There are just four days until BYU basketball season returns, which means only four players are left on this season’s 10 in 10 basketball preview series.
The No. 4 player on the list of most important BYU basketball players this season is Kanon Catchings.
Catchings has basketball in his blood. His mother, Tauja, played college basketball in Illinois and was a WNBA draft pick. His grandfather, Harvey, spent 11 seasons in the NBA, and his aunt, Tamika Catchings, was a four-time Olympic gold medalist while also being named a WNBA MVP and 10-time All-Star with the Indiana Fever. Catchings was initially committed to Purdue before switching to play for Kevin Young and BYU basketball.
Catchings was rated a four-star recruit by ESPN out of Overtime Elite, and according to ESPN's draft guru Jonathan Givony, he is projected to go in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft.
And it is easy to see why…
Catchings, at 6-foot-9, has a talent for scoring the basketball. His ability to handle the ball at his size, shoot from anywhere on the court and athleticism translate directly to NBA superstardom potential. Rarely does a freshman lead BYU in scoring and get drafted in the NBA, but Catchings has a legitimate shot to do both this year.
In his first exhibition game as a BYU Cougar against Colorado Christian, Catchings scored 19 points on 8 of 10 shooting, including 2 of 3 from the 3-point line.
Egor ➡️ Kanon ➡️ Bucket pic.twitter.com/UbgvViLehh
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) October 31, 2024
Even against an inferior opponent, Catchings' ability to create shots off the dribble stood out. His scoring ability at the end of shot clock situations will be crucial for BYU because Catchings can bail the Cougars out of a bad offensive possession by scoring in one-on-one situations. Catchings poses a mismatch nightmare at his height with his shooting ability because he can shoot over anyone at the college level.
Coach Young and his staff will use Catchings as a screener and ball handler in many situations. If guards switch on Catchings, he should be able to feast inside by posting up against smaller players in the paint. When Catchings has a slower-footed forward in front of him, he should be able to create space for his shot or easily get to the basket.
Some mild concerns
On the defensive end of the floor, Catchings has all the tools to be an above-average to great defender in college. Starting at the forward position, Catchings' physicality will be tested in the Big 12 by Kansas’ KJ Adams, Houston’s J’wan Roberts, Baylor’s Norchad Omier and Arizona’s Trey Townsend.
If Catchings can hold his own against some of the best forwards in the country, then his draft stock will skyrocket and BYU’s chances of making a deep run in March will be much more likely. If not, and teams can attack Catchings on defense, it will be much harder for BYU to reach the tier of the upper echelon of Big 12 teams they expect to compete with this season.
Offensively, Catchings's only concern is his talent. As talented of a scorer as Catchings is, it could work to BYU’s detriment if Catchings decides to try and score too much on his own. BYU wants to play with pace and space on offense, which should make it relatively simple for Catcings to find good looks within the flow of Young’s system. Catchings can definitely do it on his own if called upon, but if he does it too much, it could hurt BYU’s offense in the long-term.
In Young’s introductory press conference just six months ago, he said, “What I want to do is take it to the next level, to make this place the best place in college basketball to prepare young men to play in the NBA.”
With Egor Demin and especially Catchings, Young can lay the foundation for his vision of BYU basketball as an NBA pipeline. Developing Catchings into an NBA talent this season would be the first step to making his vision come to life.