Auburn basketball signee Chris Moore is the second nationally ranked high school basketball player from Arkansas to sign with Auburn in the last two seasons, and Moore could play an important role as a freshman like Allen Flanigan did last season.
Moore has all of the physical tools necessary to be a good player at Auburn. Similar to Isaac Okoro, Moore’s physical attributes and strength made easy work of inferior opponents in high school and could give him an advantage when it comes to adjusting to college basketball.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ forward Chris Moore just committed to Auburn over Memphis and Arkansas.
— Jay Phillips (@aubawn) November 16, 2019
Moore averaged 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game over the summer for Woodz Elite. pic.twitter.com/aSWc8RRoX2
Outside of his strength, speed and all around athleticism, certain aspect of Moore’s game are already well polished. Moore’s footwork and understanding of the game paired with his athleticism make me think Moore can play relief-minutes at power forward right away.
Moore’s feel for the game and his basketball IQ are impressive. His athleticism helps just as much, but Moore understands when to get down court and when to stay and help. That’s evident by how many offensive rebounds and fast break layups/dunks/blocks he gets.
Moore played in the post a lot for his high school (West Memphis, Arkansas) and has the physical attributes necessary to defend many college centers, especially the smaller ones. Moore’s versatility and Auburn’s 2020 class make me wonder if Moore could be looked to for possible small ball center minutes.
Depending on how Auburn’s 2020 class fills out, one of (or both of) Moore and Jaylin Williams could play the four or five in Auburn’s offense.
Moore showed he had the rebounding and defensive potential to make playing center work at West Memphis High School, and his skill set and how comfortable he is on fast breaks and playing on the perimeter could give him a big advantage when it comes to beating opposing teams’ centers.
No matter what he does as a freshman, Moore’s versatility and athleticism will allow him to contribute a good amount during his time at Auburn. In the long run, I see Moore having the ability to play 3-5 at Auburn, with most of his time likely coming at the forward positions.
Here are a few clips that highlight why I think that:
Runs the court well and can protect the rim in one-on-one and help defense situations:
Moore goes coast-to-coast and finishes with a fancy layup: pic.twitter.com/hLYWisxTiE
— Jay Phillips (@aubawn) April 3, 2020
Rebounds well:
Defenders draped all over him and still muscles his way to an offense rebound and a layup: pic.twitter.com/yoIrAsxkqG
— Jay Phillips (@aubawn) April 3, 2020
Shows potential to be a stretch forward:
Just finished watching Auburn signee Chris Moore’s game against Searcy from February.
— Jay Phillips (@aubawn) April 3, 2020
Moore finished with 16 points, 19 rebounds and a few blocks and assists. Here are a few highlights, starting with a deep buzzer beater he made in the third quarter: pic.twitter.com/lf2v9tHsIH