On Wednesday, Kansas added their third high school recruit from the class of 2024 when Rakease Passmore committed to the Jayhawks live on the 247Sports Youtube channel.
A 6-foot-5 wing at Lincolnton (N.C.) Combine Academy who currently ranks No. 48 nationally on 247Sports, Passmore joins a high-powered class that already includes five-star center Flory Bidunga and combo guard Labaron Philon who ranks No. 27 overall. The addition of Passmore will move Bill Self’s class to No. 3 overall in the industry generated composite team rankings for the class of 2024.
Jayhawks fans are used to highly ranked classes and they know that Self and his staff know what to do with them. Still, it is worth diving into exactly what Passmore could bring to the table in Lawrence.
Over the last several years, Kansas has quietly established itself as quite the incubator of NBA wing talent and while Passmore still has some work to do, he could be the next in a group that already includes players like Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre, Josh Jackson, Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun and Gradey Dick — to name a few — who ended up being highly drafted after stays of varying lengths in Lawrence.
Of those past Jayhawks, Passmore probably compares the most similarly to Agbaji. Like Agbaji, Passmore is a plus athlete with length who will arrive at his best in transition, around the rim and as a straight line driver in the half court. The jump shot isn’t broken by any means, but there will need to be some tweaks made to become a more reliable shooter from deep and Self and his staff will be more than willing to work with him. Kansas fans certainly remember that Agbaji was supposed to redshirt his freshman season and had a suspect jumper as well.
We all know how that ended up turning out.
Does that mean that Passmore eventually leads Kansas to a title while earning All-American honors and developing into a first round NBA Draft pick? No. That’s not a fair expectation to put on Passmore. On the other hand he has the athletic ability, aggressive instincts and raw tools that Self and his staff have proven to be quite adept at molding into a very productive player and it is plenty reasonable to think Passmore can play meaningful minutes as a freshman, develop into a multiple year starter and eventually become a legitimate NBA prospect.
The biggest key for Passmore on the offensive end is going to be developing his jump shot. His shot looks good and he’s not bad pulling up from mid-range or shooting off the dribble, but when he gets beyond the three point line, the numbers get a little concerning. During 17 games tracked on Synergy over the last year (his high school and summer teams Team Thad and Garner Road), Passmore has made 28.8% (21/73) of his tracked attempts from beyond the three-point line so getting more consistent there will be the focus.
Maybe the most exciting part about what Passmore will bring to the table is his vast defensive potential. He is strong, he is quick and he has the length to be a dynamic player on that end. He can play passing lanes, he can switch one through three and he’s got tremendous natural instincts that Self can tap into, fine-tune and develop into an elite level defender with a year or two of seasoning.
Bottom line, he’s got some areas of his game to be improved but Passmore projects as an outstanding fit.
Adam Finkelstein, 247Sports Director of Scouting offered up this scouting report on Passmore in July.
Passmore is a strong and athletic wing. He’s a major threat in transition where he runs the floor hard and can rise-up for the type of explosive finishes that can immediately change the momentum of a game. He’s a downhill straight-line driver, who doesn’t have a ton of wiggle to his game, but can go through contact. He’s made strides as a shooter and has become capable from three with room and rhythm. Passmore is also a projectable defender with a real chance to become a weapon on that end of the floor because he can get low in his stance, slide his feet laterally, and absorb contact in his upper body.
