His off-the-dribble outside shooting is incredibly underdeveloped for a lead guard like himself. His handle is solid but not good enough to assist his long-range space and advantage creation, but most importantly, he’s not comfortable attempting these looks, and his shot motion is too slow for him to consistently get his shot off over defenders.
He’s still improving as a pick-and-roll and kickout passer, but I think he’s on the correct path. His biggest weakness as a passer is that he still struggles as a decision maker, suffering from turnover problems throughout his high school career. At this point, I think the best way to solve this is to put him into as many high-stress and fast-pace situations as possible. Forged in fire.
Defensively, his only current flaw in my eyes is his vertical ability, as it limits his ability to play recovery defense and be an occasional secondary rim protector. This isn’t the end of the world considering his role as a point of attack defender. I don’t expect him to make a major defensive impact from day one, but once he gets used to the level of play in college, he’ll be fine.
To summarize Jerry Easter’s game, he’s the next name on a long list of quick-footed lead guards who apply a ton of rim pressure and support their teammates through their passing. What separates him from that group is his defense, something that many of those players have been known to struggle with. He has nearly mastered several elements of the game while remaining severely flawed in others, meaning he should be able to make an impact for USC this season while still being a developmental project. For Trojan fans, that may seem like a two-sided reality, but for professional evaluators like me, it makes him an incredibly intriguing prospect.
To break it down, Easter is fantastic at finding his way into the paint and converting layups and floaters while consistently creating contact and ending up at the charity stripe. He has a strong mid-range shooting game, bolstered by his above average handle and offensive gravity generated by his driving abilities and passing acumen. He’s an excellent positional rebounder and was one of the best perimeter defenders in all of high school basketball during his junior and senior seasons. On the other hand, his outside shooting is underdeveloped for a lead guard, and he still has work to do as a ball handler and all-around passer. While he is physically advanced, his athletic profile isn’t particularly special. I expect him to be in the USC rotation this season, and he should be given the opportunity to compete for the starting spot throughout the year. I think he’ll spend at least two years in college, but I do consider him a very real NBA prospect, and I like his long-term odds of finding a role in the league.