scouting profiles

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With the draft fast approaching, we will be taking a look at potential draft prospects with writers who have covered the prospects in college or -- in the case of international prospects -- spent a great deal of time scouting them. Today we’ll look at Tyler Ennis (G - Syracuse) with the help of SB Nation NBA draft guru Tyler Lashbrook (@lashy).

Ennis is best at getting his team in an offense. He has a number of advanced ball handling moves, and he uses them to navigate through pick-and-rolls. He's a very skilled passer and he does a really good job of taking care of the ball, something rare for a guy so young.

He isn't very good at finishing around the rim, which I think has to do with his good-not-great athleticism. Don't get me wrong, he's a good athlete, but not when you compare him to starting NBA point guards. I also wonder about his ability to defend one-on-one. He produced a nice steal rate, but I just don't know because he played in Syracuse's zone.

How do you think his game translates to the NBA?

The NBA is pick-and-roll heavy and Ennis should adapt to that immediately. He isn't a great shooter, but he isn't by any means broken and he should only get better.

What style of play do you think he'd be most comfortable in?

He can really adapt to any style, so long as he has shooters surrounding him. He's very good at finding guys on the perimeter either out of the pick-and-roll or in isolation. I also think he has the ability to play for a team that plays at any pace as he's good both in transition and in the half court.

What NBA player would you compare him to?

That's tough. Some weird combination of Jameer Nelson and Jrue Holiday.

What do you see as his NBA ceiling (All-Star/Starter/Spot-Starter/Rotation Player)?

Fringe All-Star. At worst, he'll be a serviceable backup point guard, which I think is a pretty good floor in the middle of the first round.

What was his most memorable performance from this season?

His game winner against Pitt was probably the most memorable moment in college hoops, but the performance I remember most was against N.C. State in the ACC tournament. Syracuse lost, but Ennis was a boss on both ends.

scouting-profile-tyler-ennis

Scouting Profile: Tyler Ennis

With the draft fast approaching, we will be taking a look at potential draft prospects with writers who have covered the prospects in college or -- in the case of international prospects -- spent a great deal of time scouting them. Today we’ll look at KJ McDaniels (F - Clemson) with the help of SB Nation NBA draft guru Tyler Lashbrook (@lashy).

McDaniels is behind only Andrew Wiggins as the best athlete on the wing in this draft, and he has the perfect frame (6'6, 6'11.25 wingspan) to defend small forwards. He used that frame and athleticism to put up huge numbers on the defensive end (1.1 steals, 2.8 blocks per game). He's extremely active on the offensive glass and scored over 20 points per 40 minutes, despite being pretty raw on that end.

He isn't a non-threat from behind the arc, but he still isn't a reliable shooter from deep, and he isn't a good enough ball handler to create much more than straight-line drives. He improved as a passer in his junior season, but he still turns the ball over more than he registers assists. He's a freak athlete, but his skills still haven't caught up.

He'll be able to defend immediately on the wing, but it's going to be tough to play him, if he doesn't become at least a reliable jump shooter.  I am, however, encouraged by his 84 percent stroke from the free throw line. I typically believe that's a good indicator whether or not a guy can learn to shoot, so that's good.

He'd work best on a team that likes to get out and run, where he can best use his athleticism.

A better Jeffrey Taylor/shorter DeMarre Carroll. He plays with that relentless Carroll style. But he's not nearly the shooter Carroll is at this point.

He could become a spot starter on certain rosters, but he's most likely a rotation guy.

I remember him dominating Notre Dame on both ends of the floor in the middle of the season; the best part was that he hit several long range shots.

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Scouting Profile: K.J. McDaniels

With the draft fast approaching, we will be taking a look at potential draft prospects with writers who have covered the prospects in college or -- in the case of international prospects -- spent a great deal of time scouting them. Today we’ll look at James Young (G/F - Kentucky) with the help of SB Nation NBA draft guru Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie).

James Young is one of the more interesting prospects in this draft, and he's something of a project. His best game this year given the competition level probably came against Florida the first time they played, when he knocked down seven of his 10 shots, including four of five from 3, and scored 19 points. He dropped 20+ points nine times, but never with the type of efficiency that he displayed against what was consistently the best team in the country this season.

Where Young excels is as a jump shooter. His shooting form is pristine, and he gets excellent elevation on his jumper. He's an incredible athlete, and has great length and height for both wing positions. Athletic shooters can make quite a career in the NBA, so it's not hard at all to envision him working out well.

His weaknesses though have to do with those strengths. Young was a shooter that only shot 35 percent this season from 3, although that has more to do with the fact that he was the only spacing option that Kentucky had this past season with the Harrisons, Julius Randle, and Willie Cauley-Stein. He had to take a lot of contested outside jumpers just to keep defenses honest, which slightly depressed his percentages. I'd envision that these will leap in the pros. He already has NBA range (or at least as much as any NBA prospect does).

But that's not his biggest problem. His best way to fit in the NBA is as a "3 and D" guy, but he's not a good defender yet. At all. He doesn't get after it on that end, and doesn't seem to have great instincts there. Of course, most NCAA prospects have poor defensive instincts coming out of college. That's just kind of the way it is. They could come along for Young, and he could be fine on that end. But defensive lapses just seemed more common for him than other guys, and a lot of the time it was effort-related.

Given his athleticism and shooting, his game is extremely translatable, especially once he is put into a slightly better role in the NBA than he was in college. Assuming the shot falls more consistently as I expect it to, I can't see him failing to the point where he doesn't reach a second contract quite yet.

He's athletic and young enough to the point where he could develop into a Richard Jefferson-type that can both score by shooting and by getting to the rim with his athleticism. Or he could be an big shooting guard like a Klay Thompson. Or maybe he ends up like a C.J. Miles, more of an instant offense in small doses off the bench shooter.

My guess is that he's closer to the Miles level than peak Jefferson level, but who knows. Young is only 18 and hasn't really been used in a way to maximize his talents yet. I have him at 15th on my big board, just outside the lottery. I tend to think shooting is the easiest thing to project into an NBA role, so Young at worst probably ends up as a solid role player.

scouting profiles

Scouting Profile: Tyler Ennis

Scouting Profile: K.J. McDaniels

Scouting Profile: James Young