[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2023 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Julian Phillips
Frame: 6’8″, 198 lbs
Position: Forward
School: Tennessee
Year: Freshman
2023 Draft Age: 19
Stats via sports-reference.com

Offense

Phillips has shown flashes of electrifying potential in his first season in Knoxville. He is highly efficient at drawing fouls and converting at the line (82 percent). His back-to-the-basket game allows him to showcase versatile finishing moves at the rim. He also draws contact as a slasher from the wing cutting into the lane.
With an athletic, quick first step, Phillips creates separation from his defender, giving him options like taking it to the rim or floater. He hits an effective 43 percent of attempts within five feet of the basket.

His ability to finish with both hands is impressive, and in more recent games has done more damage around the basket. His dexterity helps him fake out defenders and finish with his off-hand on a slice through the lane. Phillips also moves well without the ball and recognizes opportunities to flash or utilize the short corner to his advantage with his size and skill. Reducing the number of gather dribbles would help get looks off quicker or draw the defender in the air attempting to contest his shot.

With his size, Phillips projects to be an ideal 3-and-D player at the next level. While currently hitting just 33 percent from deep, Phillips has a solid foundation to develop from with his shot mechanics and jumping ability. His more effective looks come off catch-and-shoot action where he jabs his defender into believing he will take the flare screen and instead just receives the pass already prepared to shoot. In this action, from the wing extended (on either side of the court), Phillips is hitting 50 percent of his attempts. The corners and top of the key are areas that need improvement.

 

Defense

The defensive side of Phillips’s game is where he will have the most significant impact on a game. He can defend multiple positions, keep his feet moving and stay in front of his assignment dating back to his high school days. Under Coach Rick Barnes and the Tennessee staff, these skills have improved and developed further during Phillips’s freshman campaign.

His length allows him to contest even if his assignment beats him on the first step. His agility and athleticism disrupt whoever he is defending. Ball deflections lead to steals (both for Phillips and his teammates). Phillips’s switchability to multiple positions on the floor should get him NBA minutes early in his career, which should quicken his development.

He does a solid job making the help side read, always keeping his head up and aware of the motion around him (ball or player movement). Phillips gets to his position and can contest or alter shots. His ability to challenge the shot at the apex and do so without fouling will only further improve. Phillips shows he is a student of the game and displays an awareness of the verticality rule.

Looking Ahead

The biggest thing that Phillips needs to show the rest of the season is consistency. Though his defensive ability is impressive, there are instances where he has lapses in his intensity and appears disengaged. The qualities he’s shown up to this point in the season also display that his offensive game needs further continued work. Improvements in his shooting may go a long way to solidifying a potential rotation piece at the next level as a 3-and-D type in the league.

With a measured seven-foot wingspan, Phillips needs to fully commit to his defensive skills and IQ and prove he can keep his motor at the next level. I see a good deal of Isaiah Roby of the San Antonio Spurs in Phillips’s game. Roby was a second-round selection in 2019 and has shown shot-making ability similar to Phillips and a defensive skill set that mirrors certain qualities. Phillips currently projects as a late first or early second-round selection depending on team need and his best-fit scenario.