Prospect Overview
Creative change-of-pace scoring guard who brought his strong offensive pedigree to Overtime Elite’s inaugural campaign.
About Jean Montero
A dangerous perimeter scorer with great fluidity and ball handling ability, Montero was the most seasoned player to join Overtime Elite and it showed in the league’s inaugural campaign. Garnering international attention early in his career averaging 25.8 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 6.3 steals over 31.1 minutes per game for the Dominican Republic at the Centrobasket U15 Championship in 2018, Montero followed that up with similarly productive performances at the U16 and U17 levels and in the Nike EYBL.
Joining Spanish club Gran Canaria in 2019, he spent two seasons playing primarily in the Spanish 3rd Division, LEB Silver. Averaging 18 ppg in the LEB two years ago while making his ACB and EuroCup debuts, Montero was loaned to Overtime Elite last summer. Averaging 17.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 4.7 apg and 3.5 spg in 27.5 mpg across matchups with other Overtime teams and a range of prep programs, the 18-year-old guard stood out all year before putting an exclamation point on his season scoring a game-high 23 points at the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit.
• Measured standing 6-foot-2.25 in shoes with a 172-pound frame and a 6-foot-5.25 wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine, Montero is not the most imposing guard from a physical perspective but is tremendously fluid with the ball.
• Playing primarily on the ball, Montero created his own shot prolifically in transition and out of pick and rolls in the half court. A smooth athlete with impressive ball handling ability, he creates separation impressively and the way he makes pull-up jumpers with deep range keeps opposing defenders on their toes and opens up his floor game. While he has room to continue to improve his consistency as a shot-maker, he made some strides as a playmaker this season and was dynamic when he found his range early in games.
• Forcing turnovers at a strong rate as his instincts in the passing lanes stood out against his peers, Montero nonetheless has some things to prove in terms of strength and consistency on the defensive end at the highest levels.
Advanced Stats
• Never shy about rising into deep shots off the dribble, Montero was aggressive with his shot selection this season. He showed soft touch from NBA range, significant talent with the ball and continued growth as a facilitator.
• Taking advantage of the pace of games pushing the ball himself in the open floor, Montero scored steadily in transition, but was very effective in the half court in spurts as well. Effortless with the ball in his hands, he averaged 0.83 points per pull-up jump shot in the half court [68th percentile] frequently freezing defenders and rising into deep jumpers. Showing his upside in that regard vividly in the Hoop Summit by casually draining multiple deep shots to get himself going, Montero has clear potential as a microwave scorer as his shot selection and consistency mature.
• With a third of his shots coming around the rim, Montero showed deft touch on his floater, some vision finding the open man, and the ability to finish creatively in traffic. He is not the most physical slasher or explosive finisher, but is a good leaper in space and scored 1.15 points per shot around the rim [52nd percentile].
• Showing the ability to make passes with both hands and nice vision on the move in transition, Montero is wired to score and has room to find better balance as a playmaker, but blends in some positive contributions as a passer to his unwavering confidence looking for his own shot.
Defensive Analysis
• Coming up with a lot of deflections this season but looking more intent to be in the right spots consistently sometimes than others, Montero still has room to grow defensively. He has good length for his size, but will need to get stronger to go toe-to-toe with big NBA guards.
• His intensity may come and go, but his instincts in the passing lanes and on the glass have long helped him turn defense into offense and contributed to his point production on the offensive end.
— Profile by Synergy Sports
