Background and Measurements:
- 6’3, 165lb Sophomore Point Guard
- 6’7 wingspan
- Played 2 seasons at Alabama
- Averaged 19.6 points/5.1 rebounds/5.6 assists/0.6 blocks/1.9 steals per 40 minutes as a sophomore per College Basketball Reference
- Sophomore but still extremely young. Was the youngest player to appear in a Division 1 game last year
- 19 years old at time of draft
Offense:
- Excelled in fast pace, pro-style offense with lots of 3s
- Shooting outlook is pretty good. Solid 3pt and FT shooter at 37% and 80% respectively
- Good touch too, especially on layups
- Shown ability to hit pull-up jumpers
- Hasn’t really shown a midrange game. Only 5 recorded possessions where Kira took a mid-range jumper per Synergy. Probably based on Nate Oats’ scheme
- Really stands out in transition where his excellent straight line speed helps him push the break and put pressure on defense attacking the rim
- 1.19PPP, good for 79th percentile as a transition scorer
- In half court, his great first step allows him to create space off the dribble pretty consistently
- Crafty ball handler who has shown ability to combine dribble moves to beat his man
- Elusive finisher attacking the rim, demonstrates ability to adjust midair to avoid contact
- Inability to finish through contact, low FT rate (.292 per CBB Reference) gives me pause, avoids contact due to slender frame (only 165 pounds)
- Weight gives him extra advantage from his speed but hurts his ability to handle physicality.
- Doesn’t instinctively draw fouls which will hurt scoring efficiency at the NBA level
- Doesn’t always know what we wants to do when he gets going downhill. Can result in him getting swallowed up by better defenders (saw this against Tyrese Haliburton and Tyrese Maxey)
- Reminiscent of Derrick Rose in that he’ll get stuck in the air and throw ill advised jump passes
- Solid passer especially with his left, but doesn’t make advanced reads and can be goaded into tunnel vision here too
- 1.49 assist to turnover ratio is decent but supports the lack of high level feel that you see in the film
Defense:
- Small and pretty weak, will only ever be a one position defender
- Doesn’t really make himself a pest, not super assertive on defense
- Pretty good as disrupting passing lanes
- Not particularly strong physically but his lateral quickness allows him to stay with guards and his downhill quickness helps him recover if he does get beat
NBA Role:
- Ceiling as a good starting point guard on a winning team if potential primary initiator stock hits. Can consistently create advantages off the dribble. Success will depend on whether he can finish and/or get to the line enough to do this efficiently
- Has all the tools to be a high usage primary creator given his speed and shake, but will need to improve passing decision-making and consistently hit jumpers to diversify his utility
- Lack of advanced feel may limit his ability to make the most of his athletic talent, maybe better as a sixth man scorer?
NBA Fits:
- Magic need a scoring boost and PG minutes aren’t completely spoken for as much as I like Markelle Fultz
- Maybe the Suns if they fall? I don’t love his fit with Devin Booker really
- Would be a good fit in Philly too. Solid chance to be a good spot-up shooter, can create advantages as the secondary ball handler, won’t be relied upon to handle too much initiation duty too quickly
