Film Study: Analyzing the Boone Twins

When Mike Boynton received the commitments of Kalib and Keylan Boone two weeks ago, the Cowboy faithful took to Twitter with their excitement. While the Boone twins aren’t rated very highly (neither is rated at all on 247sports) the potential is exciting. Lets take a look at how each plays. and how their respective games fit in at Oklahoma State.

Keylan Boone

Keylan is listed at 6’6 and 175 pounds as a small forward. His size and quickness will give him the ability to guard most bigs in the post as well as crafty guards on the pick-and-roll. He should be able to guard every position with the exception of a classic back-to-the-basket center. His versatility on defense will make him a valuable asset for the Cowboys. He can keep up with guards and defend the pick-and-roll when needed and has the size to hold his own down low against smaller bigs. The video below will give you a good look at Boone’s ability in the post and features a couple of steals on smaller guards.

As for offense, Keylan is an above average three point shooter who will space the floor and stretch defenses out. He will benefit most from playing with a Jawun Evans’ type guard who commands respect as a shooter, but also creates for his teammates. Keylan is a good spot up shooter, but doesn’t create for himself very often. At 6’6, he isn’t afraid to go down in the post to get offensive boards and put-backs as well. The rangy forward has an awkward looking shot, but it goes down at a good clip and his size and ability to score from the post and beyond the arc will stretch defenses out. The highlights below come from last summer, so you can only imagine how much farther his game has come since then.

Kalib Boone

Kalib is listed at 6’8 and 185 pounds, slightly bigger than Keylan. His height suggests that he should be a true big, but he has the same athleticism as Keylan and might be a more natural fit at small forward. Kalib should fit nicely between Keylan at the three spot and Kentrevious Jones at the five. Jones is a back-to-the-basket center who will eat up boards and work smaller bigs for easy points in the post, so the more athletic Boone twins should be able to play off Jones nicely. Jones is a 2018 big man who will already have one year of Big 12 play under his belt, and figures to draw in extra defenders at 6’10 and 285 pounds.

Kalib has a similar game to Keylan’s. Because he is a little bit bigger and plays in the post, Kalib averaged 17 points and 12 boards per game last year compared to Keylan’s 15 and eight. Kalib benefits from plenty of put-back opportunities, and while he doesn’t shoot the three ball as well as his brother, he still spaces the floor with an effective midrange game. The bigger Boone twin should excel in pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop opportunities if paired with the right point guard.

Oklahoma State figures to have its 3-4-5 positions figured out for 2019, assuming that the Boone twins could be ready to start from day one. Jones is the perfect center to pair with a combination of lanky, athletic forwards. Throw in a playmaking point guard who can feed his teammates, make the right decisions in the pick-and-roll and score effectively along with a defense centric two-guard and Oklahoma State will be set.

Here is a nice clip of the Boone twins with Tulsa Memorial from last season. Also, I’m a fan of good reads, so here is a nice piece that Zach did on the absolute boon (haha) that Oklahoma State is getting with these guys and why they aren’t nationally ranked.