Jake Layman, Senior, Maryland, Forward, 6’9, 220
(2014-15, 30.1 mpg) 12.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.9 tpg
47.0 FG%, 75.2 FT%, 37.8 3FG%, 58.9 TS%, 54.4 eFG%
22.7 USG%, 5.6 OREB%, 16.2 DREB%, 11.4 TRB%, 11.1 AST%, 1.6 STL%
DOB: 3/7/1994 (21) Hometown: Wrentham, Massachusetts
2015 Third Team All-Big Ten
The Watch List is not meant to replace full scouting reports and is only meant as a guide for who and what to watch for this upcoming season
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As Maryland heads into a season with big expectations, Jake Layman will be looking to finish his career in a strong way, building off good sophomore and junior seasons. At 6’9, Layman has great size for the small forward position, with a lean build and good athleticism. He has the potential to be a versatile threat on offense, knocking down jumpers, attacking the basket, and even moving into the post when the match-up is there. He has improved each year as a perimeter shooter, becoming increasingly comfortable behind the arc, and quickening his motion and release. With his size, Layman gets a good amount of open looks on the perimeter, and his shot selection has improved a lot over the last two seasons. While not exceptionally quick, Layman has a decent first step, often combined with a good shot-fake, and he uses long strides to try and beat his man to the basket off the dribble. He is an average ballhandler, good for his size, but he often tries to force his drives to the right, and he can get a bit careless with his dribble when covering 10+ feet. He has very good body control as he looks to get to the basket, though his ability to finish at the rim needs to improve; Layman uses angles and the backboard well to score around the basket, but he doesn’t often go at the basket strong, especially with a rim-protector in position to help, and will hesitate to go right at him. Still, Layman does do a good job drawing fouls, especially with the percentage of jumpers he takes. His free throw rate of 46.4 is good for his style of play, and as a 75 percent free throw shooter, it adds up to some easy points. Layman has also shown some ability as a passer, especially after drawing defenders off of drives to the rim and finding an open teammate on the perimeter. He makes strong, catchable passes which can be converted quickly to a good shot attempt, and his size allows him to find openings over the top of the defense. Layman runs the floor well, whether he is pushing the ball up the floor himself, or running one of the wings. He does a good job drawing defenders when he has the ball, and he uses his long strides to help him get to the rim quickly before the defense gets back. Defensively, Layman’s length allows him to disrupt passing lanes and shooters, and he shows good movement, both on and off the ball. He can be a decent help defender, and he does a good job positioning himself to move between a variety of spots quickly on the floor. Layman isn’t particularly strong, but he can be a solid rebounder, tracking the ball well, boxing out, and going after the ball instead of waiting for it to fall to him.
What he needs to show this season: As I mentioned, Layman has the skills to be a versatile scorer, but he oscillates between being under- and over-aggressive when he gets the ball. There are plenty of times where he’ll just get rid of the ball quickly without even looking to see what opportunities he may have, and that may be his biggest weakness, being able to recognize consistently what the defense is giving him and learning to take advantage. Lay man has the size, athletic ability, and shot to be a threat from many spots on the floor, but I’m not 100 percent sure he realizes that. Now, part of that was due to Melo Trimble’s inexperience at the point last year, not always recognizing what his teammates had, but Layman has to have the confidence to take the chances when they are there consistently. In terms of skills, his ballhandling could be a problem, between letting the ball get away from him when making a move to the basket, and not being very strong going to his left. Also, developing physically could help him a lot, both when finishing at the rim, and when looking to take his man into the post. Defensively, Layman has continued to improve, and while he shows solid fundamentals, he does lack some foot speed, especially when defending out on the perimeter, and matched up against other wings. He also can have some problems when defending an active player off the ball, and he can have a tendency to get turned around as he tries to maneuver through screens, or chasing through the lane area. While Layman has some good fundamentals when looking to rebound, his energy can be inconsistent, and he needs to be stronger with the ball once he gets it.
Where he fits at the next level: Layman has the size and many of the skills that could help him transition well to the pro game, and many of his perceived weaknesses are either physical (speed, strength, etc.) or consistency-based. Still, there is a very solid foundation for him to work with, and continuing to show consistency with his long-range jumper while he build his other areas will help him come next May and June. Also, with Trimble now a sophomore, the offense should run smoother than it did last year, and with some new, talented teammates, Layman could be in a very good position to take another leap as a senior, though the flipside could be that his lack of consistent aggressiveness can hinder him with other options now on offense. Even a normal yearly improvement should have Layman looked at extensively by NBA teams.
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