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Figured we needed a thread to discuss and post stories as they relate to current players pro prospects. ESPN's Jonathan Givony was recently at the SMU game and had the following observations. Of particular note NBA teams are most interested in Mcduffie as a small ball 4 man which is exactly where I wish we would play him. Landry Shamet | Wichita State
Top-100 ranking: No. 30
6-foot-4 | Junior (RS) | PG/SG
After missing one game with the flu, Shamet obviously wasn't at 100 percent against SMU. He wasn't asked to initiate the offense as much as usual and started the second half on the bench. He nevertheless showed his strengths as an NBA prospect, namely his gorgeous shooting stroke, ability to operate as a secondary ball handler, competitiveness defensively and very high basketball IQ.
Shamet's body will likely always be on the leaner side, and he doesn't have great physical tools in general, with average length and athleticism. His fluidity, footwork and outstanding pace help compensate for that, as he does a great job sticking to his skills by running Wichita State's well-oiled offense and taking only good shots. He has the luxury of being surrounded by three outstanding shooters and a number of effective big men finishers to whom he can dump the ball in the post. Shamet is not the most creative ball handler you'll find, often struggling to get by longer and more athletic opponents and rarely accelerating confidently off the pick-and-roll en route to the lane, which limits his potential as a primary creator to an extent. The fact that he's such a willing passer and a dangerous shooter helps mitigate those concerns to an extent, especially when he is operating against backup units.
Shamet isn't going to wow anyone with his upside, but his size, stroke, feel, pedigree and ability to play either guard spots make him an easy player to utilize in different lineup configurations. He's a solid prospect in the late first or early second round, barring the results of his medical examination (particularly his foot, which he has injured repeatedly).
Markis McDuffie | Wichita State
6-foot-8 | Junior | SF
NBA scouts have been wondering whether McDuffie will break out in his junior season after showing flashes in his first two years at Wichita State. Talent has never been the issue for McDuffie, who is a good athlete and was often the tallest player on the court against SMU, looking like he stands closer to 6-foot-9, despite playing almost exclusively on the perimeter. McDuffie suffered a significant setback with a stress fracture that caused him to miss the first 11 games of the season, and he had been in the midst of a fairly disappointing season until Saturday. He had arguably the best game of his college career in front of a host of NBA scouts in Dallas, scoring 26 points on 14 shots in just 25 minutes of action.
McDuffie has a sweet-looking jump shot, and he punished SMU's matchup zone with a number of midrange jumpers and spot-up 3-pointers. He can rise up with a high release point off curls and is consistent shooting the ball with his feet set. McDuffie is not going to create much offense off the dribble, as he plays the game somewhat sped up and struggles to finish around the basket through contact. Defensively, he is mobile enough to chase smaller players around and had some impressive possessions getting low in a stance and using his length to contest jumpers on the perimeter, but he is still far from consistent in this area. He looked extremely winded at numerous points, asking to come out of the game just four minutes into the second half after appearing to be almost completely gassed. McDuffie's terrific height makes him an ideal candidate to operate as a small-ball power forward, but his legs remain extremely thin, and there are question marks about his motor and whether he's tough enough to rebound adequately and not get pushed around by bigger players.
McDuffie fits the mold of what NBA teams are looking for these days at the wing/combo forward position, but he has a lot of ground to make up with the way he has produced overall over the course of the season. Now would be the ideal time for him to turn the corner, so it will be interesting to see how he closes out the season. He's an ideal two-way contract candidate, but he might be able to improve his stock further with a more consistent senior year.
Top-100 ranking: No. 30
6-foot-4 | Junior (RS) | PG/SG
After missing one game with the flu, Shamet obviously wasn't at 100 percent against SMU. He wasn't asked to initiate the offense as much as usual and started the second half on the bench. He nevertheless showed his strengths as an NBA prospect, namely his gorgeous shooting stroke, ability to operate as a secondary ball handler, competitiveness defensively and very high basketball IQ.
Shamet's body will likely always be on the leaner side, and he doesn't have great physical tools in general, with average length and athleticism. His fluidity, footwork and outstanding pace help compensate for that, as he does a great job sticking to his skills by running Wichita State's well-oiled offense and taking only good shots. He has the luxury of being surrounded by three outstanding shooters and a number of effective big men finishers to whom he can dump the ball in the post. Shamet is not the most creative ball handler you'll find, often struggling to get by longer and more athletic opponents and rarely accelerating confidently off the pick-and-roll en route to the lane, which limits his potential as a primary creator to an extent. The fact that he's such a willing passer and a dangerous shooter helps mitigate those concerns to an extent, especially when he is operating against backup units.
Shamet isn't going to wow anyone with his upside, but his size, stroke, feel, pedigree and ability to play either guard spots make him an easy player to utilize in different lineup configurations. He's a solid prospect in the late first or early second round, barring the results of his medical examination (particularly his foot, which he has injured repeatedly).
Markis McDuffie | Wichita State
6-foot-8 | Junior | SF
NBA scouts have been wondering whether McDuffie will break out in his junior season after showing flashes in his first two years at Wichita State. Talent has never been the issue for McDuffie, who is a good athlete and was often the tallest player on the court against SMU, looking like he stands closer to 6-foot-9, despite playing almost exclusively on the perimeter. McDuffie suffered a significant setback with a stress fracture that caused him to miss the first 11 games of the season, and he had been in the midst of a fairly disappointing season until Saturday. He had arguably the best game of his college career in front of a host of NBA scouts in Dallas, scoring 26 points on 14 shots in just 25 minutes of action.
McDuffie has a sweet-looking jump shot, and he punished SMU's matchup zone with a number of midrange jumpers and spot-up 3-pointers. He can rise up with a high release point off curls and is consistent shooting the ball with his feet set. McDuffie is not going to create much offense off the dribble, as he plays the game somewhat sped up and struggles to finish around the basket through contact. Defensively, he is mobile enough to chase smaller players around and had some impressive possessions getting low in a stance and using his length to contest jumpers on the perimeter, but he is still far from consistent in this area. He looked extremely winded at numerous points, asking to come out of the game just four minutes into the second half after appearing to be almost completely gassed. McDuffie's terrific height makes him an ideal candidate to operate as a small-ball power forward, but his legs remain extremely thin, and there are question marks about his motor and whether he's tough enough to rebound adequately and not get pushed around by bigger players.
McDuffie fits the mold of what NBA teams are looking for these days at the wing/combo forward position, but he has a lot of ground to make up with the way he has produced overall over the course of the season. Now would be the ideal time for him to turn the corner, so it will be interesting to see how he closes out the season. He's an ideal two-way contract candidate, but he might be able to improve his stock further with a more consistent senior year.
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